With the excitement of move-in, the more than 900 new residents of Brumby Hall may not have noticed the metal tower that sits on top of their new home. And the chances of a freshman stumbling across the transmitter in the basement are even slimmer.

But there is a transmitter in the basement, as well as an antenna on the roof that soars 200 feet above the confused heads of the freshmen waiting in vain for a North/South bus on Baxter Street.

It is all a part of WUOG, the University’s student-run radio station – found on 90.5 FM. Made up of a volunteer staff of more than 200 students, the station aims to serve as an alternative to other radio stations by providing listeners with less mainstream music. About half the students who volunteer serve as DJs for the station.

“We’re an alternative media outlet,” said Jenny Peck, general manager of the station. “We try to cater to the most up-and-coming and avant-garde music scene.”

That means no Lady Gaga or T-Pain here. Songs by bands with names such as The Bran Flakes, Hello Seahorse! and Neutral Milk Hotel are transmitted as far as the Carolinas via the antenna, and potentially worldwide through the station’s Web site.

Many of the songs featured on WUOG come from local artists, and the station encourages song submissions from bands. The station will even play records on the air from time to time.

The music considered for air play is judged on an artist-by-artist basis – songs and individual albums are not considered by themselves, but rather as part of a whole.

University student Brian McGaw plays in a band – Crumbling Arches – with fellow University student Alex McKelvey, and twin brothers from Atlanta. The band, which has been playing together for eight years, has been featured on WUOG.

“I think that college radio is a really good place for new music – and good music – to find recognition,” said McGaw, a senior from Atlanta. “It’s good because it gives smaller artists a chance to be recognized and become big artists.”

Twice weekly, the station holds a concert series dubbed “Live in the Lobby,” where musicians are asked to perform live.

McGaw has performed for “Live in the Lobby” twice – once with Crumbling Arches, and again in a solo performance as an electro-acoustic musician known as Aman Amun.

“It was one of my first opportunities to really just perform out in Athens without set up times and door prices,” McGaw said.

In December, the station moved from its home of 37 years in Memorial Hall to a new location in the Tate Student Center.

“There are some things I miss about it – the old station,” Peck said. “You had to be looking for it, like a magical place you discovered.”

The fifth floor office was covered in old graffiti and stickers, documenting nearly four decades of musical history at the University.

“It might take a little bit longer to put the WUOG stamp on [this location],” she said of the freshly painted, nearly bare red walls of the new office, located across from the new UGACard Office in Tate.

The new station has a series of offices, a production room, lounge area and news desk with a window where students can watch the newscasts from inside Tate.

WUOG operates with the help of $70,282 in student fees, said Cody Ward, student media adviser for WUOG. What isn’t covered by student fees is supplemented by alumni donations.

But budget cuts have caused the station’s formerly-increasing budget to stagnate.

“I don’t know how [the budget cuts] are going to impact us this year,” Ward said. “Last year we did not receive any sort of increase because of budget cuts, and I don’t know about this year.”

The station hosts a varied lineup of programs, including talk shows, sports programs and a wide selection of music.

Peck said the station is always looking for new people interested in learning what it’s like to work in radio. Students need not worry about their experience level, since no experience is required to join WUOG as a volunteer.

“We are always receptive and are recruiting new people,” she said. “There’s never a shortage of things to do.”

Peck said her experience at the station has made her new friends.

“I’ve definitely learned a lot working there,” she said. “The best thing about working at WUOG is the friends I’ve made. It’s been a really good place to meet people.”

And when it comes to the eclectic music tastes of University students, Peck said WUOG has it covered.

“We’ve got something for everyone,” she said.