The 13th annual World College Radio Day takes place on Friday, October 6, 2023. Conceived of by Rob Quicke as a celebration of student radio, College Radio Day has grown over the years to include an international mix of stations, all honoring the day in their own unique ways. The event also includes a global marathon, featuring a variety of college radio stations. This year, the marathon begins on Friday, October 6 at midnight Eastern time with the Vox Populi out of Fiji. Every 30 to 60 minutes, a different station will pass the baton. Participants will be far flung, including stations from Argentina, Greece, Mexico, Malaysia, China, Ireland, Spain, the United States, and more.

Special World College Radio Day Episode of the Radio Survivor Show

We are also celebrating World College Radio Day on Radio Survivor. Stay tuned for a special radio show/podcast episode (#334) launching this week, focusing on the early days of college radio. On the show, I share stories and tidbits from my research about student radio activities on campuses in the first few decades of the 20th century (mainly focusing on the 1920s). I presented on this topic at the Radio Preservation Task Force Conference at the Library of Congress last spring, so am happy to bring this work to a broader audience of Radio Survivor listeners. The history of college radio is full of incredible stories about passionate, creative, and innovative young leaders, artists, and technologists and I love digging into the archives to highlight students’ inspiring work.

More College Radio Resources on Radio Survivor

Learn more about college radio and its rich history by perusing the Radio Survivor archives, where we cover the culture of college radio on these pages and in our radio show/podcast. Since 2008, I’ve been reporting on my field trips to college radio stations, having visited more than 113 college radio stations. Additionally, those reports are full of history (especially the most recent ones), giving a more complete picture of the roots of college radio. Happy World College Radio Day!

The post World College Radio Day is October 6 appeared first on Radio Survivor.

More than a month into serious social-distancing measures across the United States, college radio continues to readjust to broadcasting during a pandemic. I shared a flurry of posts during that first week of shelter-in-place in my neck of the woods here in San Francisco as many stations moved to automated programming and also brainstormed creative approaches to continue doing live radio.

The bulk of our recent Radio Survivor coronavirus reporting has been taking place on the radio show/podcast. In a 4-week series of episodes, we checked in with college and community broadcasters from Alaska to New Jersey as restrictions grew more intense for both the country and for stations generally. It worth listening back to episodes 237 (How Community and College Radio Can Deal with COVID-19), 238 (Social Distancing, Going Remote and Automation During Global Pandemic), 239 (Hunkering Down with Raven Radio in Sitka, Alaska), and 240 (WFMU is Still on the Air During the Pandemic).

CMJ Brand’s New Owner Revealed

We also covered a bit of college radio-related news in episode 242, in which out guest James Cridland chimed in about the news that the CMJ brand’s purchaser is a European broadcasting company, Amazing Radio. While details are still sparse, this puts an end to speculation about who has been working behind the scenes to resurrect CMJ’s independent-music focused charts, live music events, and editorial content.

WNUW’s Coronacasts & College Radio during COVID-19

In the past few weeks, college radio stations have been expanding their programming and I’m happy to see that some stations that had shut down broadcasts have put plans in place so that they are able to stay on the air. WNUW at Neumann University (see my tour) even started a new project, Coronacasts, to share personal experiences of its DJs and listeners over the radio and social media. Take a listen to some of these stories by visiting Neumann Media’s YouTube channel.

This week, Billboard covered some of the challenges that college radio is facing, pointing out that emptied out campuses pose a problem, yet student radio staffers are finding new ways to broadcast. “Resourceful student programmers have figured out ways to build playlists while isolating in their homes far from campus,” according to the piece.

WMHD Relaunches

I was super impressed to hear that one university has relaunched its college radio station during the pandemic. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre-Haute, Indiana has spent close to a year working on the new version of its radio station WMHD and aired a virtual launch event on April 16 and 19. According to WMHD, “The launch event culminates 8 months of work from the Officer team to grow and reestablish the presence of WMHD both on campus and online.” The special broadcast included both student and alumni DJs and can be heard on the station’s Mixcloud. WHMD’s Faculty Advisor Kevin Lanke reached out, telling Radio Survivor, “We had dozens of alumni interact with us and listeners from 8 nations during Launch Weekend. So the event was a huge success.”

Linfield College Station Goes Classical

I was surprised to hear that Linfield College’s student radio station KSLC FM has given its airwaves over to a classical music station. Oregon Arts Watch reports, “All Classical Portland is integrating Linfield College’s campus radio station into its network, meaning the signal of 24-hour classical music and arts programming will be much clearer for the 100,000 people who live in McMinnville and surrounding communities. The donation of Linfield’s KSLC 90.3 FM to All Classical Portland was, according to a press release, initiated by McMinnville college students.” The details are a bit unclear, but All Classical Portland began broadcasting over 90.3 FM on April 2, 2020 according to the Regal Courier. The FM license remains held by Linfield College per a search of FCC records today.

A Facebook announcement from KSLC states, “After more than a year of planning for the future, KSLC 90.3 FM, Linfield College ASLC Leadership, and Linfield JAMS Leadership have decided to move toward the future of digital media by deciding that KSLC will no longer be producing live, traditional radio content and will become the KSLC Podcast Network in the immediate future.” The statement goes on, explaining that “…the spirit of student-radio will remain the same as we move into the podcast era. KSLC and Linfield’s JAMS department are committed to keeping student voices active and heard.”

More College Radio News

College Radio and COVID-19

• I Accidentally Finished my College Radio DJ Career with ‘Yellow’ By Coldplay (City Pages)
• Six Local Online Stations to Keep the Tunes Going During Shelter-in-Place (The Bay Bridged)
• With Empty Campuses, College Radio Stations Face Uphill Battle During Coronavirus (Billboard)
• University of Minnesota Radio Station Hits the Airwaves_From Home (Star Tribune)
• Neumann University Students Document Pandemic Experiences (Delco Times)
• College Radio: After the Shock, Resistance is Now (Radio World)
• Neumann University’s ‘Coronacast Diaries’ (The Dialog)
• What Historians Will See When They Look Back on the Covid-19 Pandemic of 2020 (The New York Times)
• CSU Public Radio Station in Pueblo Carries On (La Junta Tribune)
• Music and Talk Keep Flowing at CSU-Pueblo’s Rev89 (The Pueblo Chieftan)
• Health Crisis Challenges All of Radio (Radio World)
• Loras College Radio Still Broadcasting Through Pandemic (Loras College)
• Students Still on the Air at WQSU Despite COVID-19 (WNEP)
• Student-run Radio Station WQSU at Susquehanna University Stays on the Air During COVID-19 Pandemic (WITF)
• Public Radio Stations Chug on During Pandemic (Bozeman Daily Chronicle)
• 107.7 The Bronc Programming Now Available as Podcasts (Rider University)
• Wilmington College’s Quake Radio ‘Bringing Campus Home’ to Listeners (Wilmington News Journal)
• LLC Students Practice Peer-to-Peer Assistance (Effingham Daily News)
• Music Can Provide Inspiration During this Terrifying Time (Mitchell Advocate)
• Raised on Radio (Durango Telegraph)
• KBGA Plans Future Fundraisers as COVID-19 Cancels ‘EndofThon’ (Montana Kaimin)
• The Music Industry is in for a Change: Look at What Might Happen When the Coronavirus Lockdown Ends (Forbes)
• Greg Golden of Rollins College Radio Station WPRK on Keeping the Music Going (Orlando Weekly)
• Why is this Interesting: The International Radio Edition (Why is this Interesting?)
• WXAV on Pause due to Coronavirus (SXU Student Media)

Profiles of Stations, Staff, DJs

• On the Radio – KDVS (UC Davis Magazine)
• Still Rockin’: RSU Radio Celebrates 40 Years (Claremore Progress)
• Stuck at Home? Here are our Favorite Internet Radio Stations (TNW)
• April Music Director of the Month: Hayley Muir CJSW Calgary (NACC Charts)
• Seniors Solidify Post-Graduation Plans (NC Clinked)
• Need a Self Isolation Playlist? (The Toronto Star)

Events

• Vinylthon 2020 – a Week Away – and Still On (CollegeRadio.org)

Programming/Podcasts

• Get a Little Information with Your Music from Chicago-area Podcasts (Daily Herald)
• Student Radio Association Launches Mental Health Campaign (RadioToday)

Infrastructure, Budget

• Budget Expected to Take Substantial Hit (Humboldt State/The Lumberjack)
• Portland’s All Classical Teams with Linfield College (Oregon Arts Watch)
• WCSR Owner Splits Signal Formats, Adds Local Country Station (Hillsdale Collegian)

College Radio History

• NMSU’s Goddard Hall Has Rich Architectural History, Famed Namesake (New Mexico State University)
• Blast from the Past KUSC (Radio Ink)

Alumni

• No Sleeping in the Trophy Room (Revolt)
• How the Football Ramble Evolved from Outsiders to Podcast Favorites (Metro News)
• Stop Talking about ‘SHE-E-Os’ Says Havas NY CEO Laura Maness (Forbes)
• Women in Radio: Ally Bear on 96.1 KISS (Pittsburgh City Paper)
• Women in Radio: Michele Michaels on WDVE (Pittsburgh City Paper)
• High Road Owners Face Pandemic with Detailed Plan for Survival (Atlanta Journal Constitution)
• Former Dana College Professor Dies of COVID-19 Complications (Baker City Herald)
• How Fordham Has Produced a Generation of Sports Media Stars (New York Post)
• Liyna Anwar, 30, Dies, Publicized Inequities in Stem Cell Registry (New York Times)
• LoveSick Podcast will Air Matchmaking Episodes to Help People Date During COVID-19 (303 Magazine)
• Town Residents Behind Therapy Site for Covid-19 Workers (Your Arlington)
• RIP Roger Clark Johnsen, WHRB Alumnus (Sioux City Journal)
• RIP William Foster (Bismarck Tribune)
• Longtime KWQC Reporter/Anchor Fran Riley Has Passed Away (TV 6)

Popular Culture

• Pick of the Plots: April 21: (ATV Today)
• Pick of the Plots: April 22 (ATV Today)

Awards and Accolades

• A Free Weekly Contest for Student Journalists (Society of Professional Journalists)
• National Radio Station Awards for WBWC (The Exponent/Baldwin Wallace University)
• Winners Announced in Louisiana -Mississippi AP Contest (Stamford Advocate)
• Poe Places First in Hearst Journalism Competition (Gaston Gazette)
• Marshall’s WMUL-FM Takes Home Awards from National Competitions (Huntington News)
• SUNY Oswego Students Win 8 Broadcasting Awards (Oswego County Today)
• Lavell Harris Earns Iowa College Media Association Award (Valley News)
• WJMU Wins IBS Golden Microphone Trophy (Millikin University)
• Winners Announced in Kentucky AP Broadcasters Contest (Fox 19)
• The Globe Wins 6th State Title (Goshen News)
• WIUX Named Best College Radio Station (Indiana Daily Student)

Music and Industry Connections

• Amazing US Launch and Revival of CMJ (Amazing Radio)
• Before Jimmy Fallon, The Roots were Hip-Hop Legends (Cheat Sheet)
• Lake Land College Broadcasting Students Earn Broadcast Sales Certification (Journal-Gazette Times Courier)

The post College Radio Watch: WMHD Relaunch, KSLC Goes Classical, WNUW Coronacasts and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

On Thursday, March 19, more than 100 college radio participants and friends gathered virtually for a video meeting: “College Radio and Coronavirus: A National Zoom Meeting.”

Organized by the College Radio Foundation, with assistance from College Broadcasters Inc. (CBI), the one-hour session was a forum for college radio stations seeking advice amid campus closures. College Radio Day Founder Rob Quicke opened the meeting with an official statement (later shared on Radio World), pointing out the important role that college radio can play during a crisis. Quicke says in part,

So, I believe that during this time, college radio stations do not need to disappear. There are things that can be done, even when students are not on campus. There is even a possibility that college radio stations could play an important role in providing information to the campus community and the local communities in which they reside and serve. Even with the transmitters shut down, college radio stations, and those that operate them (faculty, staff, students and community volunteers) can still create community and content that can be shared with a wider audience.

College radio can also continue to serve as an important outlet for student expression and creativity, it’s just that we perhaps need to use different tools to do so. There is no reason why college radio needs to be silent during this time. We just need to adapt to these current circumstances and work together to ensure that the medium continues its important work of providing voices not heard anywhere else, and music and programming that no one else will play on the air. Yes, this is a challenging time, but now, more than ever, college radio is up to the task.

This statement, and Thursday’s call in general, provided calm reassurance in the midst of a week that saw more college radio stations ceasing broadcasts due to campus closures. I was very pleased to hear pragmatic advice during the meeting, from FCC concerns to logistics surrounding remote broadcasts. But perhaps more importantly, I was happy to hear creative ideas to help college radio stations and college radio participants remain engaged even if away from a station physically.

Neumann University’s WNUW-FM in Aston, Pennsylvania has been asking its participants to send in pre-recorded content remotely in order to liven up the airsound. Additionally, the station has aired question and answer sessions with administrators related to changes on campus amid COVID-19. At University of Kentucky’s WRFL-FM in Lexington, they’ve been experimenting with broadcasting live performances from artists’ homes. If you know of other interesting approaches to programming, drop me a note.

More College Radio News

Coronavirus

• Alexa, Play “Changes” by David Bowie (The Decaturian)
• College Radio Watch: More Stations Move to Automated Programming During Coronavirus Update (Radio Survivor)

Programming

• Coronavirus Complicates Census 2020 (Mass Live)

Art Culture

• Paint the Town (Philadelphia Weekly)

Alumni

• Keep Calm and Listen to Brian Lehrer (The New York Times)
• Jimmy Kimmel’s Tragic Real Life Story (Nicki Swift)
• Inside the Audio Industry: A Conversation with Gary Krantz (MediaVillage)

The post College Radio Watch: College Radio’s Virtual Meet-up, Creative Responses to Social Distancing and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

On this week’s Radio Survivor show/podcast we take a close look at how community and college radio stations are adjusting to the ever-changing conditions of broadcasting during the coronavirus pandemic. The episode was recorded on March 13, 2020 as some campuses were just at the start of closures.

San Francisco Bay Area Shelter in Place and College Radio

And now, as of midnight on March 17, most counties in the San Francisco Bay Area have ordered residents to “shelter in place” until at least April 7. Only “essential” activities are allowed, which includes media and radio. In response, several college radio stations in the Bay Area are now running automated programming. Stanford University’s college radio station KZSU (see my 2009 tour report) has suspended live DJ shows, playing automated programming instead. A March 16 Twitter post from KZSU’s management expresses hope that this will expand to include “remote broadcasting, including podcasts and other content soon.”

Similarly, college radio station KALX at University of California, Berkeley is running curated automated programming as of March 17, writing, “Due to the evolving situation with COVID-19, the Bay Area’s shelter in place ordinance going into effect March 17, 2020, and the UC Berkeley statement, KALX programming will be fully automated for the next three weeks. We at KALX cherish our listeners and we are sad to make this announcement, but it is what we must do at this time. Please be assured we will still be providing curated, diverse programming created by humans.”

While Foothill College radio station KFJC in Los Altos Hills (where I DJ and volunteer) continues to have live DJs doing programming from the studio, it is beginning to air pre-recorded shows here and there as of the night of March 17. Normally, the student and volunteer-run college radio station has live DJs 24/7, 365 days a year.

College Radio Stations Evolve Plans for Broadcasts

On March 13, I shared how some college radio stations had responded to campus closures and things have also changed considerably since then. Pitchfork reported on the status of some of the same collection of college radio stations on March 16.

As of this morning (Wednesday, March 18), even some of the live radio stalwarts have announced that they will be airing automation or pre-recorded shows. Drexel University’s WKDU in Philadelphia (see my tour) announced today that everyone there will be “working from home” to “focus on social distancing and keeping our DJs safe.” The station’s “robot-DJ system” will be utilized. I was pleased to see that WKDU is also working to stay engaged with listeners. Its post added, “…we will be launching loads of alternative content on our website, blog, social media and youtube channel! Look out for playlists, album reviews, instruction videos, interviews, and more.”

Similarly, Loyola Marymount University’s college radio station KXLU (see my tour) “will be switching to automated programming from March 18-April 1st,” per its statement on Instagram. The Los Angeles-based station will run “multi-genre playlists, new adds, KXLU live compilations, and previously-aired KXLU programming.”

Sadly, some college radio stations are shutting down completely, unable to produce programming remotely.

It’s a tough situation for many stations who pride themselves on airing live programming 24/7, but as restrictions from campuses, local/state/national authorities intensify, some are left with few options other than operating without live shows. WPIR Pratt Radio, the internet radio station at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, posted on Instagram last night, “we are closing the station until further notice, due to our inability to broadcast remotely, we are unable to continue with regularly scheduled programming, we hope to be back soon…”

College Radio Stations Share Tips for Broadcasting amid COVID-19

In order to help provide guidance for college radio stations who are scrambling to remain on-air during the COVID-19 outbreak, College Radio Foundation will be hosting a Zoom meeting, “College Radio and Coronavirus” on Thursday, March 19 at 2pm Eastern Time. According to its announcement, “This meeting will discuss ideas and strategies for college radio stations during this time, and is open to all college radio stations in the USA…Those joining the conference call will be invited to ask questions and share ideas and strategies of their own. If possible, questions are invited in advance…” Speakers will include members of the College Radio Foundation leadership as well as broadcast attorney David Oxenford.

Additionally, various organizations are compiling resources for radio stations. Here’s a sampling:

• Coronavirus/COVID-19 Resources (REC Networks)
• COVID-19 Guidance for Stations (NFCB/for members only)

With radio continuing in some way, shape or forms, charting services are still taking playlist reports from college and community radio. North American College and Community Radio Charts (NACC) shared with its subscribers today, “…please feel free to encourage stations to continue to report weekly and to help us all band together to let the world know how important college and community radio and music continues to be, especially in times like these.”

More News

College Radio and Coronavirus

• FCC Locks the Front Door as Broadcasters Adapt to a Coronavirus World (Pillsbury CommLawCenter)
• The Radio Academy Postpones Radio Festival 2020 (RadioToday)
• Student Radio Conference 2020 Event Cancelled (RadioToday)

Profiles of Stations and Staff

• 13 Chill Things We Love to Help Get You Through Your Day, including WKCR Jazz Show (GQ)

College Radio History

• 1981 U2 Interview at Foothill College Radio Station KFJC (KFJC)
• Coronavirus: Major Events that Disrupted Sports over 100 Years (24/7 Sports)

Music Culture

• The Treasury of Claremont Music Launches (Claremont Courier)

Alumni

• Southeast Alumnus Founds Baseball Complex in Ozarks (The Arrow)

Awards and Accolades

• WIUX Named Best College Radio Station (The Media School, Indiana University Bloomington)
• UNK’s Austin Jacobsen Wins National Broadcasting Award (KTIC Radio)
• The Treasury of Claremont Music Launches (Claremont Courier)

The post College Radio Watch: More Stations Move to Automated Programming During Coronavirus Outbreak appeared first on Radio Survivor.

With more and more college campuses closing or moving classes online to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, some college radio stations are taking a different approach to programming.

Many continue to operate as usual, but are taking extra precautions to ensure the cleanliness of studios and prevent transmission of colds/flu/viruses. Some are eliminating live in-studio shows, opting to air programs recorded remotely and/or planning to rely more on automated programming.

One thing to keep in mind is that many college radio stations still operate when their campuses are closed for holidays and breaks. While some have on-air staffs made up entirely of students, others have a mix of student and non-student DJs. As a result, there have been varying responses to campus closures by college radio stations.

At Seattle University, where “classes and exams will not be held in person” until March 20, student radio station KXSU has suspended live DJ shows. KXSU posted on Instagram

KXSU has chosen to suspend all live DJ shows until Spring Quarter to emphasize caution of the COVID-19 Virus.Music will (of course) still be jamming in our studio, so tune in whenever you feel like!!! KXSU.org, 102.1FM
–
Thank you for kindness and understanding! “

In some cases, station plans are changing rapidly. On March 10, Hunter College radio station WHCS in New York City announced that it was continuing operations, but is taking precautions. It posted on Instagram, “For our part, our Broadcast Assistants and Board Members are continually disinfecting the station throughout the day, and regularly sanitizing recording and broadcast equipment. We ask that our radio community keep their hands and spaces clean by regularly washing with soap and water or using hand sanitizer.” Yet a few days later on March 11, WHCS announced that it would be closed during the school’s closure March 12 to 18 and that “starting March 23, WHCS Radio may or may not re-open in limited capacity.”

At University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, student radio station WCBN will be running on automation for the time being. WCBN posted on Facebook on March 11:

In light of the university (and many universities across the country) shutting down classes, we have decided to follow suit. Tonight, once the robot is turned on, it will stay on until further notice.

WCBN will not be in operation starting tonight (technically Thursday) at 2 am. We do not know when regular scheduled programming but will let our audience know (through social media, broadcasting and our website) as soon as a date is set.

Much love,
WCBN DJs and family

At University of Maryland, WMUC will be closed until April 10. A message from its General Manager states, “We are canceling ALL shows until April 10. DO NOT go the station until we get it properly cleaned. All events at the station are no longer running until April 10th.”

Things are changing rapidly at many stations, including at Seton Hall University’s WSOU in New Jersey. When I chatted with WSOU’s General Manager Mark Maben over email, he explained that while the station has extensive plans in place, specifics have been tweaked as the week has progressed. In addition to taking precautions for the health and safety of students and staff, WSOU has also been airing educational content about COVID-19, beginning during the school’s spring break (March 2-6). If needed, the college radio station will reduce the number of shows, limiting the number of people coming in and out of the station. Maben writes:

Since March 3, we have been airing PSAs about COVID-19, covering the local outbreak in our newscasts, and interviewing experts on our public affairs shows.  On March 4, we plastered the station with educational posters and encouraged social distancing among staff members.  The goal was to encourage people to change their habits ahead of when the staff was back up to full strengthen after break (that’s 120 students!).  We also started that day formulating our operational plan should campus close.

On March 10, the university announced the suspension of all in-person classes beginning on Wed., March 11, with a move to online instruction starting Mon., March 16.  While in-person classes were suspended, residence halls, dining services, and student activities continue normal operations and employees are expected to report for work as regular. 

As of March 12, based on new guidance from the state of New York, WSOU has opted to “start limiting the number of people who are at WSOU…We will still be staffed 24/7…but now socializing and/or hanging out at the station is no longer permitted. Basically, you can only be at WSOU for your shift.”

At Boston College, where all classes are moving online for the remainder of the semester and where residence halls will be closed, radio station WZBC is moving to a summer programming schedule beginning on March 16. It will be relying more on community DJs to cover shifts, with most students leaving campus. It posted on Instagram, “That means a new schedule and slate of shows to cover the hours vacated by student DJs leaving.” Non-students with weekday shows will continue doing their programs and others who will be in the Boston area during the school closure are invited to do shows. WZBC adds, “Please do your part to keep our station clean. Wipe down surfaces and always wash your hands before coming into the studio.”

At University of Southern California’s online-only student radio station KXSC, programming is going to be “sporadic” for the time being. A post on Instagram reads:

hey listeners – we hope you’re all staying healthy and listening to lots of great music during your zoom classes! just wanted to let you know that due to university protocol as we deal with COVID-19, KXSC shows are going to be sporadic. the health of our DJs is our first priority and we’ll keep you updated as we figure out how to keep bringing you the shows you love.

Additionally, some college radio stations are having to cancel events and fundraisers. Loyola-Marymount University’s KXLU in Los Angeles is continuing with regular programming, but postponing its on-air fundraiser. KXLU writes on Instagram, “…due to LMU’s transition to online classes during March 16-31 for COVID-19 precautions, FUNDRAZOR will be postponed. While this is unfortunate, the health and safety of our DJ’s is a priority.”

Some stations are continuing with business as usual, with regular shows ongoing. It’s likely a relief for some listeners and participants to escape from the increasingly scary news by listening to college radio. On Instagram, Palomar College’s radio station KKSM posts, “We are still LIVE and on the air with staff except during Spring Break (March 23-March 29). So keep listening for your quarantine soundtrack…now with more bagpipes and riboflavin!,” even added the hashtag #notcancelled.

Meanwhile, big radio events (the NAB Show and the BEA Convention), music festivals and conventions (SXSW and Coachella), numerous concerts, and academic conferences (including the annual conference for Society for Cinema and Media Studies, which draws radio scholars every year) have been cancelled. Some of the conference cancellations came on the heels of an increasing number of institutions banning travel.

Michelle Bradley of REC Networks shared guidance for radio stations licensed to colleges and universities. She writes that certain types of FCC-licensed stations should be able to suspend operations during forced campus closures:

§73.561(a) [for NCE] and §73.850(b) [for LPFM] of the FCC Rules state that stations licensed to educational institutions do not need to observe minimum operating requirements on days ‘designated on the official school calendar as vacation or recess periods.’

While many stations may choose to operate through automation, it is REC’s interpretation of these rules that stations that are licensed to educational institutions that were forced to close as a result of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) concerns and therefore not providing student access to the campus, that those days are considered a ‘recess period’ and therefore would not be subject to minimum operating requirements on those designated closed days thus meaning that NCE stations would not be required to file for silent STAs or that those days would need to be disclosed on a renewal application in the event the closure lasts more than 30 days. 

