The pulse of Henderson has recently risen, but no need to call the doctor. Henderson’s own radio station KSWH “The Pulse” has moved up the dial from 99.9 FM to 102.5 FM.

The change was made after the sports, talk radio station, and ESPN affiliate KWPS 99.7 FM contacted The Pulse to notify them that the two frequencies were conflicting.

KSWH The Pulse, a nonprofit/noncommercial station must move to make way for any commercial station. According to Federal Communications Commission rules, a licensed commercial station has precedence over any non-commercial station and can give as little as a 30-day notice to the noncommercial station to make the move.

KSWH was established in 1971, when it operated a little under the FCC’s radar at 10 watts on 91.1 FM. For over a decade it has been operating on 99.9 FM as a 100 watt, FCC licensed, nonprofit radio station. It provides music of different genera for its listeners.

“We have a lot of diversity, which is my favorite part of the station,” Ashley Bles, program director, said. “The music changes on the hour. If you don’t like what is playing at the moment, hang on because it will change soon.”

The Pulse invites members of the campus community to introduce some of their original work, which is accepted by the staff on CD, MP3, or flash drive to upload. The station provides an outlook to activities on campus.

“We cater to the students by reporting on HSU sports and events,” Zach Burnett, news director, said.

Being forced to move frequencies sounds like the Big Bad Wolf blowing down the doors of Henderson’s radio station, but it didn’t happen that way.

KWPS 99.7 FM contacted The Pulse to notify their requirement to move frequencies and offered help with resources and contacts to ease the transition. The effort given by KWPS 99.7 FM to help The Pulse move to another frequency could be compared to your neighbor helping you move.

The whole experience has created a kind of a partnership between the two.

“They looked out for us. The owner of the station called us up to offer assistance,” Paul Glover, associate professor of communication and student advisor said. “He even talked about taking on some interns.”

Moving up the dial can be helpful to some radio stations. The lower frequencies are often passed over by listeners scanning for a radio station.

“It was really a blessing. We now sit between many big radio stations such as 100.3 FM and 107.7 FM,” Chris Ingram, station manager, said.

The move itself took about two months while KWPS 99.7 FM patiently allowed the time. It required planning and an engineer to make inspections, and the station had to shop around for an available frequency. To make the change, the engineer basically needed to go up to the eighth floor of Smith Hall where the stations exciters are housed and flip some switches. Around March 7, The Pulse changed frequencies from 99.9 FM to 102.5 FM.

With the new frequency and license, Glover found out that they were able to increase the station’s wattage. Also with the new spot on the dial, there is a less possible chance of interference. With these two new developments in the station’s configuration, it is possible that the reach is further out.

“Call me crazy but I swear I could pick up the station for another three miles when going home,” Glover said.

Now more people who were unaware of Henderson’s radio station can pick it up and experience the diversity, talents and sports coverage of the Henderson community.