Cleaning out your closets? Donate your “gently used” prom dresses and formal gowns to the 5th Annual WSLM SAY YES TO THE PROM DRESS event set for Sunday, March 31 at p in the presentation room of the Salem High School.

WSLM RADIO is collecting prom dresses and gowns as well as all accessories — purses, shoes, gloves, jewelry and hair accessories — for the upcoming event for girls in the WSLM listening area of Scott, Clark, Floyd, Harrison, Orange, Lawrence, Jackson and Madison.

There will be dresses from a variety of department stores, Beloved in Seymour and accessories from Serendipity in Madison as well as items donated from individuals all over Southern Indiana. 

“I know some girls don’t have the resources to go to the prom,” said Becky White, WSLM Owner and General Manager. “My goal is that any girl who wants to go to the prom, can get a dress at this event and have the chance to not only look beautiful on the outside but to have an experience that makes her feel like a princess on the inside.”

“Prom season is upon us and I want all the girls in the Kentuckiana area to experience the prom,” said White. 

The event is free and open to teen girls in the Kentuckiana area.

“We have many  beautiful dresses that are new or gently used items that have been donated. They will help make your prom night affordable and unforgettable,” said White. “This year’s event will be held at Salem High School to accommodate more people.”

WSLM won the Indiana Broadcasters Cardinal Community Service Award in 2018 for the event among all radio stations in the 9th Congressional District. The event began in 2015. 

For more information about donating items, call 812.883.3401 or 812.620.7271 or email at wslmradio@gmail.com to make arrangements to have your items picked up or you can arrange to drop your items to WSLM RADIO, 1308 East Hackberry Street during business hours. 

Last week, Hoosier broadcasters went to Capitol Hill to share the impact of local TV and radio with members of Congress. 

WSLM Owner and General Manager Rebecca White was part of the Indiana Broadcasters Association group for the second year. 

She is the 9th Congressional District Board member serving in her second term. 

“It was so exciting to see how things work in Washington,” said White. “We all had parts to play in talking with Senators and Representatives on the trip as well as meeting with the National Association of Broadcasters.”

White said 18 broadcasters from Indiana met with each member of Indiana’s congressional delegation or members of their staff to discuss several issues impacting our industry now and in the future.

One of the issues possibly affecting small broadcasters is a tax on radio broadcasters. 

Indiana broadcasters asked members of Congress to sign the Local Radio Freedom Act (LRFA), which opposes any new tax, fee or royalty on local radio stations, enjoys strong bipartisan support in both chambers.  Last year, all Indiana Senators and Representatives signed the legislation co-sponsored LRFA and we are working to garner their same support this year.

Spectrum Repack

Nearly 1,000 local television stations across the country are required to move to new frequencies due to the FCC’s broadcast spectrum incentive auction – known as the Spectrum Repack. 

The Repack is currently in Phase 2 and most Indiana stations will transition in Phase 6 which is scheduled for this fall. 

Delays due to weather, a shortage of qualified tower crews and other complications may prevent some stations from meeting their deadlines despite their best efforts. 

Members of Congress were asked to ensure that viewers and listeners should not lose access to the critical emergency information and local news broadcast stations provide due to arbitrary and unachievable deadlines set by the FCC.

The IBA asked the 116th Congress to make sure the FCC applies a waiver standard that ensures no TV station is forced off the air due to circumstances beyond its control.

STELAR

The IBA asked Congress to let the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act Reauthorization (STELAR) to sunset at the end of the year.  Due to dramatic changes in the media marketplace, the provisions are no longer necessary.  

Technology has eliminated the need to import out-of-market station signals to consumers, and satellites now deliver  local TV stations to all 210 local media markets.

Indiana Conservation Officers are reporting that a Dubois County man has been convicted of illegally taking what most hunters would consider a buck of a lifetime. 

Mark Gill, age 56, of Holland, harvested a non-typical 20 point buck with more than 200 inches of antler during the 2016 season after already taking a buck earlier that archery season. This violated the state of Indiana’s one-buck rule. 

As part of his plea agreement with the Dubois County Prosecutor’s office Gill’s hunting license privileges will be suspended for a period of two years, he will serve 100 hours of community service, be on probation for 540 days and pay $741 in fines and court costs including a $500 replacement fee. 

It was determined that Gill caped out the second harvested buck of the 2016 season and froze it until the 2017 season before checking it in. By doing this he provided false information to Indiana’s deer harvest information system. 

Because of his Indiana hunting license suspension, Gill will be entered into the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact. This is an agreement that recognizes suspension of hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses in 48 member states. The only states not currently in the violator compact are Massachusetts and Hawaii. 

Gill pled guilty to unlawful taking of a white-tailed deer (Class B Misdemeanor) and providing false information to a check station (Class C Misdemeanor).  

The TIP (Turn In a Poacher) program, which is a way for anonymous callers to provide information about wildlife crimes, was used in this case. The program has local origins, having been started by what is now the Dubois County Sportsman Club in the early 1980s. It eventually transitioned to a state program providing monetary reimbursement for information leading to an arrest. During the 2018 calendar year, TIP received a total of 277 reports. 

To report future wildlife poaching or pollution you can call 1-800-TIP-IDNR or submit an online form at:  dnr.IN.gov/lawenfor/7608.htm.