Meanwhile, I’m practicing social distancing, staying home while feeling sick, and digging the opportunity to craft my own hand washing flyer using my favorite punk rock songs over at Wash Your Lyrics.

More College Radio News

Station and Staff and Show Profiles

• Take a College Road Trip to Boston (WCVB)
• WHCM Celebrates 20 Years on the FM Frequency (Harper College)
• WMSC/Montclair’s Annabella Poland Named President of College Radio Day (All Access)
• Roxbury’s Bohrer Gets DJ Spot on Lasell Station (TAPinto)
• Electropolis Live: From Your Radio to the SURC (The Observer)

Infrastructure

• WKKL is Important to Cape; Community Must Rise in Support (Cape Code Times)
• Local Commercial Radio Stations Should Pitch in to Aid WKKL (Cape Code Times)
• WNUR Surpasses $40K Phoneathon Fundraising Goal (North by Northwestern)
• Theft at Newcastle University Student Radio Station (Chronicle Live)

COVID-19 and Cancellations, Postponements

• Watching the Change (The Decaturian)
• Trivia Weekend Postponed in Stevens Point (WAOW)
• Record Store Day Postponed Until June 20 (Record Store Day)

Events

• Los Angeles College Radio Night Unifies the Students and Mentors of College Radio (Highlander)
• Radio Free Hillsdale Students Interview Conservative Leaders in Government, Media, and Advocacy (Hillsdale College)
• Underground Music Scene Captivates Campus (The Signal, College of New Jersey)
• Brave New Radio Airs Live from Marconi’s Home (Radio World)
• Electropolis Live: From Your Radio to the SURC (The Observer)

College Radio and Music Culture

• Integrating Seamlessly with the Lowest Common Denominator (The Daily Blog)

Awards and Accolades

• LCC Students Take Top Prizes at Michigan Association of Broadcasters Awards (Fox 47)
• Goshen College Broadcasting Students Nab Five National Awards (Goshen News)
• College of the Desert KCOD Receives National Recognition (Palm Desert Patch)
• MSU Broadcast Affiliates Win Excellence Awards (Michigan State University MSU Today)

Alumni

• Gabrielle Cummins Marks International Women’s Day (RadioToday)
• Behind the Byline: Michael Machosky (The Pittsburgh 100)
• WYFF-TV Anchor Honored with Clemson Alumni Association’s Distinguished Service Award (Greenville Journal)
• The Fictive Five (Less One Live): Forget Reality (The Pulse)

The post College Radio Watch: College Radio’s Response to COVID-19 and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

It’s a testament to the staying power of college radio, that student media organization Intercollegiate Broadcasting System, aka IBS, is hosting its 80th annual national convention in New York City. Taking place on Friday, March 6 and Saturday, March 7, the conference is packed with sessions of interest to high school and college radio participants. On this week’s Radio Survivor show, I speak a bit about the history of IBS, which got its start as an organization for campus-only carrier current radio stations in the 1940s.

Also on the podcast, we discuss accolades for a recent episode about a college radio preservation project and dig deeper into several college radio stories that I shared in last week’s column.

Finally, a piece in University of Virginia’s alumni magazine, Virginia, eloquently captures how college radio culture at WTJU (see my tour) helped germinate a cluster of indie rock projects, including Pavement and Silver Jews:

While some music scenes develop around a certain club or, in more recent decades, message boards and social media, WTJU 91.1, UVA’s free-form radio station, was the soil from which Ectoslavia and its offshoots sprouted. Malkmus, Berman, Nastanovich and McNew were all DJs during their time at UVA, as was visual artist Steve Keene (whose paintings would go on to help define the style of Pavement and Silver Jews) and Thomas Frank (Col ’87), a future founding editor of The Baffler, where some of Berman’s earliest poems would be published. ‘We took it for granted at the time,’ Malkmus says, ‘but it’s funny to see now how all the tendrils of the station have reached all of these unexpected places.’

WTJU alumnus Steve Keene is of particular interest to me, as I’ve spotted his paintings at a handful of radio stations. While not as common a sight as a Leo Blais sign, I get a thrill whenever I run across one of his pieces.

More College Radio News

Profiles of Stations, Programs, Staff

• March MD of the Month: Micole Johnson, WCSF, University of St. Francis (NACC Charts)
• Great Teachers Excel as Educators – Listeners and Mentors, Too (UK Now, University of Kentucky)
• Meeting Lasell: Matt Berentsen (The 1851 Chronicle)

Infrastructure

• Student Media Back in the Heart of Campus (East Tennessean)
• Culp Reopens after Long-Awaited Renovations (East Tennessean)

Events

• Trio to Represent Amarillo College at South by Southwest (The Amarillo Pioneer)
• Students Spend FIVE Hours on Trams in Metrolink Challenge Attempt (Manchester Evening News)

College Radio and Music Culture

• Testing Grounds for Indie Greatness (Virginia Magazine, University of Virginia)
• Industry Interview with Ryan Carey, Jeff McClusky & Associates (NACC Charts)

Alumni

• Personnel News: RailCats and Chukars Hire College Radio Alums (Ballpark Digest)
• Writing the Art World: KUCI Alumna (UC Irvine School of Humanities)
• Joe Mangin, Host of Liquid Metal and Octane (CBT News)
• Emmer and Boyle Form Biparisan Congressional Broadcasters Caucus (Ripon Advantage)
• Spotify’s Christie Driver-Snell: “I Focus on Supporting Underground Music and Creating Playlists for Niche Sounds” (Mixmag)

The post College Radio Watch: 80th IBS Convention and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

This week I learned about college radio station WUTS-FM relinquishing its license, likely out of fear of receiving large FCC fines for public file violations. A letter dated December 24, 2019 from University of the South to the FCC states, “On behalf of the University of the South, Licensee of Radio Station WUTS-FM at Sewanee, TN, we hereby surrender for cancellation by the Commission the original FCC license and associated FCC license renewal authority for WUTS-FM.” As of January 29, 2020, the license is listed as deleted by the FCC. This ends a nearly 50 year legacy for WUTS-FM, which was first licensed in May, 1972.

A February 20, 2020 piece in student publication, The Sewanee Purple, provides some back story. A statement provided to them by the university reads in part, “The decision to relinquish the broadcast license was made after seeking both technical and legal expertise. Managing compliance with FCC regulations requires ongoing time and expertise that few current student organizations would be able to achieve. Noncompliance brings the risk of both financial and reputational consequences.”

Student participants at WUTS told the Sewanee Purple that “compliance issues” with the station’s public file were brought to the attention of staff in the fall. WUTS Station Manager Emily Cate “emphasized that there was an atmosphere of confusion over the public file, and that WUTS staff were stunned when they heard the news that they were going off the air. The staff was informed of this decision through GroupMe.” They were told that potential FCC fines could be anywhere from $15,000 to $100,000.

It’s unfortunate that there was so much fear over a potentially large fine, particularly since student-run college radio stations run a much lower risk than other types of radio stations. As we’ve reported, ever since a ruling in 2013, the FCC has opted to give first-time violations at student-run radio stations a break as far as massive fines. Consent decrees between the FCC and student radio stations since 2013 have led to “fines” of around $1,000 to $2,500. So why do rumors still swirl about $100,000 fines? These scare tactics sadly have chilled administrators into relinquishing a valuable student resource (an FM radio license) that they will likely never get back. This was also likely the case at Denison University’s WDUB, which sold its license for a mere $5,000 in December, 2019 amid fears of FCC fines.

WBML to Return: “Where Black Music Lives”

A few weeks back on Podcast Episode #232, we spoke with Jocelyn Robinson about radio archives at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. While there still much to be learned, in light of that project, I was intrigued to hear about a student radio station at University of Illinois that was founded by black students. WBML, aka “Where Black Music Lives,” began in the early 1980s and continued into at least the early 2000s, with some of its last social media posts around 2015.

A 2004 piece in the Daily Illini charts its history:

Students founded the station in 1982 because black students at the University felt they needed a station to call their own. The local campus station at the time wanted to cancel the four hours of ‘soul music’ per week that was aired, so the black students protested. After picketing, meetings and compromise, WBML – Where Black Music Lives – was formed.

Digging into archived versions of the WBML website, one can view a snapshot of its programming circa 1999. Back then the station was a project of the African-American Cultural Program at University of Illinois. It broadcast over cable at 89.3 FM as well as on local cable TV, billing itself as “Urbana-Champaign, IL’s premiere source of Hip Hop, Reggae, Jazz, R&B and Gospel music!!” According to the history section of that early website:

Through the years, the radio station has grown from a telephone carrier station, only available to University of Illionis residence halls, to the first Black music radio station in Champaign-Urbana, via cable radio…The station transmits via Time Warner coaxial cable to all undergraduate and graduate residence halls.  Since March 1, 1998, WBML began broadcasting to the Champaign-Urbana community through Time Warner’s ‘Music Choice’ system (Channel 36).

By 2004, WBML was also broadcasting online, but it’s unclear when those transmissions ceased. With all of this history, I’m happy to see that WBML is relaunching. A few weeks back an informational meeting was held. The announcement states, “WBML: Where Black Media Lives!! Have you ever wanted to host your own radio show, podcast, or DJ your favorite playlists? Well, this is your chance! We are celebrating black media and music by relaunching our radio station. Join us on Monday, February 17th to learn more about how YOU can get involved!”

More College Radio News

New Stations

• Zimbabwe to add 19 College Radio Stations (The Chronicle)

Stations Giving Up Licenses

• WUTS Relinquishes FCC License (The Sewanee Purple)

Infrastructure

• Georgia College’s Newly Renovated Terrell Hall Set to Reopen (WGXA)

Podcasting

• You’re Tuning to Comm Arts 449: Sound Cultures: Podcasting and Music (The Daily Cardinal/University of Wisconsin)

Stations Under Threat

• CJSF Shows How Integral Independent Societies are to the SFU Experience (The Peak)

Music Culture

• RNZ Wants a ‘Youth’ Audience. Here’s 10 Ways to Get One (The Spinoff)
• What RNZ’s ‘Youth Network’ Could Learn from Student Radio (The Spinoff)

Events

• Jazz and Acoustics Night hosted by Luther College Radio Station (Decorah News)
• Legendary Sports Broadcaster Bob Ley Returns to WSOU (News 12)
• Black Dahlia Frontman Treats WSOU Listeners to his Musical Likes and Insights (New Jersey Stage)
• Portion of 2020 WIUX Culture Shock Festival Lineup Revealed (Indiana Daily Student)

History

• ‘UCSB Students Remember 50th Anniversary of Isla Vista’s Bank of America Burning (KCRW)
• UI at 150 & Beyond : There’s No Place like the Bruce Nesbitt African American Cultural Center (University of Illinois News-Gazette)

Awards and Accolades

• Communication Students Win Broadcasting Awards (The Record/Goshen College)

Alumni

• Mike Collins to Step Down as Voice of Notre Dame Stadium after 2020 Season (Notre Dame Fighting Irish)

The post College Radio Watch: WUTS-FM Turns Back License, the Return of WBML and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

It’s super inspiring to hear about college radio stations collaborating on projects and events. The latest example is an upcoming College Radio Night in Los Angeles, featuring participation by eight college radio stations. The February 27th event will also include guest panels as well as live music. Radio stations taking part include KCSN, UCLA Radio, KXLU, KXSC, KSDT, KUCI, KUCR, and KOXY. There will also be some panelists from public radio station KCRW.

University of Minnesota-Duluth’s Public/Community Station KUMD License Sale

At University of Minnesota-Duluth, it has been announced that there is a pending sale of the license for its independent public radio station KUMD-FM to the owner of public television station WDSE. While not a student-run college radio station, KUMD does have student DJs during its night-time indie rock/hip-hop programming block “The Basement.”

TV station WDIO reported early word of the proposed sale, stating, “Documents do not mention the future of student-produced programming on KUMD, which airs in the late evening and overnight hours. When asked by Regent Mike Kenyanya about the future role of students at the station, [UMD Chancellor Lendley] Black acknowledged that the new owners could make a change.” MPR News pointed out that “Black said the partnership would provide internship and other opportunities in both TV and radio for UMD students.”

The deal still requires approval from University of Minnesota’s Board of Regents as well as the FCC.

More College Radio News

Profiles of Stations, Students, Staff

• O’Brien Picked as Benztown Mentee (Radio Ink)
• Fergusson Selected to Serve on Hamilton College Radio Station Executive Board (Bangor Daily News)
• Orangeville Man Makes History Running College Radio Station News Department at WPGU (Journal Standard)
• The Passing of Charles Morford (The Dynamo)
• WONC Studio Gets an Upgrade (Naperville NCTV17)
• Struggles at Humbold State’s KRFH (The Lumberjack)

License Sales

• UMD Agrees to Sell Longtime Community Radio Station KUMD (MPR News)
• Regents Consider Sale of KUMD-FM, Future of Student Shows Uncertain (WDIO)

History and Preservation

• One Woman’s Quest to Preserve the Radio Archives at Historically Black Colleges (WUWM)

Events

• Los Angeles College Radio Night (Bootleg Theater)
• Creating Radio History on World Radio Day 2020: Broadcasting Live from Marconi’s Home of Radio (College Radio Day)

College Radio and Music Industry

• A Look at 1984’s Best Rock Albums (WMMR)

Alumni

• What is ‘Better Call Saul’ Actor Bob Odenkirk’s Net Worth? (Showbiz Cheat Sheet)
• Wilsonville Resident David Harms Aims to Inspire with his Worship 24/7 Radio (Pamplin Media Group)
• Billy Crystal Chats about his College Radio Past at WMUL (CBS Late Late Show)
• Winter Garden Resident Run Top-Rated Podcast about Leadership (West Orange Times and Windermere Observer)
• WOLF Legend Created Broadcast Honor Society, Now Conquering Atlanta (The West Georgian)

The post College Radio Watch: College Radio Night in L.A., KUMD Sale and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

On last week’s Radio Survivor show, my colleague Eric Klein did a fascinating interview with Eric Nuzum about the podcasting landscape. In the wide-ranging conversation, Nuzum talks about his college radio past at Kent State University in the mid-to-late 1980s.

I love a college radio origin story, so it was fun to hear about his time at WKSR (which has subsequently morphed into an online station). He recounted the freedom they had at the station and some of the “dumb, goofy” stuff that he did, adding, “I was allowed to just play around,” explaining that it really helped him to learn about audio equipment and radio. Through that, he said, “I was building a pretty amazing arsenal of production technique.” That experimentation quickly led to work for Nuzum as an intern at the public radio station WKSU on campus, babysitting tapes late at night. Years later he became the Programming Director there at age 29, forging a path for later jobs at NPR and beyond.

Saving Black College Radio History

This week’s Radio Survivor podcast was equally inspiring for college radio fans. Radio producer and archivist Jocelyn Robinson spoke with us about her HBCU Radio Station Archival Survey Project. As she travels around the country visiting college radio stations at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Robinson is developing an understanding of the archival landscape. Most importantly, she’s learning a lot about the inherent challenges of college radio and is helping to forge connections between stations and archivists in order to preserve radio history.

More College Radio News

Events

• KVSC’s Trivia Weekend is Almost Here (KNSI)
• Historic World Radio Day Event in Italy (College Radio Foundation)
• Auburn Feud Episode 1: Watch the Circle and WEGL 91.1 FM Compete (Eagle Eye TV)

Profiles of Stations and Programming

• Student Radio Advocates for More Usage (Webster Journal)
• NewsmarketToday Partners with 102.7 CHOP FM for Weekly Headlines Show (NewsmarketToday)
• Sports Podcasts at University of Chicago (Robert Feder)

Student Radio Organizations

• Student Radio Network Approaches Forty (Scoop News)

College Radio History

• Podcast #232: Documenting and Preserving College Radio at HBCUs (Radio Survivor)
• Chris Wallace Recalls College Radio Past (The Media Times)
• Student’s KSLU Documentary Featured in Regional Media (St. Lawrence University)
• KSLU President Creates Documentary about SLU’s Student Radio Station (St. Lawrence County NNY360)
• KSLU Documentary: Charles Sirotek’s Most Excellent Analysis of Radio (YouTube)

College Radio Alumni

• Asian Beat: Yaeji (The Daily Campus)
• The Center Session: An Exclusive Evening with KLOS 95.5 Host Christian James Hand (Broadway World)
• Radio, Music Trailblazer David B. Treadway Dies at 69 (Arkansas Business News)
• Radio Host Miguel Fuller Proclaims ‘Let me be Me’ (SCAD District)

Influence of College Radio & Music Culture

• ‘DJ Dad’ Skratch Bastid to Spin for Family Day (Stratford Beacon Herald)
• How Raleigh, North Carolina Became a Hotbed of Independent Music (Rolling Stone)
• Plan to Ditch RNZ Concert for a ‘Youth’ Station is a Bad Idea (Stuff NZ)
• RNZ Concert Not out of the Woods Yet – Better Public Media Trust (The Daily Blog)
• You Forget How Much this Country Genuinely Hates Young People until the Entitlement of Something Like Concert FM Gets Challenged (The Daily Blog)

Awards and Accolades

• WUSB Awarded Grant as Part of College Radio Day (SBU News)
• Millikin University’s Student Radio Station Nominated for 8 National Awards (Herald-Review)

The post College Radio Watch: Saving HBCU Radio History and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

In a testament to college radio’s influence at the time; a 1990 piece in the Village Voice includes colorful trash-talking about the 1980s college radio scene. Republished this week, 1980-1989: Pop Goes the Decade carries the byline “Eddie Gorodetsky, as ranted to Jan Hoffman.” The comedy writer/comic collector/pop culture commentator touches on many things in the “rant,” but his take on student radio is priceless.

Gorodetsky complains about the state of radio in the 1980s, saying that’s it’s basically just New Age and Classic Rock music, with not much in the way of new sounds. While most folks would just focus on the dismal state of the mainstream, he adds,

I’m not going to let college radio off the hook. Listening to college radio is like being a Freemason. It’s like a little secret society and you almost always feel like an outsider when you’re listening to it unless you’ve mastered all the secret handshakes and catchphrases. Of course there are ex­ceptions. But mostly they preach to the already converted. Six songs by the Con­nells and then the Reivers. Who cares?

Anyone else remember the Connells or the Reivers?

He continues, taking issue with the wide variety of shows on college radio; although earlier he complained about the narrowness of mainstream radio.

From show to show, it’s so splintered and incoherent, and caters only to narrow interests: it’s like choosing electives in college. ‘I’m majoring in Power Pop!’ or ‘I’m majoring in Velvet Underground­–Inspired Drug Songs!’ People fall for col­lege radio being Hipper Than Thou.

What I think he’s getting at is that there needs to be some sort of middle ground. Rather than alienating potential listeners, he calls for a bit of a balancing act in which stations are playing familiar and non-familiar material to ease people in to more radical sounds, imploring, “Give people a way to get into it­ — don’t be such a self-important ghetto.” While this is a period period piece looking back at the 1980s, I’m curious if many people have the same reactions to college radio in 2020. Is it hard for some to listen and approach it? Or are diversely programming college radio stations a welcome respite from tightly formatted commercial radio?

More College Radio News

Profiles of Stations and Staff

• WRCM Ready to Rock the Block for Third Semester (The Quadrangle)
• Streaming Killed the (EC) Radio Star: The Rise and Fall of Emmanuel’s Radio Club (The Hub)
• Radio One Veteran Retiring from Jazz Show (Otago Daily Times)
• February Music Director of the Month: Radio UTD’s Isabel Magaña (NACC Charts)
• MSU Ph.D. Student Finds Passion Connecting Science with Community (The State News)
• St. Cloud State Student-run Broadcasts Ahead of Curve in Rapidly-Changing Media World (College Hockey USCHO)

Music Culture

• Birmingham Music Scene Thriving: What has Made the Difference? (Birmingham, AL Patch)

Events

• Join Lewis & Clark for a Special Blazer Day in Honor of 2019 Women’s Soccer (RiverBender)

History

• 8 Sports Reporters Describe their Favorite Eli Manning Moments (SNY)
• 1980-1989: Pop Goes the Decade (The Village Voice)

Alumni

• The Voice of Southern Gospel Celebrates 40 Years (SGN Scoops)
• Memorial to Pay Tribute to Late Missoula Drummer, DJ Micki Singer (Missoulian)
• Why New Morning Show Host Richard Milne Loves WXRT (Robert Feder)
• New Bomb Turks Bring Punk Back to Town (Cincinnati.com)
• Stretch and Bobbito on Debut Album ‘No Requests,’ Radio Legacy (Vibe)
• Editorial: Success can be a Result of Patience, Not Pursuit (Charles City Chronicle)
• Genre DJ of the Month: Ken “Dr. K” Nagelberg, WHYR, Baton Rouge (NACC Chart)
• New 24/7 Online Broadway Radio Station (Chicago, IL Patch)
• How Factory 25 Founder Matt Grady’s Career was Built on Extreme Adaptability (MovieMaker)

The post College Radio Watch: 1980s College Radio Flashback and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

As you sit down to watch the Super Bowl this Sunday, take a moment to think about the college radio stations who have been on the scene at “Radio Row” this week in anticipation of this major sporting and media event. Amid all the major broadcasters, students are also in the mix, doing interviews and reporting from Miami for their college radio stations.

Students from college radio stations at St. Bonaventure University, Columbia University, Syracuse University and Fordham University will be heading to the Super Bowl in Miami, according to Fox Business. Representatives from Penn State’s student radio station and the Florida Atlantic University college radio station will also be reporting from the Super Bowl.

More College Radio News

Profiles of Stations, Staff and DJs

• Oceanside Teen/Palomar College DJ Set to Release Debut Album in 2020 (The Coast News Group)
• How Bollywood Music Came to WKNC (WUNC)
• Tim Sweeney’s ‘Beats in Space’ WNYU Radio Show Under Threat (Resident Advisor)
• Court Vision: Blind Student Broadcaster Channels Spirit through Radio (Caledonian Record)

Music Culture

• They Might Be Giants Reflect on Early Touring Days (Hartford Courant)

Events

• RPI Annual Winter Carnival Enjoyed by Community (Troy Record)
• St. Bonaventure Radio Station Sending Six Students to Super Bowl Media Circus (TAP into)
• Super Bowl Radio Row to Include College Stations Despite Steep Cost (Yahoo! Finance)
• Bellisario College Students Appreciate, Embrace Super Bowl Opportunities (Penn State University)
• NFL, NASCAR and MMA Athletes Visit Radio Row (TAPinto)
• NC State’s Double Barrel Benefit Concert Benefits us All (Duke Chronicle)
• Faye Webster, Slowthai Shine at WGTB’s Winter Concert (The Georgetown Hoya)
• Lewis and Clark to Celebrate Black History Month (Advantage News)
• CCNY Celebrates Black History Month (The City College of New York)
• Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe Performs Live for 88.5 FM (JamBase)

Alumni

• ‘Music is My Salvation’: College Radio Helped a Present-day Mental Health Expert Find Stability (WBFO)
• SU Alumnus Reads Dr. King’s Final Speech as Part of MLK Week (Daily Item)
• Everyone Appreciates Zach Gelb’s Grind (Barrett Sports Media)
• WORT Welcomes Shaun Soman as Assistant News Director (WORT)
• Meet Anne Litt, KCRW’s New Music Director (Los Angeles Magazine)
• AM/FM Icons Mourn Man Remembered as ‘Great Friend to Anyone Who Loves Radio’ (Chicago Tribune)
• EP Podcast has Focus on Life in Evergreen Park (Patch)
• University of Miami Pre-Med Student Becomes Music Talent Agent (Miami’s Community Newspapers)
• Hofstra Alum to Start as TNT’s NBA Sideline Reporter (Newsday)
• Garrison Keillor’s College Radio Past (Chicago Tribune)
• Glass Beach Album Review (Pitchfork)
• WSUM Alum Kevin Wondrash Promoted to Assistant Editor of Catholic Herald (Madison Catholic Herald)

Awards and Accolades

• Radio Free Hillsdale Shows Nominated for National Awards (Hillsdale Collegian)
• Radio Free Hillsdale Wins Top Awards from Michigan Association of Broadcasters (Hillsdale Collegian)

The post College Radio Watch: Student Radio at the Super Bowl and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

I’ve often dreamed of a college radio map, so I absolutely love the radio visualizations crafted by Erin Davis. While it’s not a pragmatic guide to find radio stations, her beautiful service contour maps give a general sense of how certain formats of FM radio are dispersed across the continental United States. The college radio map depicts FCC-licensed radio stations that are categorized on Radio-Locator as “college radio” format. While it won’t capture every college radio station, it gives an interesting slice. Her map shows a higher concentration of the college radio format on the East Coast, something that I’d always suspected as well.

