Sylvan Lake is home to a brand new radio station, one that is completely online.
The Wav is the culmination of hundreds of hours of work, compressed into only a few short months.
Dwayne Stoesz, operations manager with 7 Points Media which owns and operates the radio station, says it has been a labour of love to get the station off the ground.
He said a lot of people in the area were looking for a local radio station, and there had been failed attempted at getting a FM station off the ground for Sylvan Lake.
“I was talking with a friend of mine who started a web radio station after being laid off from his radio job during COVID,” Stoesz said. “He told me Virtual Sylvan needed an audio component.”
Stoesz continued to say a web-based radio station meshed well with the other component 7 Points Media already had out in the public, like Virtual Sylvan - which has cameras located along the lakefront giving a live feed of current happenings on Sylvan Lake.
Stoesz and his team put in an “immense amount of research and brainstorming” in the early stages of the process, which started last October.
Following that came the name, hiring a program director and talking to potential sponsors.
He says the process went pretty quick, with each step falling into place one after the other.
“It wasn’t just me doing all of this, it was a group effort, a lot of people worked together to put it together. It is passion, and it’s a love for what we are doing.”
The web radio station officially launched on Feb. 15, with “broad and wide-reaching content.” The day is split up into four shows, hosted by Sylvan Lake locals.
Stoesz says the music played covers just about everything from the 1960s through to today’s top hits.
The music library used for the new station will be updated regularly, to ensure what listeners want is being played.
“This station is by, for and about Sylvan Lake. I really hope residents will embrace what we are trying to do,” said Stoesz.
Looking to the future, Stoesz says there is a possibility of expanding the programming, but wants to make sure the current system is working before adding to it.
The Wav can be listened to online at www.thewavwebradio.ca.