Adjusting their radio dials to FM 91 this week, WPSU listeners may have been surprised by changes in program scheduling.

WPSU has not added new musical programs. Rather, it has changed time slots for existing shows to better serve a changing direction by National Public Radio, which supplies programs to the local stations, said David Dzikowski, station manager.

Beginning today, classical music is played in the mornings and 7-9 p.m. Jazz will be played during the afternoons. Reggae, blues, folk and avant-garde play respectively Monday through Thursday 9 p.m. to midnight. New music and heavy metal play midnight to 4 a.m. On Friday evenings a free forum talk and music program are scheduled.

Student executive officers and the station manager decided on the program changes because the atmosphere of National Public Radio's morning news program suggested that classical music should follow instead of jazz, Dzikowski said. The two-hour news program consists of longer interviews and discussion on the day's headlines.

The School of Communications runs WPSU and Dean Brian Winston serves as general manager and adviser. Dzikowski (graduate-speech communications) serves as the professional station manager while the rest of the staff consists of volunteers.

"NPR has changed the listening patterns," said Dzikowski. "They have changed the way people use WPSU. We have a different audience."

The changes will attract more people in business offices with the classical music in the mornings, said Jeffrey Moore, vice president of operations.

Reaction for the first week has been mixed, said Rob Carachilo, treasurer of WPSU. People have called the station with both "for" and "against" opinions of the new scheduling, said Carachilo (senior-broadcast).

Carachilo said changes were also made according to what music appeals to people at different times of the day.

"We thought that it would be better to have a jazzier sound in the afternoon," he said. "Jazzier things keep people going throughout the day."

However, Dzikowski said the changes were not aimed at attracting a bigger audience.

"The idea was not necessarily to attract a bigger audience but rather to recognize that there are certain audiences at certain times," he said.

Carachilo said he hoped the changes would make people more aware of the station.

"It should bring in a new audience that didn't know we existed," he said.

Operating under the University, Dzikowski said WPSU must operate "legally and in public interests (and is expected) to provide programming that is educational, cultural, informative, and, above all, alternative to what is available in town."

"It's recognizing that we have a mission to be alternative to what is available in the community," he said.