More College Radio News

Events

• 95bFM Reveal Lineup for the Night Before Auckland Anniversary Day (UndertheRadar)
• Lawrence University’s Great Midwest Trivia Contest Begins Jan. 24 (Post Crescent)
• LU Live! (The Lawrentian)

Programming

• Sounds of the Stater Debuts (the Wayne Stater)

College Radio History

• Saving History at College Radio Stations, One Tape at a Time (The Chronicle of Higher Education)

Alumni

• Dee Diggs in the Lab NYC (Mixmag)
• Sundown or Sunrise, Climate Change Waits for No One (India Currents)
• Womanhouse Celebrates Release of Debut EP (Miami New Times)
• The Man Behind the Microphone: George Miller (The Springfield Student)
• Jerry Trupiano, Former Voice of the Red Sox, Joins Faculty at Dean College (MetroWest Daily News)
• Making a Movement: Sub Pop Exhibit on Display at Montana State University (Bozeman Daily Chronicle)
• Tampa’s DJ Sandman among more than 20 Local iHeartRadio Employees Laid off this Week (Creative Loafing)
• IHSA Honors Neal Ormond with Distinguished Media Award (Daily Herald)

The post College Radio Watch: Mapping U.S. Radio and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

In these early days of 2020, we’ve been taking a look back at the big radio trends from the past decade. It’s pretty mind-boggling to tally all of the changes in radio and technology since 2010. Amid it all, college radio experienced both highs and lows, but ultimately leaves the decade as strong as ever. Take a listen to this week’s Radio Survivor show/podcast (episode #228) and read my decade-in-review piece for my take on the decade in college radio.

WCWS-FM to be sold to EMF

There’s an update this week to a story that I reported on back in 2018. At the time, College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio announced that it was transitioning its long-time FM student radio station WCWS (aka The Woo 91) to online-only. A letter to the FCC dated September 2, 2018 (but filed in December, 2018) stated “We have encountered a repeated number of technical difficulties with our tower service as well as the recent resignation of staff who had the necessary skill sets to maintain the radio equipment and oversight of the station. We would like Special Temporary Authority to remain off the air for up to 180 days to determine if the issues can be resolved.” That request was dismissed and the station seems to have remained on the air during Fall, 2018.

In Fall, 2018, students circulated petitions to “Save the Wave” and were holding panel discussions about the future of radio in order to try to convince the school to retain the FM license. By March, 2019, WCWS was announcing that the station was leaving the air on April 6 and sharing memories from alumni. The final words on FM were spoken by Bruce Peters from the class of 1969. WOO 91 wrote on Instagram, “He flew in from Denver to be the last words because over 50 years ago, he was WOO 91’s first words as it transitioned to WCWS, an FM station. He used his radio ready voice to mark a transition of WOO 91 once again – to online streaming on iHeart radio.” In a video posted on Instagram, DJs in the booth can be seen wearing T-shirts emblazoned with headstones and “RIP 90.9 FM.”

An April 2019 filing with the FCC stated, “The College of Wooster currently does not have dedicated staffing or the necessary expertise to continue to support a college-run radio station. The college needs time to consider options for the station license.” Another request to remain silent was filed in October, 2019. In the FCC’s approval for this request for special temporary authority to remain silent for 180 days, it pointed out that if WCWS did not return to the air by April, 2020, the license would expire.

We’ve now learned that after considering its options, the school plans to sell the WCWS-FM license to religious broadcasting group Educational Media Foundation (the parent of syndicated broadcaster K-LOVE) for $170,000, according to paperwork filed with the FCC in December, 2019.

Montana Tech Station’s Murky Future

I also learned this week that KMSM-FM at Montana Tech University may be leaving the airwaves. ABC Fox Montana reports, “Last month, a decision was made by the Associated Students of Montana Tech to shut down the station and cut funding after a survey found the station was not very popular among students,” but adds that, “The Associated Students of Montana Tech say the decision could be reversed in the upcoming weeks and nothing is final.”

This is an interesting case in which the license for the student radio station is held by a student organization, Associated Students of Montana Tech. A KPAX story points out, “And while the future may look pretty bleak for the radio station, those who work there say that if the public really wants to keep KMSM going they need to contact the administration and show their support.” So in this instance, it’s not only the school, but also leaders in the student government who need convincing that college radio is worth their investment.

More College Radio News

Shutdowns, License Sales

• EMF Successfully Woos a School for its Silent FM (Radio & Television Business Report)
• Airwaves Could go Silent for Montana Tech’s Student Radio Station (ABC Fox Butte)
• Montana Tech’s Student Radio Station Going off the Air after 45 Years of Broadcasting (KPAX)

Profiles of Stations and Staff

• Nation is Noting KCOD Community College Radio Serves the Desert Well (Desert Sun)
• WXYC is Looking to Welcome New DJs (The Daily Tar Heel)
• January 2020 Genre DJ: KRUA Anchorage’s Russ Slaten (NACC Charts)
• The 89.7 FM Gulf Coast Rocker from Alvin Community College has been Rocking since 1978 (Mag Viral News)
• On the Air with Michael Ivany (The Banner Newspaper)
• Keeping the Lines Open for all the Sources (Guelph Today)

College Radio in Art

• Chasing ‘Butter and Salmon’: Elusive Street Artists are like Philly’s own Banksy (Billy Penn)

Programming

• Emory & Henry Celebrates the Work of Women in Civil Rights (Augusta Free Press)
• Students Discuss Bioethics via Podcasts (Hamilton College)

Events

• ‘What were you wearing?’ Exhibit Busts Rape Culture Myths (RiverBender.com)
• DIY Festival Returns to Harrisonburg in April (WMRA and WEMC)
• Elmhurst College Radio’s Acoustic Night (Daily Herald)
• IBS Convention in New York City in March 2020 (Intercollegiate Broadcasting System)
• Learning to Listen: WTJU Brings Podcasting to J-Term (UVA Today)

Call for Submissions for Scholarly Journal

• Radiofonias Seeks Articles for “College radios in times of attacks on science” issue (Radiofonias)

College Radio History and Anniversaries

• Every Breaking Wave (Business Mirror)
• ‘Smells like Teen Spirit’ Hitting a Billion Views on YouTube (WESA)
• KTUH Hits 50th Anniversary (Manoa Now)
• Louis Armstrong Tape Riddle Solved? Man Says he Recorded Concert 63 Years ago for Muhlenberg Radio Station (The Morning Call)

Alumni

• Xavier the X-Man Celebrates 20 Years on Magic 92.5 (Radio Online)
• Debunking a Big Myth about Radio (Radio Ink)
• Frank Tavares, Voice of NPR for 30 Years, Has Died (Iowa Public Radio)
• After Decade On Air, All Vinyl Radio Program Feels like Therapy for Musekegon DJ (Michigan Live)
• How an Emotionally Intelligent Mindset can Define your Career (Ladders)
• The Wedding with the best After-party of all Time (The Cut)
• KCRW’s Volunteer of the Month (KCRW)
• It’s the Morning Show with Attitude. NOW! with Dave Brown Debuts on AMI-Audio (Benzinga)

Awards and Accolades

• WMUL-FM Receives Marketing Awards (Huntington News)

The post College Radio Watch: College Radio in the 2010s, WCWS-FM Buyer, KMSM to Leave Air? and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

As we approach the end of 2019, it’s time for my semi-annual reflection on the year in college radio. As is often the case, the stories picked up most by the popular press focus on big news (like station launches, license sales, and budget crises), major milestones (like significant anniversaries), and quirky or feel-good stories about station personalities. But beyond those headlines, there are always a lot of fascinating tales of college radio stations embarking on innovative projects. I was happy to be able to visit a handful of San Diego-area college radio stations in 2019 to see for myself. Revisit those tours to Griffin Radio at Grossmont College, KCR at San Diego State University, SDS Radio at San Diego City College, and KSDT at University of California San Diego in my tour archives and on Radio Survivor podcast #202

It’s always a challenge to interpret a year’s worth of college radio news, as it often takes longer for trends to emerge. With that caveat, here are some of the themes that have jumped out at me throughout 2019. In the weeks to come, I’ll be taking an in-depth look back at the decade in college radio; where the changes are more pronounced.

College Radio Alums Rule the World…or at least the School

Does 2019 mark a key point in college radio history, in which we have college radio alumni serving as leaders in industry and academia? These thoughts crossed my mind while reading some of the coverage surrounding the arrival of Reed College’s new president, Audrey Bilger (full disclosure: I know Bilger, as she’s married to a long-time friend of my husband). Music and college radio are a big part of Bilger’s past and present and she mentioned her time at University of Virginia’s college radio station WTJU in press interviews this year. Portland Monthly even asked, “Is Reed College’s New President Too Cool to be a University Administrator?,” citing her college radio cred and humongous record collection, arguing that she is “probably, the first college president to own a bigger record collection than her school’s entire student body.”

In somewhat related news, we also learned this year that former White House counsel Don McGahn was on a 1980s college radio compilation.

New Stations and Station Revivals

One of the most encouraging signs of college radio’s continued health in 2019 is that students keep launching radio projects. In September, 2019, a student at Fordham was disappointed by the lack of radio opportunities at the Lincoln Center campus in New York City, so she started up Wavelengths to showcase student-produced radio. Billing itself as “Fordham Lincoln Center’s first student-run internet radio station,” Wavelengths can be found on Instagram and Spotify.

Other new stations in 2019 include the February debut of online radio station the Quake at Wilmington College and the launch of a student-run streaming radio station KTSU2- The Voice at Texas Southern University. A campus radio station was also established in Zimbabwe at Great Zimbabwe University this year as part of the “journalism training institution.”

Brown Student Radio (which has been off FM since 2011) was able to return to the terrestrial airwaves in 2019 thanks to its successful launch of a new LPFM radio station. Part of a three-way time-share with an arts organization (AS220) and a community radio group (Providence Community Radio), WBRU-LP is broadcasting in Providence, Rhode Island at 101.1 FM and online.

Streaming radio station WRCM at Manhattan College was revived in February. It marks the return of radio to the Bronx, New York campus after a four-year absence. Additionally, at Wiley College, KBWC-FM resumed operations after a 2-year break due to campus construction. Another revamp happened at Presbyterian College, where WPCX-LP returned to the airwaves in Clinton, South Carolina with renewed student interest.

In Montana, Montana State University’s KGLT-FM was also able to expand its broadcast range thanks to the addition of a translator.

It also warmed my heart that Rice University was able to purchase its original call letters, KTRU. Readers will recall that it continued to refer to itself as KTRU, even after its FM signal was sold off. Although it successfully snagged a low power FM signal (KBLT-LP), the KTRU call letters weren’t available until recently.

Rumored CMJ Relaunch in 2020

At the end of 2019, CMJ emerged from a long slumber on social media, announcing that it will return in 2020. Details are vague, but the new owners of the long-time college media brand plan to bring back CMJ’s radio charts, music events, and coverage of the college music scene. For decades, CMJ was a conduit between college radio stations and the music industry; with its weekly college radio airplay charts, annual conference/music festival/college radio confab in New York City, and reporting on new music releases.

Podcast and Audio Production Projects Expand

In 2019, we learned about quite a few interesting podcast projects at college radio stations. While some stations are adding stand-alone podcasts, like MargRock at WKNC, others are creating podcast versions of existing programs. Additionally, stations like WTJU are creating their own podcast networks as well as audio-drama podcasts. I’m also pleased to see collaborations, for example the news podcasts being undertaken by the Texas A&M-Commerce’s student newspaper and radio station KKOM.

A project that I found particularly fascinating is a student-run radio production club at Ithaca College. While the campus is home to two college radio stations, members of the new TNT Radio Productions club “believe there is a lack of diversity in audio content at the college,” according to a November, 2019 piece in The Ithacan. The group is “working to produce creative long–form audio stories” that run the gamut “from contemporary drama to experimental audio narratives that are not restricted to common formats like podcasting,” writes the Ithacan.

The fact that there’s increased desire for audio production opportunities on a college campus with two existing radio stations is a testament to the growing popularity of podcasting as well as audio drama. Speaking of audio drama, Arkansas Tech University’s communications and journalism department runs Arkansas Radio Theatre. Its production, Concealed Carrie, airs over KXRJ-FM.

And finally, with the boom in podcasting, some colleges are profiling the variety of podcasts both on campus and produced by students. Boston University is home to a few, some of which are affiliated with student radio station WTBU.

Big Anniversaries

Numerous college radio stations celebrated MAJOR anniversaries this year and it’s perhaps important to point out how special it is that so many college radio stations have persevered for decades. Despite the transitory nature of college radio stations, these institutions carry on with new leaders and new students. In the commercial radio world, it’s an increasing rarity for a station to exist for 40, 50, or 60 years under the same ownership; so kudos to college radio!

Some of the milestone anniversaries in 2019 include:

• 70th anniversary of radio at Kansas State University
• 70th anniversary of WGRE at DePauw University
• 60th anniversary for Foothill College’s KFJC-FM
• 50th anniversary for University of California, Irvine’s KUCI-FM
• 50th anniversary of WIUP-FM at Indiana University of Pennsylvania
• 50th anniversary at KCR at San Diego State University
• 50th anniversary at KTUH at University of Hawaii
• 50th anniversary for University of Auckland’s 95bFM
• 40th anniversary for University of Maryland’s WMUC
• 35th anniversary at WPAX-FM at Austin Peay State University
• 35th anniversary of Stockton State University’s WLFR
• 30th anniversary of Impact89FM at Michigan State University
• 30th anniversary of KRUX-FM at New Mexico State University

Stations Leaving AM and FM

College radio license sales are one of the bummer stories that I report on year after year. Thankfully 2019 didn’t see the flurry of big sales that we witnessed earlier in the decade. Nonetheless, it doesn’t make this year’s license sales any easier for fans, participants, and alumni who care about terrestrial broadcasting. I have to point out that the loss of AM or FM is not always mourned at college radio stations. In the most recent example, student participants at Denison College station WDUB expressed relief upon transitioning their station to an online-only operation that will be free from FCC-compliance concerns.

In 2019, one of the most-discussed college radio stations leaving FM was WUEV at Evansville College. This one really hurts for me, as I’d reported on WUEV’s impressive efforts in saving their station from a sale back in 2006. While students and alumni did their best to stop a sale this time around; WUEV’s FM license was ultimately sold to a religious radio group, with the sale approved last month.

Lehigh University’s student radio station WLVR-FM also left its 91.3 FM channel, but will stream online and broadcast on HD-2. This is part of a “partnership” with Lehigh Valley Public Media, in which public radio programming took over the station’s main channel as of November 1, 2019. Lehigh University will retain the license.

At Bucknell University, student radio station WVBU-FM transitioned to online-only status after the school made a deal with VIA Public Media. The FM license was sold to Northeastern Pennsylvania Educational Television Association in July, 2019 for $17,600. NPR programming now airs over the FM signal as of August, 2019.

At Trine University, WEAX-FM left the airwaves in July, 2019, with the station moving online. In a filing with the FCC, the university stated that it “no longer wishes to operate a radio station” and was “looking to sell the station.” In November, 2019, the FCC approved the assignment of the license to religious broadcaster Star Educational Media Network for a sale price of $40,000.

WIUV-FM at Castleton University in Castleton, Vermont, which had been on the air since 1976, also shut off its terrestrial broadcasts, turning its license back to the FCC in May, 2019. The license was subsequently cancelled.

University of Jamestown sold its station KJKR-FM to religious broadcaster Hi-Line Radio Fellowship in 2019, just seven years after the 4,000 watt radio station was launched on the North Dakota campus.

And in AM news, Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut shut down its professionally-run station WQUN in 2019. The station has been silent since May 31, 2019 and has FCC permission to remain off the air until June 2, 2020, citing “financial considerations and a reassessment of student needs” as reasons for not returning to the airwaves.

Student Fees Crisis in Canada

Throughout 2019 we’ve seen fallout from some policy changes in Canada threatening funding for campus media in Ontario. In March, 2019, we went in-depth on this topic for the Radio Survivor Podcast, speaking with Barry Rooke from the National Campus and Community Radio Association.

Because of an initiative allowing college students to opt out of various student fees, some stations have faced financial crises, including CJAM at University of Windsor (which cut staff), Laurentian University’s CKLU, where “funding from student fees dropped from $45,670 in 2018 to $3,000 in 2019.”

Late in the year, a piece in McMaster University’s student newspaper the Silhouette asks, “Did we choose student life?,’ pointing out:

September 2019 marked the first of possibly many registration periods in which students could opt-out of student union fees deemed non-essential. This change, instituted by the Government of Ontario in January 2019, is part of the widely criticised Student Choice Initiative. In the past, McMaster’s student union fees for all clubs and services have been mandatory. Non-essential fees range from a few dollars, like the $1 fee for Mac Farmstands or $2 for Horizons, to $13.72 for CFMU 93.3FM or $17.50 for Campus Events. As early as  January, student groups have feared the worst and prepared for the inevitable cuts.

More College Radio News

License Sales

• FCC Approves Sale of University of Evansville Radio Station WUEV to Christian Broadcaster (Evansville Courier & Press)

Infrastructure

• Public Hearing on KIWR Operations and Audit Report on January 13 (Daily Non Pareil)

Programming

• Kutztown University Radio (KUR) Now Available on Spotify (BCTV)

Music Industry and College Radio

• CMJ, College Music Marathon are Relaunching But Not Everyone’s Happy (HypeBot)

Events

• Student Radio Conference Heads to Saltford (RadioToday)
• WSOU-FM Collects Record Amount During Annual Food Drive (New Jersey Stage)
• Morningside Students Prepare for 13-hour Bus Ride to Watch NAIA Championship (KTIV)
• Rape Culture Exhibit Closes Dec. 19 at LCCC (Alton Telegraph)
• The Swedish Student Scream and the Stories Behind it (The Local)

Alumni

• Beloved Local Media Couple Reflects over Careers (North Central PA)
• Tom Joyner Says Goodbye to Radio Show after 25 Years (Vibe)
• Jimmy Kimmel Has a New Favorite Crowd: Kids (New York Times)

The post College Radio Watch: 2019 College Radio Year in Review appeared first on Radio Survivor.

On Wednesday, December 11, 2019, Denison University in Granville, Ohio, filed paperwork with the FCC for a proposed assignment of the FM license for its student-run radio station WDUB-FM (aka The Doobie). The sale price is a paltry $5,000 being paid by Ohio State University (WOSU Public Media). Additionally, Denison will be granted underwriting announcements over WOSU TV and radio for 4 years, at an estimated value of $47,040. Paid student internships will also be offered to Denison students ($48,000 value).

This news did not come out of the blue, as WDUB ceased broadcasting over FM back on September 1, 2019 (ironically, just after it was included in Princeton Review’s list of “most popular” college radio stations). In its request with the FCC for special temporary authority to remain silent, Denison University stated that it suspended operation “for financial reasons” and sought permission to “remain silent until such time as it can resolve the situation.”

But, the rationale goes much deeper, as WDUB participants pointed to fears of budget-breaking FCC fines for public file violations being a big motivation for relinquishing the FM signal.

According to an October 15, 2019 piece in the Denisonian:

A big transition happened last year, when the FCC decided to move their documentation system to an online platform rather than physical paperwork. When The Doobie began the process of switching their public file over to abide by FCC, they discovered a problem: about five to six years of missing documents and unsigned papers.

‘With everything that we were looking at, the fine could have been around $60,000,’ [senior station manager and president of the station Rachel] Weaver explains…

‘We had a lot of people telling us to just ‘fudge’ the paperwork, and that is a felony.’ Hiding past mistakes was a risk that was not up for discussion to Weaver. This was the leading decision behind The Doobie switching to an online streaming service.

‘No one wants to kill the radio, and a lot of alumni are upset, because we are losing a bit of nostalgia with this,’ Weaver said.

It’s unfortunate that fear of a big FCC fine led to the station relinquishing its license for a mere $5,000. While public file violations can yield serious fines; student-run radio stations with first-time violations have been able to negotiate deals with the FCC, following a decision in 2013. As a result, we’ve reported on quite a few consent decrees with voluntary forfeitures in the $1,000, $1,200, to $2,200 range. This is a far cry from some of the higher fines wielded against student radio stations in the past and is based on acknowledgment by the FCC of the low-budget and transitory nature of student-run radio stations.

More College Radio News

License Sales

• Ohio State to Buy Denison University’s WDUB College Radio License (All Access)
• The Doobie Undergoes Changes, Including Move to Streaming Service (The Denisonian)

Music Culture

• Podcast #223: Will CMJ Return… (Radio Survivor)

Events

• A Quiet Night of Radio and Relaxation with WGRN (Greenville University Papyrus)
• 2020 IBS Convention Registration is Open (IBS)

Programming

• The Deep-Seated Tradition of Vinyl, Marathon Weeks at WUNH (The New Hampshire)
• Northampton Journalism Students to Broadcast Election Results (Hold the Front Page)

College Radio in Popular Culture

• Dear White People Exclusive Interview Yvette Lee Bowser (Assignment X)

Public Radio Connections

• Public Radio East: Thirty-five Years in the Making (New Bern Sun Journal)

College Radio History

• Day in History 1994: Rochester Community College station KRPR Leaves Minnesota Airwaves (Post Bulletin)

Alumni

• Rhys Gunter to Present Radio 1 Show (Dorset Echo)
• Cornwall DJ who started in his Bedroom to Host Radio 1 Breakfast Show (Cornwall Live)

Awards and Accolades

• Cerritos College’s WPMD Awarded at City Hall (Talon Marks)
• Intercollegiate Broadcasting System Announces Awards Finalists (IBS)

The post College Radio Watch: WDUB to Sell FM License and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

As we approach the end of 2019, I’m starting to reflect back on not only the year in college radio, but also the decade in college radio. While 2009 doesn’t seem like all that long ago, some major changes have occurred in the radio and technology landscapes, which have had implications for student radio.

Beginning in the late 1970s, CMJ was a major part of the college radio scene for nearly 40 years, with publications, conferences, music festivals, and long-time college radio charts. When CMJ petered out circa 2015-2016, it was a sad and notable loss for college radio. Lawsuits were filed for unpaid wages and in fall, 2018 the CMJ trademarks went up for auction. According to the auction website, “The CMJ Music Marathon was an institution of the New York music scene for 35 years.  The buyer of these four CMJ Trademarks will be buying an iconic brand name in the music world.”

Yesterday, I was surprised to learn that a new CMJ is returning in 2020. As of this week, it would appear that there is a new owner of the CMJ trademarks, as they have been posting on the CMJ Twitter account (which had been stagnant since late June, 2016) and have set up a preliminary website. Yesterday’s initial CMJ tweet reads, “After a long break, CMJ is under new management and re-launching in 2020. More news soon. http://cmj.com info@cmj.com.” Folks on social media replied with their frustrations about CMJ employees not getting paid, tales of subscribers who lost out, and other grievances. The response: “We understand that totally justified unhappiness. This is a brand new company, with no connection to the former regime(s). We are working on ideas to try to right those wrongs however.”

While there are few details about the new CMJ owners and what their specific plans are, they’ve indicated that the CMJ music events may be returning in 2020. Pitchfork reports, “…the organizers told Pitchfork that former CMJ CEO Adam Klein is no longer involved with the company. (Last year, Klein was ordered by a judge to pay over half a million dollars to former employees that filed a collective lawsuit against him in 2016 for unpaid wages and other damages.)”

While CMJ’s publications, charts, and events were college radio staples for decades; various groups have launched new endeavors to fill those niches. North American College and Community Radio Chart (NACC Chart), Muzooka, RadioFX, and Spinitron are among those who have created radio charting alternatives.

As a college radio historian, I’m particularly interested in learning if the new CMJ owners have access to the decades-worth of print and online publications from CMJ’s past. @lowmediumhi asks on Twitter, “Does this mean there’s a chance we could get an online archive of all the past issues of New Music Report? Virtually every other broadcasting trade is online somewhere and this would be a valuable resource to media historians.” CMJ replied, “Great question and we have been talking about whether there is a way to do that. We are different people from before, but we would like to be able to make it happen.”

We’ve reached out to the new CMJ and will keep readers posted as we learn more about their plans for the future of the CMJ brand.

