Signs went up Thursday at Davidson College's planned clothing and souvenir shop. (Gordon Clark photo)

Public radio station WDAV-FM, 89.9 on Friday announced a pair of hires – a multimedia producer and a marketing and communications director – that it says are aimed at boosting its use of multimedia to attract new listeners. Also in this column:

• A name for Davidon College’s downtown retail shop, which opens Aug. 17.
• News about a new “Green Professionals” designation for the partners at Artisan Builders.
• An upcoming 1st birthday celebration at Campania Cafe,
• New business for Davidson-based J3H Architects

‘CATS ON MAIN’

New signs appeared Thursday at Davidson College’s planned “spirit shop” at 131 N. Main St. It will be called Cats on Main. The shop is scheduled to open Aug. 17, a college spokesman said Friday. Hours will be Mondays to Saturdays, 10-6.

Davidson announced in June that it had taken a lease on the building, which formerly housed the Tom Clark Museum and shop. The retail outlet will sell college logo clothing and merchandise, which has become a booming business because of the Wildcat basketball team’s success in recent years.

For more about the shop, see our June 10 article, “Goodbye gnomes, hello Wildcat spirit shop.”

NEW AT WDAV

At Davidson College-based classical radio station WDAV, Davidson resident Lisa V. Gray is the new director of marketing and communications, joining the station full-time after a year as interim director. Jeffrey Freymann-Weyr has been hired as the station’s first multi-media producer.

Since General Manager Benjamin K. Roe took over the reins at WDAV last year, the station has been looking for ways to expand its reach, both on the air and through its internet site, WDAV.org. This summer the station has produced live broadcasts and online programming from music and arts festivals across the Southeast, including Charleston’s Spoleto Festival USA. And it has broadened its use of audio and video on WDAV.org, both at Spoleto and at other recent N.C. music festivals.

“The public broadcasting landscape is changing before our eyes,” Mr. Roe said in a press release Friday.  “In addition to our traditional broadcasting of WDAV’s programs in the Charlotte region at 89.9 FM, we are now broadcasting around the world via streaming audio and video on our website, via the iPhone Public Radio Tuner and through iTunes. “

Lisa Gray

WDAV also is using the social networking sites Facebook and Twitter in its marketing. “This is a brave new world for those broadcasters who can adapt quickly,” Mr. Roe said. “Lisa and Jeffrey both have had extraordinary success in fast-changing environments.”

Ms. Gray is a Davidson-based internet marketing consultant who has been active in the Charlotte regional arts community for 16 years. She has held executive jobs at Charlotte Trolley Inc. and the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center.

Jeffrey Freymann-Weyr

Mr. Freymann-Weyr (“Frime ‘n’ Wire”) spent 13 years at National Public Radio, where he served as a producer and editor for such programs as “Performance Today,” “Morning Edition,” and the new NPRMusic.org website.  He studied film scoring at Berklee College of Music in Boston and attended Haverford College, and has a bachelor of music from the University of Michigan’ School of Music. The station said he will create original online content and expand WDAV broadcast content for viewing and listening on wdav.org.

The latest hires follow several other changes at the station over the past year,

Artisan Homes partners (from left) John Shryock, Jay Johnstone, Brad Remmey

IN BRIEF

• Mitchell Community College has selected J3H Architects, 228-B Caldwell Lane in Davidson, to provide architectural and engineering design services for the renovation of their 150-year-old Main Administration Building.
• The founders and partners of Artisan Custom Homes, Jay Johnstone, Brad Remmey and John Shryock, recently earned the designation of Certified Green Professionals from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The certification requires 24 hours of NAHB-approved coursework, and additional continuing education every two years. Subjects covered in training include lowering energy costs and increasing value with green homes, strategies for incorporating green building principles into homes without driving up the cost of construction, and overall green building best practices. Details:
• Owners Nancy and Vincent DiGiorgio of Campania Cafe are planning a series of events later this month to celebrate their 1-year anniversary in Davidson. The restaurant, in the former Ice House at 416 S. Main St., plans specials and events the week of Aug. 18 to 22. They include a four-course dinner on Aug. 18, live music on weekend nights, and other events. Details: http://www.campaniacafe.com/

HAVE NEWS?

Send business notes and press releases to us at editor@davidsonnews.net.