More College Radio News

College Radio Regulations

• Cost of Living Adjustment to Public Broadcasters Compulsory License Royalty Rate (Federal Register)

Station and Staff Profiles

• KUCI at 50: The Radio Station’s Rebellious Roots Run Deep (OC Weekly)
• Photo Essay: WMUC Radio Celebrates 40th Anniversary with Art, Music and Dessert (The Diamondback, University of Maryland)
• Local Radio Stations Offer Unique Community-oriented Programs, Music (Farmington Daily Times)
• December MD of the Month: Winter Yocom, WCRD Muncie (NACC Chart)
• KSYM Transitions after New General Manager Hired (The Ranger, San Antonio College)

Programming, Radio Drama, Podcasts

• Cloud County Community College Theatre to Present Live Radio Play (Salina Post)
• WTJU Releases Drama Podcast ‘The Perfectly Circular Rock’ (Augusta Free Press)
• Intern Shares Programming from College Radio Show on 98.5 Sports Podcast (985 The Sports Hub)
• WKNC Relaunches Music Podcast MargRock, Emphasizing Marginalized Genders and Sexualities (WKNC)
• MargRock Highlights Underrepresented Local Artists (The Technician)
• New Age of News – Newspaper Launching Podcast (The East Texan)

Events

• College Radio Station WPRK Celebrates 67 Years of Challenging Sounds Next Month at Stardust Video (Orlando Weekly)
• A Literary Capital for a Day (Chapelboro.com)
• Lewis and Clark Exhibit Targets Sexual Assault Myths (AdVantage News)
• University of Leeds Students to Grill General Election Candidates from Key Student Areas (Leeds Live)
• Student Broadcasters Convene at the Gateway to the West 2019 (Radio World)

Infrastructure, Funding, Endowed Scholarship

• Scarlet Knights’ Station WRSU Gets a Fresh Start (Radio World)
• Scholarship Supports Student Broadcasters who run the Lion 90.7 FM (Penn State University)
• Student Fees: Did We Choose Student Life? (The Silhouette, McMaster University)

Music Industry and College Radio

• WARMCharts Provides Insights and Data from Thousands of Radio Channels (AllAccess)
• CMJ Music Marathon to Relaunch in 2020 (Variety)
• CMJ Announces Plans to Relaunch in 2020 (Pitchfork)
• CMJ Relaunching in 2020 (Stereogum)
• CMJ Plans to Relaunch in 2020 under new Management (Billboard)
• CMJ Say They’re Relaunching in 2020 (Brooklyn Vegan)

Technology

• Radioplayer Canada App Tops 1M Downloads (GlobalNews)
• After the Death of iTunes Real Internet Radio is Back on the macOS Music App (Radio Survivor)

Radio Culture

• Community Broadcaster: Be Thankful for Community Radio (Radio World)

Awards and Accolades

• Marquette Music Hall of Fame Honors Northern Michigan U’s Radio X (The Mining Journal)
• Student Radio Award for University of Chester’s Tom Marland (Warrington Garland)
• Charles Parker Prize Student Radio Competition is Open for Radio Students in the United Kingdom (Charles Parker Archive Trust)

Alumni

• SIUC Moves to Award Honorary Degree to Alumnus Bob Odenkirk (The Southern)
• Obituary: WFUV Alum Bruce Allen DiMarzo (Patch)
• Ed Dague Recalled as a Sharp Trailblazer and Mentor (The Daily Gazette)
• Chris Connelly Celebrates 3 Decades as the Voice of the Marblehead Magicians (Marblehead Reporter)
• Banging Tracks: How Emily Dust’s Global Club Sounds Electrify Dancefloors (MixMag)
• Meet the Creative Mind Behind the Soundtrack of Tbiliso (Georgia Today)
• Profile of Meteorologist Madi Baggett (WJAC)
• Joe Smith, Exec at Warner Bros., Elektra and Capitol/EMI Dead at 91 (AllAccess)
• A Final Goodbye for Steve Pringle (KXL)

The post College Radio Watch: CMJ to Return in 2020 and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

On this week’s radio show/podcast we had a fun discussion with one of the founders of Sacramento State University’s college radio station KSSU. We learned about the challenges and obstacles that students faced in the late 1980s when they embarked on a project to bring student radio back to campus. It’s not unusual; many students have had to exhibit similar levels of persistence in order to launch college radio stations over the decades. In addition to sharing that story, KSSU co-founder Jim Bolt also talked about his efforts to archive the station’s early history. I appreciate this project too and hope that it will inspire more stations, even brand new ones, to document their origin stories.

More College Radio News

Funding and Infrastructure

• San Juan College Radio Station Looks Toward Growth During Fundraiser (Farmington Daily Times)
• College Radio Foundation Offering Grants (College Radio Foundation)

Awards and Competitions

• Broadcast Education Association Accepting Submissions for Festival of Media Arts (BEA)

Anniversaries and History

• Celebrating Impact89FM’s 30th Anniversary (MSU Today, Michigan State University)

Technology

• Triode: Internet Radio from the Iconfactory (MacStories)

Programming

• Radio Drama ‘Concealed Carrie’ Has Been Hiding in Plain Sight (Arkansas Democrate Gazette)

Events

• College Radio Station Invites Listeners for a Fun Run on Campus (The Two River Times)
• 5th Annual Vinylthon Scheduled for April 18, 2020 (College Radio Foundation)

Alumni

• Here’s How April Ryan Built a Thriving 30-Year Career (Essence)
• Da Beat of a Different Drummer (AdVantage News)
• UW-Madison Grads Reunite to Create Disney+ Reality Show ‘Encore!’ (The Cap Times)
• John Roberts, Fox News Chief White House Correspondent (Politico)
• Yvette Nicole Brown Inspires Communication, Media Students (The Buchtelite, University of Akron)
• Andy Serkis Lands Role as Alfred in New Batman Film (Lancashire Evening Post)

The post College Radio Watch: Digging into College Radio History in Sacramento and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

There have been radical changes in music distribution and consumption in the past few decades, which has certainly altered the college radio experience. A piece in the Independent Florida Alligator at University of Florida, “From Mixtapes to Algorithms: How Listening to Music on Campus has Changed,” states:

The way students discover music has evolved and would now be unrecognizable to those who once relied on college radio for new music. Students’ options today are limitless, and this has had an effect on the way students listen to and discover music. College radio stations previously maintained the supreme status of the ‘cool’ place to discover new music recommended by in-the-know students.

It points out that the current student-oriented radio station at University of Florida, GHQ, “…aims to be an all-encompassing music listening experience,” adding that, “Unfortunately, even the most popular radio stations on XM cannot introduce to the masses new music in the way a viral meme can. Just ask Denzel Curry or Lil Nas X.”

While I can’t verify if viral memes are the ultimate music discovery tool; it is true that students are learning about music from myriad sources, both on and offline. The piece also notes that “In a world where you can find everything online, the best way to discover new music may still be recommendations from your friends.” Interestingly, that’s also the reason that college radio continues to be an excellent place for music discovery, particularly at stations with DJs who curate their own playlists. Those radio show hosts are similar to trusted friends and help many people learn about intriguing artists, even in 2019.

More College Radio News

New Station, Audio Production Club, and Station Revival

• Wavelengths Brings Student Radio to Fordham’s Lincoln Center Campus (The Observer)
• Student Radio Production Group Creates Explosive Content (The Ithacan)
• UB Alumni Work to Revive WRUB after no plans for Station Revival Set (The Spectrum, University at Buffalo)

College Radio and Music Culture

• From Mixtapes to Algorithms: How Listening to Music on Campus has Changed (The Independent Florida Alligator)

Profiles of Stations

• Georgetown Radio Forges Platform for Creative Students (The Hoya)
• WIXQ Brings Music and Family to Millersville (The Snapper)

Listeners

• Inmate Requests List of all songs Played on College Radio Station (Valdosta Daily Times)

Events

• Philippine College Radio Congress 2019 (University of the Philippines)

Programming

• Breaking Down Northwestern with WNUR’s Kevin Sweeney (247 Sports)
• A News Partnership Between Indiana Daily Student and WIUX (Indiana Daily Student)
• MSU Science Majors Produce Art Exhibit, Podcast and Pale Ale (City Pulse)
• All the Raga: 24-hour Indian Music in Red Hook and Over WKCR (Brooklyn Paper)
• E.T. Echo Shares Campus News, Provides Valuable Experience to Students (Johnson City Press)
• Student Radio Production Group Creates Explosive Content (The Ithacan)

Funding and Infrastructure

• $25K CKLU City Funding Request: Student Radio Station Asks to Exhaust Other Options First (Sudbury.com)
• Support Student Media This Day of Giving (The Daily Athenaeum, West Virginia University)
• San Diego City College’s Spending Scandal (San Diego Reader)

College Radio in Popular Culture

• Interview: Danielle Beverly – Director of Dusty Groove: The Sound of Transition (We are the Movie Geeks)

History and Anniversaries

• APSU’s WAPX-FM Celebrates 35 Years as a Campus Radio Station (Clarksville Now)
• University of Sunderland’s Spark FM Celebrates 10th Birthday and Looks Back on its Successes (Sunderland Echo)
• Radio Survivor Podcast #219 – A College Station’s 60th (Radio Survivor)

Alumni

• Professor Profile: Jeffrey Benedict (The Sentinel)
• Alumna Spotlight: Lindsy Goldberg (The Beacon)
• Former Kendall Park Resident Starts Radio Station (South Brunswick Patch)
• Wilber ‘Ray’ Vincent (Davis Enterprise)
• KPIX Anchor Dennis O’Donnell Returns to SF State to Teach Sports Reporting (San Francisco State College of Liberal and Creative Arts)

Awards and Accolades

• WMSC Radio Wins Big at College Broadcasters Inc. Conference (The Montclarion)
• Cerritos College Radio Named America’s Best 2-Year Station (Cerritos Patch)
• All the Winners from the Student Radio Awards 2019 (RadioToday)
• Student Radio Award Winners to Host BBC Radio 1 Shows (RadioToday)
• Bedfordshire Student Scoops Awards in Community Radio Awards (Luton Today)
• Cat Radio at University of Chester up for String of Awards (Warrington Guardian)
• Silver Success for Radio Graduate (University of Chester)

The post College Radio Watch: Music Discovery, New Station and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

Welcome to a super-sized college radio news round-up, covering more than a month’s worth of college radio news. Before launching into this massive list of stories, I have to comment on a fascinating, hyperbolic quote about college radio history.

An AP News story in the Washington Post recounts nominees for the Songwriters Hall of Fame, stating:

R.E.M. shook up the music world with its experimental, edgy sound and then earned multiplatinum success and a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The group got its start in Athens, Georgia, coming out of the region’s flourishing indie-rock scene. The band was credited for helping launch college radio with songs such as ‘Radio Free Europe.’

Who knew that R.E.M. helped launch college radio? While it has become a bit of a 1980s college radio cliche to talk about bands like R.E.M. that got their start over the college radio airwaves; this moment was by no means the “launch” of college radio. As Radio Survivor readers know, college radio dates back to at least the 1920s.

Certainly the 1980s are heralded as a strong period of college radio’s influence on the music industry, which is perhaps what this odd phrasing (“helping launch college radio”) is alluding to. Or it could also have been referencing the birth of “alternative” and “college rock” as music genres. The mainstreaming of “alternative” led to changes in the airsound of commercial radio stations, which starting playing bands that used to live on the left side of the dial on college radio.

College Radio in the Movies

Speaking of the 1980s, for those of you interested in films that portray college radio DJs, I just learned of another one. Girls Nite Out is a 1982 slasher film that has recurring scenes and themes related to a college radio DJ.

More College Radio News

Station Profiles

• WSLC is about More than Just Streaming this Year (Sarah Lawrence Phoenix)
• College Radio Station Juice FM Cork Returns (RadioToday)
• Left of the Dial: College Radio’s Enduring Impact on North Carolina Music (CLTure)
• Music Notes: A Weekly Column by the SOCC (The Catalyst, Colorado College)
• Radio Station Visit 162: KSDT at UC San Diego (Radio Survivor)
• Rebel Radio: Foothill’s KFJC has outlasted the boom and bust of commercial FM radio—and keeps on going, like a ‘Louie, Louie’ marathon (Metro)
• Get On-Air Experience with Radio Bux (The Centurion)
• WRCM Returns to “Airwaves” at Manhattan College (The Quadrangle)

Infrastructure

• WPGU Goes Back on Air after Flooding Damage (The Daily Illini)
• Lehigh and Lehigh Valley Public Media Announce Radio Partnership (Lehigh University)
• WLVR-FM Partners with Lehigh Valley Public Media (The Brown and White)
• There’s a New NPR Station in Town (Lehigh Valley Live)
• West Virginia Wesleyan $11 Million Gift to School of Business and Radio Station (WV MetroNews)
• Big Week for Goshen Media Department (South Bend Tribune)
• Community Broadcasters: Changemakers (Radio World)

Profiles of DJs and Staff + Impact of Station on Students

• October MD of the Month: Sydney Rock, WPRK Winter Park (NACC Chart)
• October Genre DJ of the Month: Gary Lowe, WUNH Portsmouth (NACC Chart)
• WESS Radio Students Prepare for Successful Future (The Stroud Courier)
• KTCU Co-Managers Put ‘College Twist’ on the Radio (TCU 360)
• DJ’s Dream: New Algorithm Helps Blend Music Seamlessly (Technology Networks)
• Lizanecz’s Plans for his Presidency (The Bates Student)

College Radio in Art and Popular Culture

• The Best Fantasy Audio Dramas: Fiction Podcasts with a Touch of Magic (Vox)
• Ree Morton’s Contemporaries: Feminist Video Art at the Tang (The Skidmore News)
• Five ’80s Slasher Flicks for October, including Girls Nite Out (The Pacific Northwest Inlander)

Events

• WMUH’s Radio Riff-off (The Muhlenberg Weekly)
• WMUL-FM’s Car Bash Drums up Homecoming Spirit (Herald-Dispatch)
• WPMD’s Broadcasting Club Heads to Washington, D.C. (Talon Marks)
• WKDU’s 16th Electronic Music Marathon (The Triangle, Drexel University)
• Jams on the Quad Invites Students to Kick Back and Enjoy the Music (AIC Yellow Jacket)
• Seton Hall Students Attend Nation’s Largest Radio Convention (Seton Hall University)
• Reveling in Reverb: KFJC Concert Celebrates Rich History of Bay Area Surf Music (Mountain View Voice)
• Wired FM Broadcasts Live from the Record Room (I Love Limerick)
• Snite Museum, WVFI Duet for ‘Art on the Aux’ (The Observer)

Anniversaries/History

• Happy 60th to College Radio Station KFJC (Radio Survivor)
• KFJC Turns 60 (San Jose Mercury News)
• KFJC 60th Anniversary Open House (Metro)
• NMSU Student Radio Station KRUX Celebrates 30 Years (NMSU Round Up)
• Stockton University’s WLFR Celebrates 35 Years as a Community Radio Station (Atlantic City Weekly)
• Stockton’s WLFR Radio Station Celebrates 35 Years of Music, Memories and More (Press of Atlantic City)
• ISU Celebrates 90-Years of Radio at the School (WTHI-TV)
• Campus Radio Station WIUP Marks 50th Year (Indiana Gazette)
• The History of Radio K on Campus (The Wake)
• This Day in History: First Internet Radio Broadcast over WXYC (Orange County Breeze)

College Radio Day

• Celebrating College Radio Day at WRMU (UMU Dynamo)
• Campus Station WETS Celebrates World College Radio Day (East Tennessean)
• Morningside College on the Air for World College Radio Day (KMEG)
• Happy College Radio Day 2019 (Radio Survivor)
• KLSU to Host College Radio Day event at Tin Roof Brewing (LSU Reveille)
• SFA Students Celebrate College Radio Day on Air (KICKS 105)
• 2019 World College Radio Day: Radio Univers to Represent Ghana in 24-Hour Global Marathon (Ghana Web)
• College Radio Day: ‘Hear it First on the Wolf Internet Radio’ (Times-Georgian – subscription required)
• Listen Up: It’s World College Radio Day (1010 WINS)
• Amarillo College Celebrating World College Radio Day (KAMR)
• World College Radio Day Unites Nearly 500 College Radio Stations Around the World (PR Newswire)
• UW Oshkosh’s WRST Marks College Radio Day (University of Wisconsin Oshkosh)
• College Radio Day Approaches (Radio World)

College Radio and Music Culture

• How Has Harvard Cultivated Hip-Hop? (Harvard Magazine)
• City Winery’s Michael Dorf Looks Back at his Ups and Downs in the Music Business (The Washington Post)

Programming

• Auburn Mayoral Candidates Featured in TV/Radio Debate (Auburn Pub)
• A Raging Culture War against Free Speech on Campus (Colorado Politics)
• Michael Dorf Reflects on Syndicated College Radio Series “Live at the Knitting Factory” (Thrive Global)
• College Radio, Eh? WHPK Playlist (The Beachwood Reporter)

Alumni

• Is Reed College’s New President Too Cool to be a University Administrator? (Portland Monthly)
• Getting to Know High Energy Gambling Personality Nick Kostos (The Big Lead)
• The Voice of the T is a College Radio Alum (The Heights)
• Chuck D Receives Woody Guthrie Prize (Newsday)
• Dovid Nissan Roetter Starts King David Network (The Jewish News)
• Murph and Mac Act Like There’s No Tomorrow (Barrett Sports Media)
• Nationally Syndicated Radio Host Rick Burgess (Alabama NewsCenter)
• By Day, Neurologist; By Night, DJ at Xray (Neurology Today)
• Anchor/Reporter Joel Feick Stepping Down after 35 Years (WEYI)
• Calgary Broadcaster Gord Gillies Retires (Global News)

Awards and Accolades

• WZND Continues Award-winning Streak (Illinois State)
• Hofstra University’s WRHU Named College Radio Station of the Year with Marconi Award (New Hyde Park, NY Patch)
• WRHU Earns Marconi 3-Peat (The Hofstra Chronicle)
• Ennes Educational Trust Scholarship Recipients Announced (Radio World)

The post College Radio Watch: Fall News Round-up appeared first on Radio Survivor.

Happy Fall! I’m wrapping up my summertime college radio station tour reports, with new write-ups on my visits to San Diego City College radio station SDS Radio and KCR Radio at San Diego State University. I love checking out stations and it was a treat to get to see four college radio stations in the San Diego area. My remaining tour there will be posted soon.

College Radio’s Commercial Radio Connection Circa 1983

As part of my volunteer work at Foothill College radio station KFJC, I’ve been combing through the archives to learn more about the college radio station’s 60 year history. It’s fascinating to look at how the station has intersected with the broader college radio scene, particularly in the 1980s when college radio was getting so much music industry attention.

In 1983, music writer Gina Arnold wrote a piece for the Peninsula Times-Tribune about how DJs at edgier college radio stations were NOT getting jobs in the mainstream music industry. Counter to the mythology about 1980s college radio being a pipeline to record label and commercial radio jobs, the story highlights possible brewing tensions at the time. Arnold writes:

…forging a career in radio has become increasingly difficult as radio formats get more rigid. Part of the reason for this is the new role that college radio has begun to play in the rock music industry. Instead of serving as a training ground for on-air talent and broadcasting technique, college radio stations have become a viable listening alternative to album-oriented rock and contemporary hit radio. By setting themselves up as a competitive industry, college radio stations have alienated commercial radio stations that previously used them as a resource for training and talent.”

Arnold quotes Sky Daniels, Program Director at rock radio station KFOG in 1983, articulating why commercial radio stations may not want to hire former college radio DJs. Daniels says, “Most college radio stations, especially ones like KFJC, KALX, and KUSF, are so adventurous, they scare program directors.”

The article points out that one station, KQAK (“The Quake”), has brought former college radio DJs into the fold, namely Rick Stuart (KUSF alum) and Rob Francis (KFJC alum). An innovative commercial radio station in San Francisco in the 1980s, “The Quake” played a lot of college radio staples, airing ska music, New Wave, punk, and the like.

I was a big fan of “The Quake” and it opened up a broader world of music choices to me. Although I was sad when “The Quake” went off the air in 1985, it ended up being my gateway to even more underground sounds. As I searched to find similar music on the dial after “The Quake” died, I found a bounty of college radio stations.

Alternative Radio’s Legacy and Role in 2019

This look back at the college radio scene circa 1983 is interesting when viewed in hindsight and in light of so many changes in radio since that time, including the commercialization of “alternative” music sounds in the 1990s. Bands that used to only get airplay on college radio moved into the mainstream and influenced a wide swath of the radio dial. Add to that an increasingly consolidated radio industry and the birth of digital music and the vast online world (including the likes of YouTube and Spotify). Decades later in 2019, where does that leave “alternative” music? Last week, the New York Times examined that question, pointing out that, “

Commercial radio has always been a fundamentally conservative medium, dedicated to avoiding any kind of jolt that would lead a listener to change the channel, but that can sometimes put alternative stations at odds with the ethos of alternative music, especially given the rapidly evolving choices available on streaming services and satellite radio. “

A growing refrain is that music discovery in 2019 is often taking place outside of radio- often online and sometimes algorithm-based. While that may be true, independent radio stations are still providing a space to learn about new and unheard artists, as they have been for decades. That’s a big reason why I love college radio.

More College Radio News

Music Industry and College Radio Culture

• Magic City Hippies Conclude Summer Tour (The Ridgefield Press)
• Bangers and Bops: Confessions of an Uncool Girl (The Tufts Daily)
• The 30 Best Albums of 1999 (Paste)
• What Does Alternative Rock Radio Sound Like in the Age of Spotify? (New York Times)
• “The Devil and Daniel Johnston” Filmmaker Remembers the Musician (IndieWire)

Events

• The Black Keys Announced as Ambassadors for College Radio Day 2019 (AllAccess)
• Live Music this Week: KBGA’s Birthday and Organ Funk (Missoulian)
• Lenox College Radio Theater is Saturday Night (KMCH)

Programming

• Nobody’s Mayoral Interview on WKNH’s “Wake up Call” at Keene State College (Free Keene)
• New York Islanders Could Be Changing Radio Stations Rumor (Eyes on Isles)
• KGRG Broadcasting Prep Football from French Field (Kent Reporter)
• “Project Independence and You” Radio Show Celebrating Eight Years on Air (The Island Now)
• Husson University to Hold Auditions for Halloween Radio Broadcast of Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘MS Found in a Bottle’ (Bangor Daily News)
• Wellness Show “Green is the New Black” to air on Radio Free Hillsdale (The Collegian)

Profiles of Stations and Staff

• Radio Station Visit #161: SDS Radio at San Diego City College (Radio Survivor)
• Radio Station Visit #160: KCR College Radio at San Diego State University (Radio Survivor)
• Students Channel Their Inner RJ through their College Radio Station (Times of India)
• Making Good Calls: The Student-Broadcasters who help Provide a Voice for UNO Athletics (University of Omaha The Gateway)

Infrastructure

• A Critical Juncture for MCLA, Birge (The Berkshire Eagle)

College Radio History

• KCR College Radio Celebrates 50 Years on the Airwaves (Daily Aztec)

Popular Culture

• How Singles Captured Grunge’s Unstoppable Rise to Mainstream Prominence (Kerrang!)

Awards and Accolades

• Husson University’s College Radio Station Wins Five Awards from Maine Association of Broadcasters (EIN News)

College Radio Alumni

• Ben Maller Enjoys the Parallel Universe (Barrett Sports Media)
• ASR Media’s Ashley Russo, WNYU Alum, Mentors the Next Generation (LVB)
• Toohey Takes a Key Finance Role at Cumulus (RBR)
• Celebrity Master Chef’s Rickie Haywood-Williams (Reality Tidbit)
• How Radio 1 DJ Jordan North Brings a Bit of Lancashire Humour to the Nation (Lancashire Evening Post)

The post College Radio Watch: 1983 vs. 2019 and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

While in San Diego for a conference this summer, I visited a handful of college radio stations. My tour reports launched this week with a visit to Griffin Radio at Grossmont College. Stay tuned for more and peruse our archive of 159 station tours and counting.

In other news, College Radio Day is coming up in just a few weeks on October 4. Does your station have big plans?

More College Radio News

Station Profiles

• Radio Station Visit #159: Griffin Radio at Grossmont College (Radio Survivor)
• At 40, WMUC-FM Outlives the Staples of Pop Culture’s Past (The Diamondback)

Infrastructure

• Decoding Student Fees at University of Alaska Anchorage (The Northern Light)

Events

• Frome FM Live from Cheese Show (Frome Times)
• Elmhurst College Radio’s “Bands N Brews” (Daily Herald)
• College Radio Day is October 4 (College Radio Day)

Awards and Accolades

• KBVR Podcast Honored by College Media Association (Gazette Times)
• KTUH Honored by Honolulu City Council for 50 Years (University of Hawai’i System News)

Alumni

• Kevin, Galvin: Sports Nut, Living His Dream (Munster Express Online)
• DMU Grad Lands Role in National Radio (De Montfort University)
• Union JACK Introduces Live Breakfast Show with Adam English (RadioToday)

The post College Radio Watch: San Diego Tours and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

After a bit of a summer vacation, we are back with some college radio news. Earlier this week, I shared Princeton Review’s new “Best College Radio Station” list, a ranking of 20 schools based on student surveys asking about the popularity of their school radio stations. On the list are some old favorites as well as a few newbies.

We’ve also been busy covering the culture of college radio throughout the summer. I hope you caught my colleague Eric Klein’s interview on Radio Survivor Podcast #207 with Nathan Moore, who heads up college radio stations WTJU and WXTJ at University of Virginia.

In upcoming months, I will also be sharing write-ups from my summer college radio station travels.

More College Radio News

Infrastructure, Expansions, New Stations

• KGLT College Radio Expands into Big Sky (Bozeman Daily Chronicle)
• Reunited and it Sounds So Good: KTRU Buys Back Original Call Sign (Rice Thresher)
• KTRU Gets KTRU Call Letters Back (KTRU Facebook)
• Student Radio Channel Launches in Liepaja (LSM.LV Public Broadcasting of Latvia)
• The Challenges Facing Journalism and Broadcasting Programs (Tri States Public Radio)
• VIA Public Media Now Broadcasting on WVBU-FM, Collaborating with Bucknell Education (NorthcentralPA.com)

Disasters

• Rollins College Student Radio Station WPRK-FM Signing Off for Hurricane Dorian (Orlando Weekly)
• Rollins Student Radio Station WPRK-FM Back on the Air Following Hurricane Dorian (Orlando Weekly)

Events

• Post Animal Headlines Studio-A-Rama 2019 (Cleveland Patch)
• Studio A Rama Music Festival, a Cleveland Institution for 52 Years, to Hit CWRU (Cleveland.com)
• Seton Hall Student to Attend College Radio Conference at Cambridge (TAPinto)
• Northern Michigan University’s Radio X Celebrating 50 Years with Music Festival (ABC 10)

Profiles of Stations, Staff, Programs

• College Radio: On Campus and Around the World (Index Journal)
• August MD of the Month: Troy Lemberg, CFUV Victoria, BC (NACC Chart)
• Pleasure Theory, a Sex-Positive FIU Student Radio Show, Airs Fridays at 10am (Miami New Times)
• WSC Professor Airs Podcast (The Wayne Stater)

Awards and Accolades

• Princeton Review’s 2020 “Best College Radio Stations” List (Radio Survivor)
• 107.7 The Bronc Nominated for a “Radio Emmy” (The Rider News)
• WERS and WECB “Best College Radio Stations” in Princeton Review (Talkers)
• WERS, WECB/Boston Named Best College Radio Stations (AllAccess)
• Princeton Review Includes Ithaca College among Best in Nation (Ithaca College)

Music Culture

• Athens Music 101: How to Get Involved with the Scene as a Student (Flagpole Magazine)

Alumni

• Stan Zabka, Who Worked with Hollywood and Late-Night Giants, Lives in Grass Valley (The Union)
• Rod Serling’s College Radio Past (Screen Rant)
• Poignant Marco Collins Doc of Seattle DJ who Broke “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (The Stranger)
• When Watching those First Games, Remember Red Barber (Daily Journal)
• Meet the Man Behind the Sound of Denver Radio (Westword)
• Meet Three of the Artists Featuring Work at Flower Bomb Fest (Washington City Paper)
• Our Favorite MTV VJs of All Time (Insider)
• Drew Appointed to JCC Board (Observer Today)
• Toronto’s Ciel (FACT)
• Free Samples? Not When it Comes to Hip-Hop and Copyrights (Daily Emerald)
• From Keene State Journalism Major to Emmy Award Winner (Keene State College)
• At the Royale, a Neighborhood Bar has become a Political Hub (Riverfront Times)
• ThFctry Brings Retro Flair to Local Radio (On Tap Magazine)
• Jack Clifford, Food Network co-Founder who began in Phoenix, Dies (AZCentral)
• Ryan Hamilton Puts on a “Happy Face” in Thousand Oaks (VC Reporter)

College Radio History

• Alabama Governor Apologizes for Wearing Blackface in College (Associated Press)
• Interview with Ivey and LaRavia on Auburn Student Radio Station (WSFA 12)
• The Hardcore Evolution of Greg Norton (Psychology Today)
• Wavy Gravy’s Woodstock Flashbacks Available to Rock Radio (AllAccess)
• A Motorcycle has now become the Sum of our Fears: 1980s College Radio Memories (Cleveland.com)
• Remembering Our Friend David Berman (Jagjaguwar)
• See 29 of the Greatest Hip-Hop Documentaries (XXL)

Popular Culture

• Black Marble Shares Video for “Feels” with 90s College Radio Imagery (Stereogum)
• Best Going Back to College Movies 2019 (University Magazine)
• The Hero Worship of the New Springsteen Movie Knows No Limits (Pitchfork)
• Jagjaguwar Shares Unreleased David Berman Poem, with College Radio Themes and More (Pitchfork)

The post College Radio Watch: Princeton Review and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

It’s been an exciting week, with readers and listeners chipping in to help Radio Survivor with our Patreon campaign. A whole slew of you donated at least $5 a month by the August 1st deadline and will be getting a copy of our hand made ‘zine. We’ve had so much fun crafting it, that we are hoping to create more in the future. Although we didn’t meet our 100 donors goal, we are super stoked by the 60+ monthly contributors and generous one-time donors who are helping to support our work.

Don McGahn’s 1990s College Radio Moment

One of my favorite stories in recent memory is a tale about the confluence of college radio, 1990s punk rock, and 2019 government officials. With members of Generation X in their 40s and 50s today, it stands to reason that plenty of them with high profile jobs also have indie rock/college radio pasts.

I enjoyed every word of “I Was on a Compilation CD with Don McGahn in College,” John Dugan’s account of how his 90s self crossed paths with the former White House counsel. Dugan writes:

There’s really nothing more ’90s than being on an obscure compilation CD. And perhaps there’s nothing more 2019 than being from the DC area and having a bizarre, tangential relationship [to] the Trump administration.

…an old college radio chum alerted me to the fact that Don McGahn, President Trump’s OG White House Counsel and purveyor of fine ’80s cover tunes in Scott’s New Band, has a solo song on the Jericho Sessions CD. Yes, the Don McGahn who Trump tried to pressure into firing Robert Mueller.

Dugan explains that his band also appears on the Jericho Sessions compilation CD of campus bands, which was put together in 1991 by University of Notre Dame’s student-run college radio station WVFI (“Voice of the Fighting Irish”). Read his article to see vintage images of the CD compilation as well as Dugan’s reviews of the student bands.

Coincidentally, my husband is also a WVFI alumnus, but alas has no compilation CDs from his radio days there. We did return to the station back in 2008, with our 2-year-old in tow. That tour (saved for posterity as my 3rd radio station field trip report) is the stuff of family lore thanks to my daughter’s epic face plant into a college radio couch. While she dozed away, my husband and I enjoyed a leisurely tour through the WVFI studio and library, having no idea about the cross-section of characters and bands that had occupied those same spaces over the decades.

More College Radio News

Profiles of Stations and Personnel

• Pune’s SPPU Radio Surpasses Boundary, to Give Voice to Other Colleges (Hindustan Times)
• Odisha’s Ravenshaw University Radio Back on Air (New Indian Express)

Events

• KFJC Hosts Weekend Listener Appreciation Party (Mountain View Voice)

Programming

• Paws Radio and Coyote Radio Collaborate to Bring New Shows to Listeners (InlandEmpire.us)

Popular Culture

• Blinded by the Light – Gurinder Chadha’s Latest Inspirational Comedy (India Post)
• Streaming Previews, including ‘Dear White People’ (Sydney Morning Herald)

Alumni

• Husband and Wife Duo Grow Hispanic Radio in Sarasota (Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
• The Return of Isis (The St. Louis American)
• Lessig Joins Sun Prairie Media Center Staff (Sun Prairie Star)
• Grey Chief Creative John Patroulis on Hypnosis, Odd Jobs and the Value of Niche Subcultures (AdAge)
• Tim Sweeney’s College Radio Past at WNYU (The Guardian)

History

• I Was on a Compilation CD with Don McGahn in College (Washingtonian)
• How Handsome Boy Modeling School Created the Perfect Album for ’99 (The Ringer)

The post College Radio Watch: Don McGahn’s College Radio Moment and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

I love it when folks share vintage college radio documentaries with me and the latest to make its way to my inbox is a circa 1992 look at Rice University’s KTRU. It’s wonderfully post-modern, with nods to 2001: A Space Odyssey and some clever usage of expert interviews. The discussion of the station’s former hair dryer-scale wattage was particularly entertaining.

Please Join the Radio Survivor Patreon by August 1 (and get a ‘zine!)

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to Radio Survivor’s Patreon campaign. We’re just about half way to our goal of 100 monthly supporters by August 1st. Everyone donating at least $5/month will get a copy of our new ‘zine, which I’m especially excited about. I just finished mocking up my article about a hike to see radio towers and I can’t wait to share that with our readers.

More College Radio News

College Radio History

• Introducing NME Gold: Best of NME 1985-1989 (Uncut)

Profiles of Stations and Staff

• Obituary for Fritz Kass, IBS Board Member (Brooks Funeral Home)
• Wiley College Re-Opens Campus Radio Station 91.1 FM KBWC (Marshall News Messenger)

Funding and Infrastructure

• University of Alaska’s KRUA Raises over $3,000 During 72-Hour Fundraiser (KTUU)

Events

• Student Reflects on Big Ten Media Days Opportunity (Lansing State Journal)
• Kettering University Celebrates 100 Years of Education in Flint (MLive)

Awards and Accolades

• 107.7 The Bronc Nominated for National Best College Radio Station Award (Rider University)
• WSOU Nominated for Marconi Award – Again (Seton Hall University)

Alumni

• Critically-Acclaimed Podcast “The Football Ramble” Goes on Tour (Bucks Free Press)
• Vermont Community Foundation and High Meadows Fund Hire Fellows (VT Digger)
• Here’s What’s Next for the L.A. Music Tastemaker Jason Bentley (The New York Times)

The post College Radio Watch: KTRU Flashback and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

At Radio Survivor, we’re in the midst of a Patreon campaign, with a goal of having at least 100 monthly donors to Radio Survivor by August 1st. If you chip in at least $5/month, we’ll send you our inaugural ‘zine. You may not realize that Radio Survivor is a lean, volunteer effort and our work on the website and podcast is on borrowed time between all of our other paying gigs and obligations. With more contributions, however, we will be able to do some more in-depth projects, including documenting the history of LPFM and the indymedia movement. As of this writing, we need another 59 donors, so now’s a great time to join up to support our work covering college radio, community media, and audio culture. Here’s a link to donate on our Patreon page. Thanks!

Are all “College Radio” Station Sales Part of a Broader Trend

I’m a stickler for definitions and tend to think about college radio as a specific category of radio station that includes substantial student involvement. For that reason, I’m careful to distinguish between college-based stations and college radio stations. Unfortunately stations at colleges often get lumped into the same category, which can create confusion when talking about broader trends in the industry, including radio station license sales.

Although I’ve written and spoken about various college radio station license sales over the past decade or so, I’m cautious to not report on these stories as part of a major trend or decline in college radio. As part of that effort, when there is news of a station sale, I work hard to not feed into a common industry refrain that “yet another” college is selling its license. Whereas other types of radio station licenses may get sold and bought with regularity, news reports rarely state that “yet another station is being sold.” In part, I want to encourage folks to look beyond the headlines.

Let’s interrogate the circumstances of these sales, particularly when the “college” stations in question aren’t always student operations. I worry that stories about college’s selling radio licenses are interpreted on the surface as student-oriented “college radio station” sales, leading the general public to also think that college radio is dwindling. It’s much more complicated than that, since there are many types of radio stations on campuses (public radio, religious radio, student-run stations, lab-oriented training stations and more) and not all of them even broadcast over FM or AM.

A few recent college-owned license sales are for stations largely airing syndicated national programming from a religious or public radio broadcaster. That’s the case with the latest instance at Corban University in Oregon.

All Access reports “CORBAN UNIVERSITY is the latest college to bail on FM radio, selling Contemporary Christian KWBX/SALEM, OR to EDUCATIONAL MEDIA FOUNDATION for $90,000. KWBX is already an affiliate of EMF’s AIR1 network.”

Digging further, it turns out that from the very beginning KWBX has been an AIR1 affiliate, playing Christian music and programming. In an interesting twist, however, the station briefly aired Corban University sports as part of its initial agreement with Air1. Back in 2011, a Hillop News profile of the station recounted its nearly 8-year-run at that point:

One of the purposes of having a radio station was to train students to broadcast Christian programming, but with students off campus for four months of the year during the summer, an essentially student-run radio station just wasn’t possible. With no infrastructure, the endeavor might have stopped there. But [Mike] Allegre was determined to see it through. He had heard that Air 1 was looking for a place to establish a station in Salem, so he decided to pursue that path.

San Diego College Radio Tours on the Podcast

On this week’s podcast, I share a travel report from my journey to San Diego for the National Federation of Community Broadcasters conference. I reveal highlights from my presentation on the “Past, Present and Future of Community Radio” panel and also give a preview of my soon-to-be published San Diego college radio station tours.

More College Radio News

Infrastructure

• KMSU Welcomes New General Manager (Mankato Free Press)

Station Sales, Sale Attempts

• Corban University to Sell KWBX, Already an Air1 Affiliate, to EMF (All Access)
• Was Threat Against UNLV Part of a Power Play by Regents? (Las Vegas Sun)
• UAA Campus Radio Station Looks for New Funding Sources (KTVA)

Events

• Edinburgh Napier Student Radio Station Bringing Jazz and Blues to Airwaves (Edinburgh Evening News)
• Radio Workshop Organised by Noida College (Times of India)
• Open Transmission Celebrates Indie Radio (LA Weekly)

History/Anniversaries

• WUSB Provides Non-Commercial Radio to Long Island for 42 Years (Stony Brook University News)

Awards and Accolades

• 2019 NAB Marconi Awards Finalists Announced for College Radio Station of the Year (NAB)

Alumni

• L.A. Foster Blends DJ Background, International Influences to Create “Sad Dance Music” (Canada.com)
• On the Air with William Dickerson ’69 (SUNY Cortland)
• Global Dance Sensation DJ Yaeji is Coming for Her Debut Bangkok Show (Bangkok Post)

The post College Radio Watch: Join us as a Patron by Aug 1, Tours and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

What if college radio was an integral part of every student’s college orientation activities? Sounds amazing to me. This week I learned about Hamilton College’s mandatory “orientation trips,” which provide students with an immersion into various topics and activities as part of their transition to college life.

One of the 4-day trips, Stay “Tuned”, focuses on music and radio and includes a visit to Hamilton’s college radio station WHCL. The trip description states in part:

“We will explore the behind-the-scenes of recording studios, meet professionals in the recording industry, visit local indie record shops, and, of course, listen to live performances, including an outdoor music fest! Upon returning to campus, we will take a visit to the campus radio station, WHCL, where we will get a close-up look at station management and campus broadcasting. Those interested will have the chance to learn how to create and host their own radio show during their time at Hamilton.”

In a profile of WHCL, its General Manager Peter Kelly speaks of the powerful impact of that orientation. Kelly recounts, “I was a part of the orientation trip ‘Stay Tuned,’ which focused a lot on music and radio. We visited a few radio stations, but on one of the later days, we went to WHCL and were allowed to do a show, and I’ve been in love ever since. I’ve had at least one show every semester, and I don’t see myself stopping!”

This is a serious step up from simply having a college radio station on a campus tour route (which can also be quite an accomplishment on hectic tours). Do you know about other innovative ways that colleges are introducing students to their campus radio stations?

More College Radio News

Profiles of Stations and Staff

• Radioheads (Hamilton College)
• Horizon Radio is On-Air, Online, On Campus (The Horizon)
• Cerebral Palsy Doesn’t Stop this Radio DJ at WWPV from Sharing Love of Pipe Organ (Seven Days)
• WSIE The Sound Destination for Traditional, Contemporary Jazz (Alton Telegraph)
• July MD of the Month: Amy Presley, KACV Amarillo (NACC Chart)
• July Genre MD of the Month: Al Wex, WSUW Whitewater (NACC Chart)

Funding and Infrastructure

• Laurentian University Groups Prepare for Impact of Student Fee Opt-outs (CBC News)

Popular Culture

• 10 Movies about College to See Before Your Freshman Year (Elite Daily)

Events

• WSOU Reporters Cover Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks (New Jersey Stage)

Alumni

• Longtime Bay Area Broadcaster and KSMC Alum Bob Fouts Dies at 97 (San Francisco Chronicle)
• Getting to Know Kyle Tait, WREK Alum, Audio Book Narrator and Sportscaster (Gwinnett Daily Post)
• Social Media is Revolutionizing How Scientists Interact with the Public (Engadget)
• Say Y.E.S. to Yolaine Joseph’s Skincare Line (The Birmingham Times)
• On the Front Lines: Maggie Fox has a Press Pass to History (News-Decoder)

The post College Radio Watch: Radio Orientation and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

It’s been a decade that I’ve been covering college radio on Radio Survivor, which was one of the topics that we discussed on our 200th episode of the podcast/radio show this week. It was a treat to have another rare episode with all four Radio Survivor principals: Matthew Lasar, Paul Riismandel, Eric Klein and myself. We all dug into our deep histories with this project of covering radio from a participant and fan’s perspective and I specifically reflected back on how I got started writing about college radio culture back in 2008 on my Spinning Indie blog.

Radio Survivor launched in 2009 and our podcast began four years ago in 2015. My original intent with Spinning Indie was to shine a light on every pocket of college radio culture so that participants could get some perspective about what’s happening at stations across the United States. I also worked to remind the general public about the important role that college radio plays in media and hoped that people who weren’t listening to college radio would be prompted to tune in to a station in their community or even one that’s far afield.

Eleven years after doing my first college radio-themed blog post for Spinning Indie, it’s gratifying to still be carrying on my original mission, largely at Radio Survivor. Not only do I attempt to do college radio news wrap-ups weekly (as I’ve been doing since 2013!), but I also regularly do field trip reports from my tours of over 100 college radio stations and share various college radio stories on the podcast. It’s also super exciting that the radio version of the Radio Survivor show now airs on five college radio station affiliates in the United States, Canada and Ireland. Long live college radio!

Donate and Get our Inaugural ‘Zine

We’re trying something new at Radio Survivor and will be launching a ‘zine this summer for our Patreon supporters. If you can pitch in as little as $5/month, you’ll get a copy of our hand-crafted publication, full of quirky and fun radio stories and illustrations by the Radio Survivor team and extended family. As always, thanks to everyone for reading, listening and supporting our efforts.

More College Radio News

New Stations and Station Revivals

• Wilmington College’s First Student Radio Station Launches (Wilmington News Journal)
• Ravenshaw Radio to Resume Operations Soon (Odisha Daily)

Profiles of Stations and Staff

• Celebrating 50 Years of KTUH (Manoa Now)

Programming

• WSOU to Cover NYC Fireworks Show Live (WSOU)

Alumni

• American Routes Shortcuts: Jim Lauderdale (WWNO)
• BHSU Alum Receives Investigative Journalism Award (Black Hills Pioneer)
• Jason Bentley Tells Us Why He’s Stepping Down at KCRW (Los Angeles Magazine)

Awards and Accolades

• FEU Communication Major Named Veritas Best Male Anchor (BusinessMirror)

The post College Radio Watch: 200th Podcast, Our ‘Zine + College Radio News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

I’m back from some college radio travels in San Diego and can’t wait to share more tour reports in the coming weeks. It’s always such a treat to meet fellow college radio participants and fans and with each visit, I find myself wandering down research rabbit holes as I hunger to learn more about the history of each and every college radio station that I encounter.

These tours are a small part of what I love about Radio Survivor. It’s been a joy to think deeply about the intricacies of radio culture over the past decade; delving into high school radio, transmission art, the incredible growth of LPFM, and even funky stories about radio in pop culture.

My colleague Paul Riismandel reflected on our 10 year anniversary in an eloquent post this week, which also digs into the Radio Survivor origin story and takes a look back at our early work in 2009. As I look ahead to our 200th podcast, I’m also anticipating my 160th radio station field trip report (as soon as I get caught up!). I’m so proud of the website, podcast/show, and radio resources that we’ve built for our fellow radio fans. Thanks for reading and listening!

More College Radio News

Station Sale

• Meteorologist MCs Event to Help Save WUEV (Tristate Homepage)

New Stations

• Stella Radio Inaugurated at Maris Stella College (The Hans India)

Infrastructure

• Trine Radio and WEAX-FM to Move Online (Inside Indiana Business)
• Trine Expanding Online Broadcasting Presence (Herald Republican)
• An Update on Student Media and UA Global’s Upcoming Relocations (The Daily Wildcat, University of Arizona)

Profiles of Stations and Staff

• KJACK Radio: From 1680am to 107.1 FM (Arizona Daily Sun)
• Explore the Art of Madison: WSUM (The Daily Cardinal)
• National Titles and a President: A Big Spring for this Student Reporter at WUVA (UVA Today)
• Genre MD of the Month: WKNC’s Erika Bass (NACC Chart)
• June MD of the Month: Brian Bourgoin, WCNI New London (NACC Chart)
• WNYU Radio Show and Label Spawns Mix Series (Chicago Reader)

College Radio in Popular Culture

• Blinded by the Light is a Lively Crowd-Pleaser and a Loving Tribute to the Boss (The AU Review)

Programming

• Roundup of Boston University Podcasts (Boston University)

History and Preservation

• Fan’s Collection of 8,000 cassettes Preserves Unique Era in Princeton Station’s History (Current)
• Exhibit Celebrates 50 Years of KTUH Student Radio (University of Hawai’i System News)
• UW Archivists Working to Digitize Early Recordings of Public Radio in Wisconsin (Madison.com)
• U of A’s KUAF Names New GM (University of Arkansas)

Events

• KFJC’s Psychotronix Film Festival Celebrates the Weird World of Cinema (Mountain View Voice)
• Student Station WSOU Sets Clothing Donation Record (Radio Ink)
• 2nd Annual Beasley Media Group Talent Institute at Emerson College (Radio Facts)
• Bona Radio Station will go Retro to Kick off Reunion Weekend (TAPinto)
• MTSU’s Second Day at Bonnaroo Packed with Learning Opportunities for Media Students (Murfreesboro News and Radio)
• Coyote Radio’s Splash and Dash (Coyote Chronicle, CSUSB)

Alumni

• Audrey Bilger, WTJU Alum, to Lead Reed College (University of Virginia)
• ARTxFM WXOX offers a Place and Space for Unique Voices (Insider Louisville)
• 29-year-old Sherry Cola’s Whirlwind Life (Forbes)
• Time in Ghanaian Newsrooms Inspires Doctoral Student’s Research (Penn State University)
• Getting Personal: Brian Moline (News-Gazette.com)
• Jason Bentley is Stepping Down as KCRW Music Director and ‘Morning Becomes Eclectic’ Host (Digital Music News)
• Cassette Crews and Cosmic Cohorts: Seattle’s Emerging Labels and Collectives (Public Radio East)
• Broadcast Alumni Working Together at WFMJ (WCN)
• WSOU Alumnus Reports in Top-Tier Media Market (Seton Hall University)
• Behind the Mic: Ali Colleen (KMHD)
• Sing…How Music is an Expression of Everyday Spirituality (The Good Men Project)
• Liza French Graduates from Clark University (South Coast Today)

College Radio and Music Industry

• How Sounds Australia is Paving Global Paths for Australian Artists (Billboard)
• Industry Interview with Phillipe Roberts, Marauder (NACC)

Awards and Accolades

• National Awards for Youngstown State’s Rookery Radio (WFMJ)
• WOLF Internet Radio Wins Award for College Radio Day (Times-Georgian)
• FEU Student Named Veritas’ Best Male Anchor (Manila Times)
• Syracuse Student Wins Edward R. Murrow Award (LI Herald)

The post College Radio Watch: Ten Years of College Radio Coverage and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

Touring KSPU at Seattle Pacific University

I love visiting college radio stations and it’s been awhile since I’ve had a new report. Last week I published an article about my tour of Seattle Pacific University’s KSPU. The online station has a tiny, but active staff who oversee big projects like quarterly campus events, concerts, and a blog full of music and show reviews. It’s hard to believe this is my 157th radio station tour report.

Paperwork Filed for WUEV License Sale

Paperwork has been filed with the FCC for the sale of the FM license for University of Evansville’s college radio station WUEV to Way Media. According to the Asset Purchase Agreement, the sale price is $150,000. In its application, Way Media indicates that it holds licenses for 21 FM radio stations across the country, from Florida to Colorado.

Religious broadcaster WAY-FM “…is a family of listener-supported radio stations based in Colorado Springs, CO,” according to its website. Its programming airs on more than 50 frequencies around the United States.

It’s unclear what the future looks like for radio at University of Evansville, but the call letters “WUEV” are listed as an excluded asset in the Asset Purchase Agreement.

I’ve heard from students and alumni who are displeased with the WUEV license sale and will take a closer look at this story in the weeks to come.

More College Radio News

Infrastructure and Funding

• Ford Adjusts Volume of Campus Radio in Ontario (TheSpec)
• CJAM Radio Cuts Staff, Braces for Lost Funding (Windsor Star)
• CJAM Holds Emergency Fundraising Drive (Blackburn News)
• Student Federations Launch Court Challenge to Block Ontario Government’s Student Choice Initiative (The Globe and Mail)
• CIVL-FM Campus Radio Station in Abbotsford Expands to Chilliwack (Abbotsford News)
• HSU President Outlines Barriers to Potential KHSU Sale (Del Norte Triplicate)

Profiles of Stations and Staff

• Death comes to SJCC through Harris Ahmed (San Jose City College Times)
• Look, Mom, I’m on the Radio! (The Banner Newspaper, College of Staten Island)
• ‘Small Rebellions’ – The History of WCWM, William & Mary’s Radio Station (Williamsburg Yorktown Daily)
• Disaster Strikes – How WCWM Almost Lost Everything, and Where they go from Here (Williamsburg Yorktown Daily)
• DJ Roob’s Not so Serious Radio Calls it Quits? (San Diego Reader)
• Get to Know U92, WVU’s College Radio Station (The Daily Athenaeum, West Virginia University)

Events

• University of St. Francis Radio Station Collecting Items for Annual Rummage Sale (The Herald-News)
• WNUR Sponsors Experimental Music Festival, Transference Fest (Daily Northwestern)

Programming

• New BYU-Idaho Radio Show to Feature Music Students (Idaho State Journal)
• Faces of Faith: Gospel Radio Hour on Skidmore College’s WSPN Collects Global Fans (Albany Times Union)

Alumni

• College Radio Past of Frank Thorp, Producer and Off-air Reporter Covering Congress for NBC News (Politico)
• ‘Jeopardy’ Lover and College Radio Alum Lives a Dream (MetroWest Daily News)

Awards and Accolades

• NYSAPA Broadcast, Newspaper Awards Winners Announced, including WFUV and WRHU (Biloxi Sun Herald)

The post College Radio Watch: WUEV Sale Paperwork Filed, KSPU Tour and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

I’m saddened, but not surprised to hear that University of Evansville has announced plans to sell the 91.5 FM license for college radio station WUEV-FM in Evansville, Indiana to a religious broadcasting group. Once a station that I held up as an inspiring example of how to fight an impending license sale, WUEV is in a much different situation in 2019 than it was in 2006 when students, alumni and faculty rallied to keep FM radio on campus. In 2011, when I reported on WUEV’s efforts, things seemed to be going well at the station. However, in May 2018, rumors were circulating that WUEV could be up for sale again.

In fall, 2018, students and WUEV supporters continued to protest and petition the school in hopes of preventing a license sale. A “Fight for WUEV” rally was held on campus in October and University of Evansville officials released statements to the effect that they were in talks with potential buyers. It became clear to me that things were not looking good for the future of FM at WUEV when I read the statement that:

The idea to consider a sale of the radio station based on the future of communications is not a new one. In 2005, a sale was explored and after much consideration, we decided to retain the radio station. Now, 13 years later, we are once again examining the relevancy of the medium and exploring opportunities to enhance our curriculum through providing additional experience in 21st century communications methods.

Our live podcast recording at the College Broadcasters Inc. convention in October, 2018 came on the heels of this statement from WUEV, which led to a spirited conversation with college radio participants and advisers about the role of terrestrial college radio today. They also shared advice and tips on how to stay relevant on campus and hopefully prevent a license sale.

Flashing forward to 2019, Courier & Press notes that:

An email from UE’s Office of University Relations says the frequency is being sold to WAY-FM, a nonprofit nationwide network that plays contemporary Christian music. WAY is based in Colorado Springs. UE students interested in broadcasting will still have opportunities to hone their craft, according to the email. The message was sent to the campus community.

The article further states that, “UE’s announcement confirming the sale was not posted on the university’s official social media pages, and it was made two weeks after the campus emptied for the summer following graduation ceremonies.” As we’ve seen with other proposed license sales, they are often announced during winter and summer breaks, making it more difficult for students to organize or protest and also giving the public the sense that a pending sale is already a done deal.

Broker Greg Guy of Patrick Communications worked out the deal on behalf of University of Evansville, according to Radio Ink. Guy has been involved with some high profile college radio station sales over the years, including University of San Francisco’s KUSF and Rice University’s KTRU. During an FCC inquiry into the KUSF deal, communications with Guy were released that specifically addressed the PR aspects of station sales and his firm’s experience managing these types of announcements.

Paperwork for the deal has yet to appear in the FCC database, so details about the purchase price are not available. The license sale still requires FCC approval, so those opposed to the sale will have an opportunity to voice their opinions after license assignment documents are on file with the FCC.

Former student DJ at WUEV and University of Evansville alumnus Tom Fischer reached out to me, sharing his displeasure with the news of the impending sale. According to Fischer:

The vast majority of professors, students, alumni and community I speak with are in favor of keeping 91.5 FM WUEV for the students, as it always has been. Since the announcement of the preliminary plans to sell WUEV, I’ve met with University of Evansville administrative leaders and myself and all the supporters have remained positive, respectful and open to finding ways to make something great work for all parties. Unfortunately, I don’t think they understand the consequences of what they are doing by attempting to sell WUEV. Those were my dollars, student’s dollars from the University of Evansville tuition, and all of our hard work and passion that have built WUEV over the years. The idea of seeing what belongs to the students sold off by an administration that has only been in power there for a few years and who probably won’t be there 10 years from now is a crucial reason to join the students now in their fight to keep the station.”

Current student DJ Zach Barnett adds, “Myself and other students are disappointed that the University didn’t listen and refused to meet with us, turning a deaf ear and operating in what felt like secrecy. We will continue to raise objections when the comment period to the FCC starts.”

Those who plan to fight the sale are directing WUEV supporters to their Save WUEV advocacy page at TheCollegeRadio.com and are encouraging people to continue to sign an online petition against the sale

More College Radio News

Station Sale

• University of Evansville Announces Sale of WUEV Broadcast Frequency (WFIE Evansville)
• University of Evansville Sells WUEV to Christian Radio Station (TriState Homepage)
• It’s Official: UE Selling WUEV Radio to Christian Broadcast Network (Evansville Courier & Press)

Funding

• Defending Campus Radio in Ontario (Rabble)

Alumni

• BBC DJ Greg James Has Hospital Radio and College Radio Past (iNews)

Profiles of Stations and Staff

• College Radio Participant Gets Internship at Washington Post (Beloit Daily News)

Events

• College Radio Stations WNUR and WHPK Fill Weekend with Festivals (Chicago Reader)
• Amarillo College’s FM90 Hosts Blues Festival (My High Plains)

History

• Still Dialed In: KSOR and Jefferson Public Radio (Mail Tribune)

Popular Culture

• Alt-Frequencies Audio Game Incorporates College Radio DJs, Shock Jocks (Destructoid)

Impact on Musicians and Industry

• Collective Soul’s College Radio Break in the 1990s (Press of Atlantic City)

Awards and Accolades

• CommArts 2019 Graduates are “First Class” (Seton Hall University)

The post College Radio Watch: University of Evansville to Sell WUEV License and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

Each week seems to bring a new college radio “first” claim for me to obsess over. Latin American radio scholar Christine Ehrick (don’t miss her appearance on the Radio Survivor podcast, in which she schools us about the hidden history of a female-focused pioneering radio station in Uruguay) writes, “the station at the National University of La Plata in Argentina claims to be the ‘first university radio station in the world’ but dates back to 1923-24. So not first in the world, it seems, but wanted to put it on your radar!”

Doing a quick online search, I found a book by Sergio Antonucci, Maria Elena Beneitez, Sandra Patricia Gabay and Omar Turconi, with the translated title, Radio National University of La Plata: 85th Anniversary, 1924-2009. A Lifetime. According to a summary in English, “This particular radio was born as the second in the country and the first university radio in the world. A few years after the pioneers known as ‘the crazy rooftop’ began the first radio broadcasts opened in Argentina and the world Radio Universidad is created.”

It’s exciting to learn a bit about another pioneering college radio station, although Radio National University of La Plata does not appear to be the first in the world if it launched in 1924. Plenty of college radio stations debuted in the early 1920s, although many were short-lived. As I mentioned last week, Queen’s University in Canada’s station dates to 1922-1923 and as I discussed a few weeks back, University of Minnesota’s college radio station stretches back even further to 1922. Both continue to operate today.

More College Radio News

Profiles of Stations and Staff

• Making Air (Waves): KCOD Offers Students Real-World Experience (Palm Springs Life)
• Pittsburgh-area Attorney Having the Time of His Life Hosting Radio Show on Carnegie-Mellon’s WRCT (Tribune-Review)
• Rewinding ‘Beats in Space,’ the Influential WNYU Radio Show (The New York Times)

Programming

• Community Radio Kept Broadcasting Live as Fani Roared Outside (Odisha Bytes)
• OnCiTR Radio Vancouver Presents: Access Day 2019 (CFCR)
• ‘Erasmus Dagger’ Drama Podcast Revives On-Air Storytelling (C-Ville Weekly)

Infrastructure/Funding

• UB Students Rally to Save SBI (Spectrum News, University at Buffalo)
• Letter: Save the WQUN Radio Station (New Haven Register)
• KRFH Closed after Asbestos Discovered (Redheaded Blackbelt)

Events

• Soda Fest: Interesting Experience Curated by Temple’s WHIP Radio Station (The Triangle, Drexel University)
• The College Kids are Alright: First-ever KVRX Fest Offers a Buzzing Platform for Indie Artists (The Austin Chronicle)

Pre-Professional

• Dan Patrick Creating Next Gen of Sportscasters through College Program (Forbes)

Alumni

• Sub Pop’s Jonathan Poneman to Receive A2IM Lifetime Achievement Award (Variety)
• Interview: Greg James of Radio 1 (Cherwell)

Awards and Accolade

• NYC Student Wins BMI Award (Radio Ink)

The post College Radio Watch: First University Station in the World? and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

Some interesting college radio history is embedded in a story about Canadian campus-community radio station CFRC. The Queen’s University station stretches back to the 1920s, making it the oldest college radio station in Canada. According to the “90 Years of Queen’s Radio” online exhibit created by the Queen’s University Archives:

Public radio broadcasting from the campus of Queen’s University began in the autumn of 1922, 90 years ago, on experimental station 9BT and then, from 1923, on CFRC. That makes Queen’s Radio older than the BBC, much older than the CBC, and by far the oldest surviving campus station in Canada. In fact, Queen’s Radio has one of the longest continuing histories in radio, close behind the record of the Marconi Company and of KDKA in Pittsburgh. The original idea of some students and two professors in the Department of Electrical Engineering was to convey the action of Queen’s Tricolor football games to alumni all across Ontario, because in those days that was possible, even at low transmitting power. In the early days, Queen’s radiotelephone was picked up as far away as South Carolina, Chicago and Minnesota!

More College Radio News

New Stations, Back on the Air

• Manhattan College Radio Station Back on the Air Five Years after Shuttering (News 12 The Bronx)

Leaving FM

• WIUV Signs Off, Internet Radio Begins (Castleton Spartan)
• From WIUV to Castleton Internet Radio (Castleton University)

Funding, Infrastructure, Governance

• The Official Rampage Against Venezuelan Media, including College Radio, Intensifies (Caracas Chronicles)
• As Student Choice Initiative Threatens Campus Radio, CFRC Pledges Fight (The Queen’s University Journal)
• Capitol Broadcasting Boosts NCC Program (Rocky Mount Telegram)
• UB to Replace Sub-Board I with Faculty Student Association as Student Government Fiscal Agent (The Spectrum, University at Buffalo)
• Student Life, Faculty Student Association Board Doesn’t Care about Student Radio (The Spectrum, University at Buffalo)
• UB’s Decision to Dissolve Sub-Board and its Services is out of touch with Student Needs (The Spectrum, University at Buffalo)

History and Anniversaries

• CKUW Celebrates 20 Years of FM Broadcasting (Winnipeg Free Press)
• Ben Michael Reflects on History of WESU Middletown Radio, Campus Music Scene (The Wesleyan Argus)
• Jesse of Skavoovie & the Epitones’ WVKR College Radio Ska Show Playlist (ReadJunk)

Profiles of Stations and Staff

• Vail Jazz Goes to School Alumnus Credits Program for Educational Springboard; Now Jazz Department Head for Columbia’s College Radio Station (VailDaily.com)
• Inside the “Best Community College Radio Station”: WHPC-FM (Radio World)
• Celebrating 50 Years of Independent Radio at KDVS (The UC Davis Aggie)
• WKDT “Voice of the Long Gray Line” Now Online at West Point (Radio World)
• KSYM General Manager Retires after 37 Years (The Ranger, San Antonio College)
• Winning Gold Medals in Their Golden Years: Q&A with Lancaster Senior Games Competitor/Radio Host (Lancaster Online)

Programming

• Westphal Dean Plays the Songs of his Life on WKDU Airwaves (Drexel University)
• ‘Rock School’ and ‘Electric Edge’ Coined Most Popular KSLU Programs of Spring 2019 Semester (The Lion’s Roar)
• Unique Scholarship Connects Bloomfield Students with Alumni (Bloomfield College)

Events

• KVRX Set to be Largest Festival Hosted by a University Radio Station (The Daily Texan)
• Live Music this Week: KVRX Fest and More (Austin 360)
• A Huge Opportunity for the Eau Claire Music Community through Converge Radio and Tiny Desk Concerts (Blugold Media)

Music Industry

• Reggae Artist on Role of College Radio (South Florida Caribbean News)

Awards and Accolades

• Iowa Broadcast News Association Names Winners of 2018 Newscast/Sportscast Awards (AllAccess)

Alumni

• “T-time” after College: Statman Looks to Radio Career Once Softball Ends (The Daily Wildcat)
• Album Review: Versing (Live4ever Media)

The post College Radio Watch: Nearly 100 Years of College Radio in Canada and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

My radio station tours resumed this week with a report on my trip to Bellevue College’s community-public radio station KBCS-FM in Bellevue, Washington. Although the station was launched by students who staged a protest in order to get the administration on board; these days there isn’t much of a student presence. It’s another example of the wide range of non-commercial stations on college campuses.

Where is the Longest running student radio station?

I’m also obsessing this week over another college radio “first” claim. A piece about the 70th anniversary of Kansas State University’s college radio station KSDB-FM includes an assertion that it may be the “longest running” student college radio station in the United States. The KSDB website delves into the station’s history, stating that it began as a carrier current AM station in March, 1949 and received its FCC license in November of that year, launching over FM in spring 1950.

The Kansas State Collegian writes

[KSDB Chief Operator Ian] Punnett said the student radio station, which went on the air for the first time in 1949, appears to be the longest running in the country. ‘As far as anybody can determine, KSDB-FM is the longest continuously running radio station on any college campus in America,’ Punnett said. ‘My guess is the world, but I don’t know how ever we could confirm the world. Putting radio stations on college campuses really was cutting edge back 70 years ago. That’s what we can verify. ”

While 70 years is a HUGE accomplishment for a college radio station, I don’t think that KSDB is the longest continuously running college radio station. As I wrote in March, WGRE at DePauw University claims to have launched in April, 1949 as perhaps the first 10 watt class D non-commercial educational college radio station, beating out KSDB as far as being an FCC licensed FM college radio station.

However, even earlier than that, University of Minnesota’s WLB launched over AM way back in the 1920s. Now known as KUOM or Radio K, the student-run radio station is still in existence. When I toured Radio K in 2015, I even got a T-shirt honoring the station’s 100 Year legacy (in a nod to radio experiments from 1912).

According to the Radio K website, in 1922, University of Minnesota “…received the first radio broadcasting license in the state of Minnesota on January 13, 1922 for the call sign WLB. The station is the 10th oldest station still on the air, beating out WHA at the University of Wisconsin Madison by a few hours. That also makes Radio K the oldest licensed non-commercial broadcast station in the country.”

Rebecca Toov, Collections Archivist at University of Minnesota Archives shared with me a painstakingly researched thesis about the history of KUOM. Andrew Marlow’s 1996 M.S. thesis, “9XI/WLB/KUOM: Pioneering Radio Station” is a college radio history nerd’s dream. In it he argues that KUOM is the “oldest educational radio broadcasting station still in existence.” Toov also revealed that, “An updated history of WLB/KUOM expanding on Marlow’s thesis is on our to-do list.” As a curious college radio historian, I can’t wait!

Note: Plenty of colleges were experimenting with radio broadcasts in the 1920s and earlier and I must note that Union College makes the claim of having the first college radio broadcast over station 2ADD October 14, 1920 (dig into the research here). While Union College station WRUC operates over FM today, radio activities on campus were not always licensed and did not always have a broadcast component. So, Union College is out of contention for the longest continuously operating college radio station, although it may have been one of the first broadcasts.

More College Radio News

Profiles of Stations and Staff

• At WHRB, Henna Hundal Clues Listeners In on Current Events and Trends (Harvard Gazette)
• Radio Station Visit #155: Public-Community Radio Station KBCS-FM at Bellevue College (Radio Survivor)
• May Music Director of the Month: Carly DeSanto, KMSC-AM Dragon Radio (NACC Chart)
• May Genre Music Director of the Month: Michael A. Murphy, WMEB Bangor, Maine (NACC Chart)
• Foothill College’s Boundary-Pushing Radio Station Turns 60 (Palo Alto Online)
• “Flesh-peeling Noise”: Foothill College’s KFJC Radio Station Celebrates 60 Years of Outsider Audio (The Six Fifty)

Funding, Infrastructure

• Student Choice Initiative Prompts Windsor’s CJAM to Cut Music Director Position (CBC News)
• UA Student Media Has to Find New Home after 15 Years (KOLD)
• Wruck Wrecks Radio at Public Radio Station KHSU (The Lumberjack)

Events

• WGSU Unveils Genny Fest 19 Music Lineup (Livingstone County News)
• KSDB-FM Kicks off Year-long 70th Anniversary Celebration (The Collegian)

Programming

• After Dad’s Death, Daughters Start Radio Show to Play His Music (Kare11.com)
• Marquette Student, Sister, Honor Late Father with ‘Dad Rock Radio’ (WTMJ)

History

• David Fricke’s Picks: Kinloch Nelson (Rolling Stone)
• K-State’s Student-run Radio Station KSDB Celebrates 70 Years on the Air (KSNT News)
• Old School College Radio Stories on Metal Injection Livecast (Metal Injection)
• Revisit the Original Punk Explosion with X (Houston Press)

Alumni

• Hey Internet DJ – Profile of KPISS (The Brooklyn Rail)
• One of Us: ABC News Producer Tom Giusto (The Ponte Vedra Reporter)

Awards and Accolades

• Nominations Open for Marconi Awards (Radio Ink)
• Winners in Tennessee AP College Awards for 2018 (Associate Press)
• WMOT Newscasters and MTSU Student Radio Reporters Win 12 AP Journalism Awards (WMOT)
• Texas AP Broadcasters Awards Presented (Charlotte Observer)
• Winners Announced in Indiana Associated Press Broadcasters Association Contest (WPTA)
• Rebel Radio Wins National Student Radio Award (University of Essex)
• Intercollegiate National Religious Broadcasters Announces Student Production Award Winners (NRB)
• Wilmington College Radio Station Manager Wins Lucas Leadership Award (Wilmington News Journal)
• NY State Broadcasters Association Names Winners of Excellence in Broadcasting (AllAccess)

The post College Radio Watch: Longest Running College Radio Station Quest and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

There’s some sad news on the college radio front this week, with word that Bucknell University’s student radio station WVBU will be losing its FM signal. VIA Public Media plans to purchase the license for $17,600.

The Daily Item writes, that WVBU “will move to a streaming-only platform and VIA Public Media will take over the terrestrial station as part of an agreement between the entities announced Thursday. Bucknell’s WVBU 90.5 FM will take on a new name when it transitions to streaming-only, operating online…”

According to Current, “Following FCC approval, VIA Public Media will simulcast its format of news, classical, jazz and weekend variety shows on the 255-kilowatt signal. It will also insert local programming that could include news reports from Bucknell students, according to Neil Prisco, VIA Public Media’s creative director of marketing and branding.”

The move to being an online-only station is something that the university argues is related to student interest. A VIA press release includes a statement from Brent Papson, director campus activities and student media: “We began exploring this collaboration after our students who are involved with Bucknell’s radio station voiced a strong preference for transitioning from a traditional, over-the-air broadcasting experience toward a contemporary and digitally-focused streaming platform.”

Bucknell and WVIA signed a Collaboration Agreement and a Studio and Site License Agreement that were not included in the official application to the FCC. The license assignment application states, “The information excluded contains proprietary information and is not germane to the commission’s consideration of this instant application.” The future plans include WVIA maintaining a studio on the Bucknell University campus, so it will be interesting to see what this Collaboration Agreement entails.

KHSU Shut-Down: How do Students Fit in?

At Humboldt State University, the sudden shutdown of public radio station KHSU has been painful for long-time staff, volunteers, listeners, and students. While not a student-run, college radio station, KHSU did employ student interns, who were also caught up in the wave of firings. According to the Lumberjack, students in the “KHSU Experience” class, “…had their learning experience cut short by the decision to gut the radio station. HSU President Lisa Rossbacher said that part of the decision for the drastic cuts to the radio station was to promote more student involvement at the station. However, the interns at the station were given ‘zero notice’ about the station firings.”

It’s an interesting twist that a massive overhaul of a community-run public radio station on a college campus could potentially benefit students. Humboldt State does have a student-run college radio station: KRFH-LP at 105.1 FM aka Radio Free Humboldt. On its website, KRFH outlines its history, stating, “We started back in 1990 when Dr. Gary Melton and Professor Emeritus Mark Larson convinced the College Dean to fund the beginning of a student run radio station at Humboldt State.  This development came following the loss of student involvement at longtime campus broadcaster KHSU as the station ‘reached a new plateau in its evolution’.”

In a lengthy piece about the tumultuous times at KHSU, Ernesto Aguilar also speaks directly to the very different radio outlets at Humboldt State University. In Radio World, he writes:

Then there is the university’s student-run low-power FM, KRFH. It’s astonishing how few batted an eye about the fact KHSU received so many resources and KRFH received virtually no funding. You do not have to try hard to hear whispers about the aging of public media’s donor base and listenership. And, if KHSU protests are any indication, the station might have had difficulties attracting the next generation. Yet here, on the same campus, was literally the future of community media toiling in obscurity. HSU hints it will try to engage students more. Administrators would do well to provide more support for the campus’ student-powered LPFM and to expand student professional development opportunities at KHSU. Empowering our next wave of community radio leaders to learn is a topic everyone should be able to agree on.

Deep Dive into KFJC

On a personal note, I was on the other side of a radio station tour and story today, as Foothill College radio station KFJC is the subject of an extensive profile in the Mountain View Voice. As volunteer Publicity Director at KFJC, I try to spread the word about all the amazing stuff that the station does, so it’s gratifying to read, see, and hear (there are even audio components in the online version of the article) an in-depth article that digs into both the history and current activities of the station that I love. For those following my Leo Blais obsession, you’ll be happy to see that one of his signs made it into the photo essay!

More College Radio News

Profiles of Stations and Staff

• Embrace the Noise: KFJC, Foothill College’s Boundary-Pushing Radio Station, Turns 60 (Mountain View Voice)
• WRTC DJ Starts Online Broadway Music Station (West Hartford News)
• Radio Host Wants You to Come ‘Talk Music’ at His Flowery Branch Record Store (Gainesville Times)
• Rasta Stevie, Longtime KDUR DJ, Talks Reggae, Upbringing, Cancer Treatment (The Journal)
• Is a Big-Ticket Plan to Help California’s Community College Students Worth the Cost? (The California Report/KQED News)
• Audrey Peterson on Doing Radio in High School and College (WGN Radio)
• WSIE Radio Listenership, Funding up Under Jason Church (The Alestle)

Infrastructure, Funding, Station Closure

• Student Interns Fired from Humboldt’s Public Radio Station KHSU (The Lumberjack)
• Dead Air: KHSU’s Issues Have Drawn Attention (Radio World)
• WVIA to Take Over Bucknell’s FM Station, Student Radio to Move Online (Daily Item)
• Bucknell, VIA Public Media Enter into Partnership (Daily Item)
• VIA Public Media Adds Bucknell U’s FM Station (Current)
• U92 Has Sights Set on New Digs; Raising Funds to Move to DA Building (Dominion Post)
• WLBN Radio is No More, But Communications Classes May Use its Equipment (The Albion College Pleiad Online)

History

• A DJ Looks Back on 50 Years of Jazz Radio in D.C. (Current)

Alumni

• ‘WBCN and the American Revolution’ Cements the Radio Station’s Place in Music History (WBUR The ARTery)
• Jim Dunbar, Pioneer in SF Newstalk Radio, Dies at 89 (San Francisco Chronicle)
• Alaska Native Matt Hopper to Rock Houma on Latest Tour (Houman Today)
• UC Honors Chicano Activist and Former KDVS Host with Posthumous Degree (89.3 KPCC)

Events

• Green River College’s Pioneering Radio Station Celebrates 30 Years of ‘Today’s Rock’ (Auburn Reporter)
• Endicott College Radio Grand Opening (Wicked Local Beverly)
• The Golden Slipmat – Vinylthon 2019 (UMU The Dynamo)
• Elmhurst College Radio Station WRSE’s Battle of the Bands (Chicago Daily Herald)
• 33rd Annual Culture Shock Festival Draws a Crowd at Alumni Hall (Indiana Daily Student)

Programming

• The Granny and the Romanian: Unlikely Duo of a Bowdoin College Student and a Brunswick Octogenarian Hit the Airwaves (The Times Record)
• After Hours: A Student Dedicated to Sharing the Stories of his Fellow Veterans (The State Press)

Awards and Accolades

• Ithaca College Radio Station Honored by New York State Broadcasters Association (The Ithacan)
• AFTRS Winner Presented with SCA Internship Award (Radio Info)
• Four UMKC Students Awarded at MBEA College Media Competition (University News)

The post College Radio Watch: WVBU License to be Sold, KHSU Upheaval and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

We had a fun chat about college radio’s Vinylthon at the start of this week’s Radio Survivor show. On Saturday, April 13, 2019, more than 140 radio stations played vinyl in celebration of the College Radio Foundation tradition.

At Foothill College’s radio station KFJC-FM, where I’m Publicity Director, we ended up playing vinyl for 7 days straight, for a grand total of 168 hours. It was tons of fun and was a good reminder to me about how creative projects can be both great for listeners, but can also help inspire DJs and create a sense of camaraderie as they work together on a shared goal.

High school radio station VCS Radio (see my tour post) did a wild project last week as well. On the podcast we share the scoop on how they attempted to communicate with space denizens as part of their High School Radio Week celebration.

And, it’s amazing to read that one college radio station has been doing a very elaborate trivia contest for 50 years. University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s college radio station WWSP put on the “World’s Largest Trivia Contest” last week; with this year’s edition dubbed “Trivia 5-0” in honor of the event’s 50th anniversary. According to the WWSP website, “Since 1970 the contest has been held each year in spring. The contest runs for 54 consecutive hours and keeps teams running, searching, and paging for answers.” Players must listen to WWSP to hear trivia questions recited over the air every hour.

Know of other intriguing college or student radio projects? Let us know!

Profiles of Stations and Staff

• Artist of the Week: Zeke Timen of WMUH (Muhlenberg Weekly)

Events

• Foothill College Radio Station Plays More than 100 Straight Hours of Vinyl (Los Altos Town Crier)
• Owens Students Spin Vinyl: Record Store Day Brings DJs out to Play (Sentinel-Tribune)
• Morningside College’s Radio Station Played Nothing but Vinyl Records for 24 Hours (Siouxland News)
• World’s Largest Trivia Contest on WWSP (WSAW)
• UW-Stevens Point Radio Station Trivia Contest Celebrates 50 Years (WJFW)
• WIUX Culture Shock Festival this Weekend (Indiana Daily Student)
• Radio Professionals Head to Student Radio Event in Swansea (RadioToday)
• It’s Rainy Dawg Radio’s Birthday, and They’ll Battle if they Want To (Daily UW)
• At WKCO Fest, Students Musicians Rock out Under the Sun (The Kenyon Collegian)
• Freedom Fest Preview (The New Hampshire)

History

• WMOT Roots Radio Celebrates 50th Anniversary (Rutherford Source)

Infrastructure, Leadership, Campus Relations

• Bailrigg FM to Lose Broadcast License in Lancaster (RadioToday)
• U Arizona Student Media Facing Uncertainty after being told to Vacate Offices (Student Press Law Center)
• Radio Silence at Public Radio Station KHSU (The Lumberjack)
• HSU Journalism Department issues Statement on KHSU Dismantling (Mad River Union)
• KHSU Dismantling Rebuked, KEET Board to Discuss Possible Radio Venture (North Coast Journal)
• Six Students Chosen to Lead Student Media (University of Arkansas)

Awards and Accolades

• Cork Student Triumphs in National Media Awards (Echo Live)
• Alumnus Who Restarted Slippery Rock’s Radio Station Inducted into Media Hall of Fame (SRU the Rocket)
• WKU Staff, Students Honored in AP Broadcasters Competition (Western Kentucky University)
• Butler Students Receive Awards at Kansas Association of Broadcasters (Butler County Times Gazette)
• Southwestern Illinois College Students Win at College Broadcasting Conference (AdVantage News)
• MSPR Wins 13 AP Awards (Morehead State University)
• KCSU Among Winners at Colorado Broadcasters Association Awards (AllAccess)
• Florida AP Broadcasters College Awards Announced (US News)
• Rebel Radio Wins Regional Award (Daily Mississippian)
• Iowa Broadcast News Association Honors KWAR Advisor (KOEL)
• CommArts Student from WSOU Accepted into NAB Technology Apprenticeship (Seton Hall University)

Alumni

• Alumnus Ed Lucas: First Blind Student at Seton Hall Shares His Story (The Setonian)
• The Winding Road of Sportscasting (The Herald Argus)

The post College Radio Watch: 168 hours of Vinyl, 50 Year Old Trivia Contest and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

At Foothill College radio station KFJC-FM where I am a volunteer DJ and Publicity Director, we are in the midst of 100+ hours of all-vinyl programming as part of College Radio Foundation’s 4th annual Vinylthon. As Paul outlines in his post this week, the official Vinylthon celebration of vinyl records is scheduled for Saturday, April 13 to coincide with Record Store Day.

While KFJC is awash in vinyl records (nearly 45,000 cover every corner of the space), not every college radio station has a physical music library. On my radio station tours, I’ve seen the full range. Some stations cherish vinyl and have large collections, whereas others solely play digital music. It’s not unusual for college radio stations to only add new releases in digital form, with a smaller number adding new vinyl records to their libraries.

As Record Store Day is a testament to, vinyl records are still being pressed and purchased by music fans. There’s even an adorable record player available as a Record Store Day special that only plays 3-inch records!

More College Radio News

Profiles of Stations and Staff

• KBCS: 46 Years of Promoting Unrepresented Voices (Bellevue Reporter)
• More than a Radio Station, Trent Radio is Breaking Down Barriers and Building Connections in the Community (KawarthaNOW)
• Student Hosts at WLVR Radio Station Find Their Voices On Air (The Brown and White)
• WVU’s Student Radio Station is Looking to Expand its Creative Side (The DA Online)
• The Life of a Radio Nerd: Jacob Borislow (Muhlenberg Weekly)

Anniversaries and History

• DePauw University Celebrates WGRE’s 70th Birthday (WISH TV)
• TV station spotlights WGRE, USA’s First NonComm FM Station, as it celebrates 70th Anniversary (DePauw University)
• MTSU’s WMOT Roots Radio Celebrated 50th Anniversary with Live Special (Murfreesboro Voice)

Events

• 140 Stations Celebrate Vinylthon this Saturday (Radio Survivor)
• Vinylthon is Saturday, as 140 Radio Stations will go Vinyl-only for Charity (PR Newswire)
• Morningside College Prepares for ‘Vinyl-thon’ (KCAU 9)
• KFJC/Los Altos Hills to Launch Vinylthon for 60th Anniversary (AllAccess)
• Texas Tech Student Radio to Host 24-Hour Vinylthon (Daily Toreador)
• Vinylthon Comes Back to SXU (Saint Xavier University Student Media)
• WJJW to Hold 3rd Annual Downtown Sound (the Beacon/MCLA)
• Campus Community Radio to Broadcast Continuously for 107.8 Hours, Set Record (Times of India)

Programming

• Hillsdale College Launches Syndicated Talk Show (AllAccess)
• New College Show Has Academic Slant (Radio Ink)
• Plugged in: Music Picks from the Sounds of Colorado College (KRCC)

Campus Infrastructure, Funding, etc.

• Arizona Student Media Highights Lack of Student Input as Main Issue in Move (The Daily Wildcat)
• ‘It Feels Insulting’: Lancaster University SU Radio Boss Speaks after Bailrigg Loses FM Licence (LancsLive)
• Humboldt State Announces the Evisceration of KHSU (Lost Coast Outpost)

Alumni

• DJ Lamont – and his 14,500 records- come to SF’s Mission (Mission Local)
• Chief of Staff Alexis Wiley Debates Detroit with ML Elrick (WJBK)

Music Industry

• How You Should be Marketing your Next Album, Single Release (Hypebot)

Awards and Accolades

• Winners in 2018 Louisiana-Mississippi AP College Awards (New Haven Register)
• Indiana State Student Radio Station Wins Six Broadcaster Awards at State Level (Indiana State University)
• King’s College Radio Station Receives Awards at Competition in New York City (Times Leader)

The post College Radio Watch: Vinylthon and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

This week, so many fascinating college radio stories caught my eye. We learn about college radio’s profound influence on music culture in the 1980s and 1990s in a piece about the marketing of Nirvana as well as in Trent Reznor’s recent speech at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Reznor explains that college radio opened a musical world for him and introduced him to the Cure and other artists.

College radio’s roots come to light in articles outlining the deep history of radio at University of Kentucky, where an early program was produced to air on a nearby station in 1929. The university launched an AM station in 1940. Out in California, we learn that KCRW began in 1945 as an FM radio training ground for war vets.

The back stories behind two college radio ownership changes were also illuminating to me. A string of controversies led to the $1 sale of Georgetown University’s WGTB license and equipment in 1978. In one of the oddest tales yet, University of Bridgeport was taken over by the Moonies, leading to its college radio station WPKN going independent.

Prisoners and Late Night Listeners

We’ve written about incarcerated listeners and college radio before, so I loved a recent in-depth article about prisoners who have been long-time fans of college radio station KCPR. The extensive piece interviews inmates, DJs and station alumni about the profound influence that the station’s programming has had on nearby prisoners.

I also enjoyed the story about early morning and late night DJs at KVRX. Round-the-clock live radio hosts is something that many college radio stations are known for and it’s a special experience for both DJs and listeners

Another First College Radio Station

I’ve been obsessing a bit about various claims related the first non-commercial educational radio station, so I was intrigued to run across another station making that argument. Some early radio was happening at University of Kentucky as pointed out in university publication UK Now:

The beginnings of University of Kentucky’s public radio station WUKY happened April 1, 1929, when the first UK-produced program was broadcast on WHAS Radio in Louisville. It took 11 more years before WBKY (the former call letters of WUKY) actually went on the air as the nation’s first university-owned non-commercial educational radio station. That was Oct. 17, 1940.

WBKY adds itself to the list of early non-commercial educational radio stations, debuting over AM in 1940. A 2015 story in Radio World clarifies some confusion that has arisen:

The FCC had just designated a new band (42-50 MHz) for experimental FM and wide-band Apex AM broadcasting. Further, the commission had set aside a portion of the band for what they called ‘Non-Commercial Educational’ broadcasting. School boards in Cleveland and New York quickly licensed stations. WBKY was next in line, and thus UK became the first university to obtain an NCE license.

A bit of myth-busting is necessary here; WBKY is not, as sometimes reported, the first university-owned FM station. Copies of the 1940 construction permit and the 1941 FCC license verify that the transmitter’s type of emission was ‘A-3’ (i.e. Amplitude Modulation).

More College Radio News

History and College Radio’s Influence

• 1978: Georgetown’s WGTB Equipment Sold for $1 to UDC (The Georgetown Voice)
• KCRW Moves into New Headquarters (Variety)
• First University of Kentucky-produced Radio Program Aired 90 Years Ago (UK Now)
• UK Ag and Radio, A Pairing 90 Years and Counting (WUKY)
• Trent Reznor’s Love Letter to the Cure in his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Speech (Cleveland.com)
• When ‘Nevermind’ Changed Everything (Rolling Stone)
• Four Decades of Radio Radio: an Interview with WPKN’s Scott Harris (CounterPunch)

Infrastructure: Moves, Rebranding, Probation, Finances

• WTJU Trades Student Convenience for More Ambitious, Connected Future (The Cavalier Daily, University of Virginia)
• The Problem with Probation (The Harvard Crimson)
• April Fools: For 70th Anniversary, KSDB Radio Changes Call Letters to KUSX (The Collegian)
• Radio Station Struggles to Improve: Members Say Upgrades Worth Money (The Defender)

Profiles of Stations and Staff

• WRMC Meet Your DJ: Mikaela Chang (The Middlebury Campus)
• WBGU Programming Director Found Life Direction on Facebook (Bowling Green Falcon Media)
• April Genre DJ of the Month: Toni Pennacchia, WZBC (NACC)
• Senior Spotlight: Mallory Moreno, Communication (UIndy 360)
• College Radio DJ Launching Non-Commercial Network (Illinois Entertainer)
• Outgoing WNHU Student Leader Reflects on Role with Award-Winning Radio Station (University of New Haven)
• Inmates Find their Voice Through College Radio (Mustang News)
• Late at Night or Early in the Morning, Student DJs are Running KVRX (The Daily Texan)

Programming

• Album of the Week on WXPL 91.3 (The Point)
• GV Student Interviews Well Known Radio Personality for WGVU Podcast (Grand Valley Lanthorn)

Events

• WTJU to Celebrate New Home with a Guinness World Record Attempt (UVA Today)
• Spinning Records: 82 DJs Celebrate New WTJU Studio (Daily Progress)
• Uprooting Radio: At WTJU’s New Home, DJs Spin Records to Break a Record (C-VILLE Weekly)
• 88.9 WRDL to Celebrate Vinylthon April 13 (Ashland Source)
• SIUE Mass Communications Week Amplifies Voices of Media Professionals (RiverBender)
• SUNY college radio station to Broadcast at NAB (Talkers)

Alumni

• RA Reviews: Laurel Halo – DJ Kicks (Resident Advisor)
• Martha Quinn’s MTV Memories on Totally ’80s Week (iHeartRadio)
• Lola Plaku Talks her Career in the Music Industry and More (Coveteur)
• How I got to CSULB after a Decade in Community College (DIG MAG)

Awards and Accolades

• KJACK – Top College Radio (NAZ Today)
• WSOU’s Jose Feliciano Honored as One of Radio’s Rising Stars (Seton Hall University)
• WLAS Radio’s IBS Triumph (Lasell College 1851 Chronicle)
• Best Radio Station for Local Music: KUNM (Weekly Alibi)

The post College Radio Watch: Moonies, Nirvana, and Trent Reznor’s College Radio Ties appeared first on Radio Survivor.

I was sad to read about college radio station WCWM’s troubles after a burst pipe in its building led to major damage last summer. When I visited the College of William and Mary radio station in 2017, I was amazed by the historical materials in its basement home, including an impressive collection of very old 45rpm records.

The good news is that things are turning around, as WCWM finally got some monetary help in order to clean up the water damage, which included work to save its vinyl records.

Flat Hat News reports:

The possibility of this loss was made even more tangible by the initial refusal of the College to fund the cleaning of the collection. Due to the water damage and neglect from the College, WCWM was unable to broadcast their shows, had already lost a major part of the station, and was coming dangerously close to losing much of the library it had curated over several decades.

Fortunately, Media Council funding allowed WCWM to begin the process of having the records cleaned. The ceiling tiles were replaced. New furniture was brought in to replace that which had been damaged. All soundproofing material in the live performance room was removed. The station became operational once again through months of effort from the members of WCWM and the College staff.

Radio Survivor Tweets on Radio Culture

For you social media mavens, Radio Survivor is pretty active on Twitter, sharing lots of stories about radio culture. In fact, we tweet out many more stories there than we have time to report on for our website or podcast. Here’s a sampling of recent tweets:

Canadian College Radio on the Podcast + High School Tour

In other Radio Survivor news, we covered Canadian campus-community radio on this week’s podcast, discussing a proposed change to funding that could have dire consequences on college radio in one province there.

Also, my radio station tour reports continue, with a new piece about my visit to high school radio station KMIH at Mercer Island High School near Seattle, Washington.

More College Radio News

Station and Staff Profiles

• KCSN Program Director Sky Daniels Retiring (Los Angeles Daily News)

Events

• Lake Land College to Host Radio/TV Open House (Journal Gazette and Times Courier)
• Misericordia Ain’t Got Talent? (The Highlander)

Funding and Infrastructure

• Funding Change Threatens Canadian Campus Radio (Radio Survivor Podcast)
• Campus Radio Stations Worried about Losing Funding (CBC News)
• Lack of License Halts Great Zimbabwe University Radio (The Chronicle)
• Damage Control: WCWM up and Running after Burst Pipe Wrecked Station (Flat Hat News)
• After Months of Uncertainty, KMHD will remain at OPB (Portland Mercury)

Programming

• Marquette Radio Show Provides Power of Healing for Sisters Who Lost Father (WISN)
• Minnesota’s Radio Stations Find Unique Niche for Covering Arts and Culture (Current)

History

• From the Archive: REM Release Green, 1989 (The Guardian)
• Looking Back: In 1969, Tower Donated to WRPI (Albany Times Union)

Alumni

• Lou Reed’s College Radio Past: Excursion on a Wobby Rail (Red Dirt Report)
• Illinois State University and WZND Alum Hosts Nationally Syndicated Country Music Radio Show (Illinois State University)
• On Second Thought: From College Radio to Sound Design (Georgia Public Broadcasting)
• ‘I would just do a Podcast, if I was starting out now’: Greg James on the Brits and Life in Radio (The Oxford Student)

Awards and Accolades

• Gannon Station WERG Receives 10 National Awards for College Radio (GoErie)
• Lincoln College Students win Play-by-Play Award (Lincoln Courier)
• Hillsdale College’s WRFH is Racking up Honors (Talkers)
• UCCS Radio Finalists at IBS Awards (The Scribe)

The post College Radio Watch: WCWM Comes Back from Water Damage and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

College radio has garnered much news in the past few weeks thanks to a plethora of student media awards being presented by various organizations. It’s another reminder that awards can be a great reason to spread the word about college radio’s excellent work and pick up some media attention in the process.

Two New College Radio Stations

Additionally, it’s wonderful to see that new college radio stations continue to launch with regularity, as we see with word about college radio debuts at Texas Southern University and Wilmington College.

Funding Challenges for Campus Radio in Canada?

There’s much attention on some proposed funding changes to student media in Ontario, Canada. We’ll dig into this in great detail on next week’s Radio Survivor show/podcast, but in the meantime, read on for a bunch of articles on this topic.

Who has the Oldest Licensed Educational Radio Station?

Finally, my historian brain kicked into gear when I saw this tweet from DePaw University college radio station WGRE in Greencastle, Indiana:

#funfactfriday WGRE first went on-air April 28, 1949 as the first FCC licensed educational radio station! Our shows included only dramas, live music performances, DPU sporting events, and special events like the groundbreaking Roy O. West library! #longlivecollegeradio

I know that other educationally-affiliated radio stations were licensed before 1949, including the first wave of AM college radio stations in the 1920s, so I was curious about this pronouncement. Digging further, the WGRE website states, ” On April 28, 1949, WGRE went live as the first 10-watt educational radio station licensed by the Federal Communication Commission.”

So, it seems that this “first” claim is actually related to WGRE possibly being the first station granted a 10-watt class D FM non-commercial educational license. Those licenses are no longer granted and their numbers today have dwindled considerably. Digging up the history of class D is tricky.

If we look at non-commercial FM radio licenses overall, KALW launched as an educational station even earlier, in 1941. Its website states, “KALW is a pioneer educational station licensed to the San Francisco Unified School District, broadcasting since September 1, 1941 – when it went on the air as the first FM signal west of the Mississippi.”

High school radio station WHHS-FM at Haverford High School in Pennsylvania (see my tour) also purports to the be the oldest educational FM radio station. Its website states, “Welcome to America’s oldest non-commercial broadcast station licensed in 1948 [BPED-00099] run entirely by the students of the School District of Haverford Township, Havertown PA.” While licensed in 1948, it launched as a 10 watt FM station in December, 1949, which is after WGRE is said to have launched.

So the mystery remains. KALW may be the first educational FM radio station and WGRE may be the first 10 watt FM educational radio station. I’ll need to scour the history of class D radio to find out for sure, but this is another example of the variety of first claims. It’s important to look at the specifics, as there are many categories of radio, meaning that there are numerous ways that a station might be first.

More College Radio News

New stations

• Texas Southern University Launches Student-run Streaming Radio Station (Houston Chronicle)
• ‘The Quake’ – Wilmington College’s First Radio Station – Debuts (Wilmington News Journal)

Controversies

• College Threatens Student Radio with Probation Following Lil Pump Event (The Harvard Crimson)

Closures

• Quinnipiac to Regret Closing WQUN (New Haven Register)
• Guess What, Quinnipiac Students Do Still Like Radio (New Haven Register)

Infrastructure

• Professor Leaves Lasting Legacy to Morningside College Radio Station (Sioux City Journal)

Funding

• Support and Financial Commitment Keeps KRUI Radio Open for Years to Come (KWWL)
• Op-Ed: KWURN’T Week: A Reflection on our Rejected Appeal (Student Life, Washington University)
• LCSC Student Group Eyes Fee Changes (The Lewiston Tribune)
• CJAM Radio Joins other Campus Stations in Petition to Protest Potential Funding Cuts (Windsor Star)
• End of Student Fees Could be Demise of Campus Radio Station (CTV News Windsor)
• Laurentian University’s Radio Station Worried about Future Funding (CBC News)
• Ontario Campus Radio Stations ask Government to Make Their Fees Mandatory (CBC News)
• Bry Webb Fights Student Choice Initiative, Supports Campus Radio in Open Letter (Exclaim)
• Op-Ed: KWURN’T Week: A Reflection on our Rejected Appeal (Student Life, Washington University)

Profiles of Stations and Staff

• Radio Station Tours on the Podcast (Radio Survivor)
• The ‘Spiritual Leader’ of WHRB (The Harvard Gazette)
• Club Spotlight: Required Radio Opening the Door to Podcasting at Hofstra (The Hofstra Chronicle)
• An On-Air Legacy: Loyola Remembers WLUW Founder ‘Doc’ (Loyola Phoenix)
• March MD of the Month: Jackie Lira of KRUX (NACC)
• BG Resident’s Gap Year Turns into DJ Gig, Music-Writing Career (Bowling Green Falcon Media)
• Younger Dwyer Paving Own Path Along the Radio Airwaves (The Rock Island Dispatch-Argus)
• WRCM is Back on the Manhattan College Airwaves (The Riverdale Press)
• Radio Free George to Air Next Semester (The Elm, Washington College)

College Radio Culture

• Interview with David DeKeyser, Radio Marketing Consultant (NACC)
• Maybe Video Didn’t Kill the Radio Star (Indiana Daily Student)
• Interview with IBS President Chris Thomas (NACC)

Popular Culture

• ‘Veronica Mars’ Revival: Ryan Devlin Cast in Hulu Continuation (TV Line)

Programming

• College Circuit, Where Students are the Plug (The West Georgian)
• Nerve Radio and Hot Radio Team up For Simulcast (Bournemouth Echo)
• The Lives of Artists on Yale’s WYBCX (Yale Daily News)
• Over 100 Stations to Go Vinyl-Only on April 13 (PR Newswire)
• Vote Looms on Bringing Jazz Radio Back to MHCC (the Outlook)
• Radio Show Hosted by Rider Professor Seeks to Remedy Rampant Health Misinformation (Rider University)

Events

• What a Packed Showcase Says about Radio UTD’s Influence (Central Track)
• Radio UTD’s Pseudo Stereo Showcase (Dallas Observer)
• Westminster’s Smoke Radio Host ‘Women in Media’ Panel on International Women’s Day (University of Westminster)
• Lineup for WIUX’s Culture Shock (Indiana Daily Student)
• WGSU’s Genny Fest Finalist in College Broadcasting Contest (Livingston County News)
• Lil Pump Gives His Own ‘Commencement Speech’ at Harvard’s WHRB (The ARTery)
• KVRX Launches the Largest College Radio Festival (Austin Chronicle)

History

• New Exhibit Shares how Toronto’s Hip-hop Scene Evolved through the Decades (CBC News)
• WJPZ Celebrating 34 Years (Radio Ink)

Alumni

• WICB Participant Awarded New York Times Fellowship (Ithaca College)
• Bob Nastanovich Talks Pavement, Shares College Radio Past at WDCE and WTJU (Milwaukee Record)

Awards and Accolades

• 90.5 WERG Wins Three National Awards at Conference (the Gannon Knight, Gannon University)
• Intercollegiate Broadcasting System Announces Award Winners (IBS)
• Media Students Win IBS Awards (Arkansas State University)
• CalPoly’s Student Media Group Wins 46 Awards at National Conference (CalPoly)
• Radio Free Hillsdale Wins Station of the Year (Hillsdale Collegian)
• Indiana State U Radio Station Names Best in Nation (News and Tribune)
• WZIS Crowned Best Station in the Nation (Indiana Statesman)
• WZIS Wins Some Awards (WTHI-TV)
• Southern Louisiana University Praised at Journalism Conference (The Advocate)
• Accolades for UW-Oshkosh at State Broadcasting Convention (UW Oshkosh Today- University of Wisconsin Oshkosh)
• Former Sidney Student Tops in College Broadcast (The Sidney Sun-Telegraph)
• Five Goshen College Students win National Broadcasting Awards (Goshen News)
• Rowan Students, Grads Win Big at BEA (Rowan Today)
• Marshall’s WMUL-FM Brings Home International AVA Digital Awards (Herald-Dispatch)

The post College Radio Watch: First Station?, Awards and Harvard Hubbub appeared first on Radio Survivor.

This week began on such a high note, with Troy Price’s kind words about my college radio reports on the Radio Survivor Show/Podcast. In his Podcast Business Journal piece, If You are Passionate You Will Succeed, he writes:

Listen to Jennifer Waits talk about college radio over on the Radio Survivor Podcast. She thinks, breaths, and dreams college radio. When she tours a station you can hear her commitment to the medium as she searches for what makes each DJ unique and what is universal across all of college radio. No one talks about college radio like she does.

It’s so gratifying to hear that my passion for radio is apparent on the podcast and it’s a joy for me to bring some of the more under-the-radar stories about all types of radio culture to light. This week’s episode is no exception and I had a blast talking with former college radio DJ Julia Thomas about her world travels to see community media in action in Ecuador, Zimbabwe, Nepal, India, and South Africa.

Speaking of radio station tours, we’ve crafted some post cards from my travels, which are available to our Patreon supporters. At Radio Survivor we’d like to do more traveling and create more in-depth content. Your ongoing support helps us to broaden our work.

More College Radio News

New stations

• Texas Southern University Launches Student-run, E-radio Station (HBCU Buzz)
• First Campus Station in Zimbabwe (Radio Voice of the People Zimbabwe)
• There’s a New Radio Station on the Air in Providence (WJAR)

Station Sales

• Sold: University of Jamestown’s KJKR (All Access)

Infrastructure

• Student Radio to the Rescue: WSUM Houses Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism While Cleanup from Water Damage Continues (Wisconsin Watch)
• Clemson Student Media Orgs Transition to University’s Communication Department (Clemson University)

Alumni

• 1988 Grad Works to ‘Keep the Faith’ While Chasing his Broadcast Dreams (Westminster College Network)

Profiles of Stations and DJs

• Panjab University Community Radio Celebrates 8th Anniversary (Punjab News Express)
• bFM is Turning 50 and Other Radio Stations are Still Shit (The Spinoff)
• WVKR DJ Marks 25 Years on the Air (Highlands Current)

History

• bFM is Turning 50 and Other Radio Stations are Still Shit (The Spinoff)
• 16 Years after Nightclub Fire, College Radio DJ’s Legacy Lives On (Falmouth, MA Patch)
• Suddenly, Tammy! Reflects on Career and Fame Following CMJ Cover (Lancaster Online)
• ‘Walk this Way’ Looks at How Aerosmith and Run-DMC’s Famous Partnership Changed Music (WGBH)

Programming

• Columbia College Mutes R. Kelly (Columbia Chronicle)
• WSUM’s 17th Birthday Music (Madison Magazine)
• Students Broadcast Series of Live Shows for Leicester Comedy Festival (De Montfort University)

Events

• 95bFM’s 50th Anniversary Event in Photos (Undertheradar)
• From LA with Noise, Punk Band White Fang Lines up Raucous Gigs (News Miner)
• WSOU Launches New Alumni Speaker Series (Seton Hall University)
• Lasell College Radio Takes on New York City for the IBS Awards (The 1851 Chronicle)

Funding

• Crowd Funding and WQAQ College Radio (Quinnipiac Chronicle)
• Ontario’s Student Choice Initiative Threatens Funding at Campus Community Radio Stations (Rabble.ca)

Awards and Accolades

• WZIS Nominated for 11 National Awards (Indiana State University)
• Goshen College Broadcasting Students Rack up More Awards (The Record)
• University of Tennesee at Martin Students Bring Home Conference Honors (The Pacer)
• Entries for Charles Parker Prize Due by February 25 (The Charles Parker Archive Trust)

The post College Radio Watch: Our Passion for Tours, A Trio of New Stations, and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

Folks involved with college radio are perhaps more likely to be audiophiles than the general population and this theme was front and center in our recent Radio Survivor show/podcast about the ongoing relevance of CDs. A former college radio colleague of mine from KFJC, Jacob Choplin, shares his thoughts about CDs, vinyl, cassettes, and stereo equipment. Perhaps atypical for his generation, his love for physical media is a reminder that young people don’t always live in an entirely digital world when it comes to music.

Also, there’s been quite a bit of college radio news in the past few weeks. Read on for details about a new radio station, some interesting programming and events, and fascinating tidbits from college radio’s past. I was especially excited to hear about the experimental use of the radio waves being utilized by a composer in Virginia. His piece will be played on University of Virginia’s student radio station WXTJ (see my tour) as part of the festivities for the National Student Electronic Music Event (N_SEME). According to a piece in the Daily Progress,

Another piece on the schedule requires a little bit of extra effort to hear it as the composer intended. Ralph Lewis’s ‘Drive to the Edge’ will be aired on UVa’s student radio station WXTJ with the intention of having listeners tune in on the very edges of the station’s coverage area.

‘The idea is that you hear the piece, but you also hear the scrambled garbage that happens when you’re getting outside of how far the station can broadcast,’ Brown said. ‘So right after the keynote speech, we’re all going to hop in a shuttle and listen together to how it’s all going to get messed up.'”

More College Radio News

New Stations and Stations Returning

• New Student Radio Station to Begin Broadcasts Soon (The Presbyterian BlueStocking)
• Journey 103: SAIT Student Radio Station Returns to Airwaves (The Weal- Southern Alberta Institute of Technology)

Profiles

• Impact 89 FM Reaches 30 Years on the Air (City Pulse)
• WDUB Doobie’s Fresh New Look (The Denisonian)
• MD of the Month: Narkis Anthony Garcia III, WIIT Chicago (NACC)
• Genre MD of the Month: Linnaea Melcarek, World MD at WNMC (NACC)
• Kevin James ‘Hearts’ Radio (Brooklyn College)
• Artist of the Week: WMUH’s Michelle Rajan (The Muhlenberg Weekly)

History

• Genitorturers Aren’t Just About Being Shocking (San Diego CityBeat)
• Kinloch Nelson’s 1968-1970 Recordings Made at WDCR (Folk Radio UK)

Funding/Infrastructure

• NCRA/ANREC Wants Campus Stations Designated ‘Essential Services’ (Broadcast Dialogue)
• Radio Practicum Revived as Independent Study (The Beacon)
• Editorial: Students Making Waves (The Beacon)
• RSCO Feature: Laker Student Media Club (The Merciad)
• Opinion: Student Government Unfairly Cut Our Budget (University Press)

Programming

• Holy Cross Senior Finds Purpose as Leader on Campus (Worcester Telegram)
• Super Dark Collective Showcases Something New for Capital Region (WAMC)
• ‘Hamilton’: The Jewish Man Behind the Porn Parody (Jerusalem Post)
• SURG and URF’s International Content-Sharing Partnership in Student Radio (Radio Info)
• Newfangled ‘Radio’ Show at WRHU Brings Zucker School Home (Innovate Long Island)
• Freudian Slip Brings Young Comics Together (Texas A&M The Battalion)

Alumni

• Ron Wilner, Radio Personality and Political Strategist Dies (Baltimore Sun)
• The Path to a Dream Job Included Stops in Pirate Radio and College Radio (Voices of Monterey Bay)
• Aces of Trades – Kurt Harden MedBen CEO (The Newark Advocate)
• How One Man Creates the Soundtrack for the San Angelo Rodeo (San Angelo Standard Times)
• Henry Believes in Radio “From the Bottom Up” (Radio World)
• Jesse Thorn on the Early Days of Podcasting, His College Radio Past (Willamette Week)
• Sleep Can’t Stop Jubilo Drive on Their New Album (Grimy Goods)

Events

• ‘Rivals Become Friends’ at Radio’s Station’s Faculty/Staff Talent Show (the Highlander)
• Local Color Radio Hour Goes Live in front of Studio Audience (The Free Weekly)
• N_SEME Fills UVa Venues with Creativity of Experimental Sound (Daily Progress)
• Syracuse Students Were on Super Bowl Radio Row for First Time (The Daily Orange)

Awards and Accolades

• College Station Receives Awards from Michigan Broadcasting Group (Hillsdale Collegian)
• Globe Media Nominated for Major Awards (The Record)
• WIU Students Named Finalists for IBS Awards (Western Illinois University)

The post College Radio Watch: New Stations, Experimental Radio and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

In the provocative piece, WNYU, New York is “Almost Public Radio,” radio veteran Ken Mills posits that college radio station WNYU at New York University (see my 2008 tour) falls into the category of “almost public radio.”

Mills argues that stations in this category “copy public radio’s style, represent themselves as a public trust and/or are staffed by people who, frankly, would rather be working in public radio.”

I’m struck by his assertion that college radio stations like WNYU have public radio aspirations and somehow see their stations as lesser than public radio. This is a bold assumption that works to diminish college radio’s history and inherent strengths.

Of course there may be college radio participants with public radio dreams or commercial radio dreams or community radio dreams, but there are many who are focused on the day-to-day work, fun, and educational aspects of college radio.

Student-run college radio stations existed prior to public radio and a hallmark of many of them is creative freedom, student control, and adventurous programming. College radio stations pioneered many technological and programming innovations (with limited budgets and mainly volunteer staffs) that were later adopted by public radio stations, such as online streaming (credit to WXYC and WREK – see my tour) and international live remote broadcasts (shout out to KFJC, where I volunteer). Many music-oriented public radio stations took cues from their college radio forebears and some air underground music that first got airplay on college radio stations.

While there is crossover, with some public radio stations incorporating student staff (as I saw during my tour of Fordham University’s WFUV) and some college radio stations seeking out public funding; for the most part I see college radio as one category of stations and public radio as another.

A huge difference is budget and staffing. Despite a lower budget and smaller staff than public radio stations, Mills critiques WNYU for its small listening audience relative to its FM signal strength, saying, “Despite this capacity, WNYU has only a few thousand estimated weekly listeners. Except for the students who work there, the station is unknown to most people who live in the city.”

He speculates that, “In general, college stations have the smallest budgets of any noncommercial media type. This limits the opportunities for participating students.” While small budgets can lead to numerous challenges, I’m continually amazed by what college radio stations accomplish. Creativity often flourishes in the absence of monetary resources, with volunteer DJs and staff putting in countless hours (sometimes putting grades and graduation in jeopardy) for the love of radio.

Mills goes on to critique WNYU’s programming, stating that,

Another factor that may be limiting WNYU’s potential is their programming. To use a common phrase, WNYU is ‘too hip for the room.’ When the ‘room’ is New York City, there will be difficulty drawing a substantial audience. The good news is that WNYU is programmed 100% by students. The bad news is these students are probably the only listeners.

Ouch. Mills points to some intriguing programming, but dismisses it as having “very limited interest.”

I think that it’s wonderful to have a range of non-commercial radio stations on the dial, including well-funded (and not-so-well funded) public radio stations, grassroots community stations, tiny low power FM stations, high school radio in many forms, and the wide range of college radio stations. There is a place for unusual and niche programming on college radio. And that’s what keeps me glued to my FM dial.

More College Radio News

Radio Classes

• MCLA Students Upset after Radio Course Removed (WAMC)

Profiles

• After Hours: The Faces Behind the Radio (The Shield, University of Southern Indiana)
• Manchester Community College Radio Station Celebrates 10 Years (Journal Inquirer)

Budget

• Campus Radio Asserts Provincial Cuts will Reduce Job Opportunities and Services to Students (The National Campus and Community Radio Association)

Awards and Accolades

• Another “Best of” Nomination for WPSC (Radio Ink)
• UNK Students Named as Finalists for College Media Awards (Net Nebraska)

Alumni

• Dyana Williams Biography (The History Makers)

Programming

• Campus-Based Podcasts (Inside Higher Ed)
• WSBU-FM Staffers from St. Bonaventure Make Connections in Georgia, the Site of Sunday’s Big Game (TAPinto)
• Third Season of Bloomfield’s Health Beat Radio Show (TAPinto)

History

• Time Marches On: A Look Back at L’Amour and Metal History (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

Launches

• Manhattan College’s Radio WRCM Makes a Comeback (The Quadrangle)

License Sales

• Antioch College to Sell Public Radio Station WYSO to Community Group (Dayton Daily News)
• Antioch College Establishing WYSO as Independent Public Radio Station (ABC 22)
• WYSO to Become an Independent Public Radio Station (Dayton Business Journal)
• Quinnipiac AM Community Radio Station to Be Shut Down in June (UConn Daily Campus)

The post College Radio Watch: Is College Radio ‘Almost Public Radio’? and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

Ever since my stint as a college radio DJ at Pomona College’s KSPC (see my tour), I’ve been aware of college radio’s fan base among the prison population. DJs at KSPC regularly received letters, postcards and phone calls from faithful listeners who resided in a nearby men’s prison. This past summer, I learned about a long-running show aimed at prisoners in the listening area of Vassar College’s WVKR. With all that as a backdrop, it was fascinating to read a death row inmate’s perspective on college radio.

In a piece for The Marshall Project, Penitentiary Rock: The Show with a Captive Audience, Timothy White writes of his love for a prisoner-focused metal show on college radio station WKNC. White explains:

The weekly radio show known as ‘Penitentiary Rock’—or ‘Pen Rock’ for short—first aired on WKNC 88.1, the N.C. State University station, during the 1990s. This was before my arrival on death row.

According to some of the guys who were here back then, the ‘Rock’ developed after a small group of prisoners, often fans of hard rock and heavy-metal, decided to write letters to the student deejays at WKNC, requesting songs. (Some of them made requests by placing collect calls without connecting, naming the song they wanted instead of giving their own names.)

The DJs responded by not only playing inmate requests for bands like Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Motörhead, but also encouraging their captive audience to let the DJs actually read their letters on air. At some point, there was a contest for listeners to come up with a name for the show, which generated ‘Penitentiary Rock.’

On podcast #147, we chatted with the artists behind a prison radio-themed art installation in Philadelphia and during that conversation, I was struck by the important role of communication for prisoners. With that in mind, radio can be a lifeline, connecting inmates with people on the outside.

White’s article articulates that nicely as he explains the role that “Penitentiary Rock” plays for prisoners, stating, “Every Friday night is different, based on the content of the letters. Some are short and to the point, while others are rambling, semi-coherent and hilariously absurd—but Paul reads them all. Many writers use the forum to stay in contact with other prisoners around the state, as well as to air gripes and grievances of every variety. Most importantly, though, we all write to feel we are a part of something bigger than ourselves and the walls that contain us.”

More College Radio News

Profiles and College Radio Impact

• At 60, KFJC Keeps College Radio Sounding Fresh (Silicon Valley’s Metro)
• A Look Inside K-ROO Radio (University News)
• WNYU, New York is “Almost Public Radio” (Radio World)
• Independent Online Radio is the Algorithm Alternative You Need (Pitchfork)
• KIWR ‘The River’ is Popular with More than Students (The Daily Nonpareil)
• College Mourns Death of Jim Mitchem (Columbia Chronicle)

Oversight and License Changes

• Mt. Hood Community College Seeks Return of Jazz Radio Station KMHD (OPB News)
• Portland Jazz Station KMHD Might Be Leaving Oregon Public Broadcasting (Willamette Week)
• MHCC Likely to Bring Radio Station Back to Campus (Pamplin Media Group)
• Quinnipiac University to Close WQUN-AM Radio (WTNH)
• Caper Radio Seeks New License (Cape Breton Post)

Programming

• WGSU adds “Alternative Radio” Public Affairs Program (Livingston County News)
• KRNU Podcast Focuses on Civil Discourse (NET Nebraska)
• Student-Driven CommRadio Set for Live Broadcasts from the Super Bowl (Penn State University)
• Penitentiary Rock: The Radio Show with a Captive Audience (The Marshall Project)

Events

• Radio Station Holds Cardboard Classic (City Pulse)
• Call for Presentations for 2nd International Student Radio Conference (Alternatives 2019)

Alumni

• Goshem College Alum Uses Globe Experience in Career (The Record)
• LA’s Leading Public Radio Newsroom is Getting a new CEO (LAist)

Funding

• Campus Media in Jeopardy of “Closing Down” if Students Opt-out of Fees (CBC News)
• Minister Defends Tuition, Student Fee, OSAP Changes (CBC News)
• Inside GV’s Shortage of Student Media Funding (Grand Valley Lanthorn)

Awards, Accolades and Competitions

• Broadcasting Students Get a Boost, Thanks to Two Radio Companies (Radio & Television Business Report)
• UNK Students Named Finalists for College Media Awards (Kearney Hub)
• High Level Broadcasting Student Awarded Scholarship (EverythingGP)

The post College Radio Watch: Penitentiary Rock and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

Happy New Year! With many colleges still on winter break, things are fairly quiet on the college radio news front.

A Visit to College Radio Station KDVS

Still catching up on my radio station travels from 2018, on last week’s podcast/radio show I was happy to feature my visit to the University of California, Davis college radio station KDVS. General Manager Jacob Engel gave me the grand tour and you can hear a bit of my interview with him on the episode.

College Radio Memories from WECB

My colleague Paul also shared an interesting college radio tidbit in his recent piece about podcaster Jason Scott. Paul writes, “In ‘The Radio Radio Episode’ Scott reflects on his college radio days at Emerson College, where he DJ’d – and got fired from – student-run WECB, and filled in on the more professional WERS.” Since WECB was my first written college radio tour, I was certainly intrigued!

Recapping NFCB Summit in Santa Rosa and GRC Portland

Additionally, a piece that I wrote about two community radio conferences appears in a recent issue of Radio World. College radio participants (including representatives from KZSC, KPSU and WPRB) were on the scene at both events (Grassroots Radio Conference and National Federation of Community Broadcasters’ Regional Summit) and many sessions were quite relevant to those involved with student radio.

Quinnipiac University to Shutter AM Station WQUN

The year begins with news that Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut plans to shut down its radio station WQUN 1220 AM on June 30, 2019. According to the New Haven Register,

In a letter to colleagues last week, QU official Lynn Bushnell said the station would cease operations June 30 in order to ‘shift resources to more closely match the ever-changing needs and interests of our students, and to better prepare them for future employment opportunities.'”

The piece further explained that “when WQUN first went on the air in 1997, it was used as a training ground where students would learn skills to use in the radio industry,” but that student interest has diminished. WQUN will end broadcasts on May 31.

A professionally-run station, WQUN offered student internships, including opportunities to work behind-the-scenes during sports broadcasts. Although the university has only run the station for 22 years, the history of 1220 AM dates back to 1962, when WDEE began broadcasting. The station changed call letters, formats and owners numerous times over the years, with a particularly interesting period in the 1970s, when it was briefly known as Woman Radio (WOMN). There’s no word yet on what the next phase of 1220 AM will bring.

More College Radio News

Station and Staff Profiles

• Department Spotlight: Orchard Radio (The Washtenaw Voice)
• Music Director of the Month: Erin Wolfe of WMSE (NACC)

Events and Programming

• WSOU Donates more than 900 Pounds of Food to Food Bank (WSOU)
• Western Campus Radio Celebrates First All-Female Hockey Broadcast (The London Free Press)
• Temple-Drexel Game a Family Affair (KYW)
• DJ Training Available at WMPG (Biddeford Journal Tribune)

Music and Turntables

• KCSU Live in Studio: Volume 1 (Scene Magazine)
• Radio’s Wheels of Steel are Coming Back: The Technics SL-1200 Mk VII (Radio Survivor)

History

• St. Olaf Tinkerer Went on to Radio, Military Breakthroughs (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

Shut-downs

• Quinnipiac University to Close Down WQUN-AM Radio (New Haven Register)

Funding

• MEDCO Grant to Fund Wiley College Radio (Marshall News Messenger)

Station Alumni

• Knicks Voice Mike Breen’s Dream Began in Basement Radio Station (New York Post)
• Quirky Radio Personality T.J. Trout Heads to Conservative Station (Albuquerque Journal)

The post College Radio Watch: AM Radio to End at Quinnipiac U, KDVS Tour and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

Happy Winter Solstice! A number of college radio stations are doing seasonal on-air celebrations, including multiple marathon broadcasts.

Jon Solomon’s 30-Hour WPRB Christmas Marathon

The penultimate Christmas experience might be WPRB DJ Jon Solomon’s 30-hour on-air marathon that extends across Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Celebrating his 30th year of lengthy Christmas Eve shows over Princeton University’s college radio station, he decided to stretch the usual 24-hour affair to 30 hours in honor of the anniversary. Learn more in my interview with Solomon.

24 Hours of Metal on KFJC’s “Christless Eve”

Foothill College radio station KFJC (where I volunteer) will hold its annual metal music marathon, Christless Eve, starting at 6pm on December 24 and continuing for 24 hours until 6pm on December 25. Rumored to be in its 15th year, Christless Eve features a roster of DJs curating portions of the schedule.

WSOU’s Holiday Programming: Metal and Mass

The range of Christmas programming over Seton Hall’s college radio station WSOU is fitting for a metal station at a Catholic University, with a mix of religion, metal, radio drama, and classical music. On the metal side of things, the station will air metal, punk and hardcore covers of Christmas songs from 6am to 8pm on Christmas Eve as well as a Top 89 tracks of 2018 countdown on December 26th.

Additionally, WSOU will present a range of religious programming, including talk programming, a live broadcast of Christmas Eve Mass, Christmas morning mass, and music programs featuring carols and more. Other traditions including the airing of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio on Christmas morning.

More News

Listeners

The Unknown Incarcerated Listeners to KMSA (The Criterion)

Events

“Celebration of Lights” Storytelling Sunday in Allen’s Market (Union Recorder)

College Radio in Pop Culture

In “Dead Air,” A Midnight Radio Host Reins in Murder (Tubefilter)

Participant Accounts and Station Profiles

WTJU’s DIY Spirit Inspired Some of Indie Rock’s Greatest Bands (nonCOMMusic Alliance)

Goodbye Column (Western Herald)

Audio Stories about Seattle Stations and College Radio Participants (Community Radio Journalism class assignment at UW Bothell):

College radio: UW Bothell’s UWAVE and Seattle U’s KXSU

Student leadership in college radio

UWave Dial Dilemma on Community Radio Outreach

The State of Media

Montclair State Media Students on the Future of Media (WCBS Newsradio 880)

Awards and Accolades

Student Media Collaborations Named Finalists for National Awards (Arkansas State University)

2018 Spirit of College Radio Awards (College Radio Day)

Fundraising

WUVT Launches Fundraising Campaign (Roanoke Times)

The post College Radio Watch: Holiday Programming and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

My October radio adventures in the Pacific Northwest for college radio and community radio conferences are still on my mind as I continue to process the events and my numerous station visits. Earlier this week I published my tour of Portland Radio Project, one of the many new low power FM (LPFM) radio stations that has launched in the past few years. My 150th radio station field trip post, it’s the beginning of a big batch of stories about my October travels to Portland and Seattle.

2018 Year in Review on the Podcast

This week’s Radio Survivor show/podcast is a rare treat with all four members of our team (Eric, Matthew, Paul and myself) waxing on about the state of radio in 2018. It was a great year for community and college radio as well as for podcasting and radio archiving/preservation efforts.

My CBI Recap in Radio World

On the college radio side of things, my recap of CBI’s (College Broadcasters Inc.) National Student Electronic Media Convention is in the new issue of Radio World (print and online). I dig into a handful of sessions, including a ‘zine workshop, a panel on how KPLU participants were able to save their station from being sold to another group, and a look at two timely and important discussions focusing on #MeToo and mental health.

Radio Survivor also did a live podcast recording (episode 165) at CBI in which we spoke with college radio participants about the role of student radio in 2018.

More College Radio News

Programming

On the Air with President Treadwell (Keene State College)

Holiday Joy Brought to You by WCRX (Columbia Chronicle)

Love for Jazz Brings BGSU, BG and Owens Leaders Together (Sentinel-Tribune)

UCO Student Radio Station Playing Nonstop Holiday Music (NewsOK)

Profiles

Mike Duncan: 25 Years of Music and Radio at KWVA (Oregon Music News)

From Student to KSYM Program Director (The Ranger)

KSDB Continued to Share Music after Nichols Hall Fire in 1968 (Kansas State Collegian)

Launches

WoCo Radio Back up and Running (The Old Gold & Black)

Nigerian Institute of Journalism to Open Radio Station (New Telegraph Newspaper)

Closures

After Decade on Air, Delhi University Unplugs Community Radio (Daily Pioneer)

Events

Beast Wars to Headline 95bFM 50th Anniversary Gig (Newshub)

Shared Passion  Builds Community for Student Broadcasters (Radio World)

Budget

SSFC Hears WSUM Budget Proposal (The Badger Herald)

The post College Radio Watch: CBI Recap, College President Hosts Show and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

During this year’s College Broadcasters Inc. (CBI) conference in Seattle, vital conversations about women in college radio took place during the “Supporting Female Broadcasters Through the #MeToo Movement” session. While many stations have thoughtful and enlightened staffs; participants sadly recounted plenty of stories of sexist and racist behavior.

With that as backdrop, it’s disappointing (but unfortunately not surprising) to read about a recent incident at a college radio station in Ireland. University Observer writes,

The student-run show has come under fire recently following an article published in the College Tribune which evidenced the show’s hosts reading aloud crude user-submitted messages about women and in relation to the sexual experiences of named students.

Herald.ie reported today that “The podcast was removed and the team behind the show has since apologised.”

More College Radio News

Profiles of Stations and Staff

• December Co-MDs of the Month: Miranda Roberts and Patrick Kennedy, KJHK Lawrence (NACC Chart)
• December DJ of the Month: Nancy Steadle (DJ Firefly), WRCT Pittsburgh (NACC Chart)
• Visible Radio is all Memphis Music, All the Time (The Daily Memphian)
• UCCS Radio Covered Nuggets Basketball Game; Nominated for Awards (The Scribe)

New Stations

• South Essex College Students Launch Icon Radio (Your Thurrock)

Events

• KZSC at 2018 UCRN (University of California Radio Network) Conference (KZSC)

History/Anniversaries

• Big Anniversary for WPSC-FM (Radio Ink)
• WPSC to Celebrate its Past with Special Broadcasts from Each Era (New Jersey Stage)
• USF Radio Celebrates 30 Years (The Herald-News)

Programming

• Rock Around the Clock: College Radio Station Hosts 24-hour Radiothon to Support Students, Community (Niagara College)
• College Radio Show “Sorry” for Sexual Comments about Female Students is “Unacceptable” Broadcast (Herald.ie)

Infrastructure

• Georgia State Finishing $1 Million Expansion, Ending Cacophony (Curbed Atlanta)
• Construction Noise Interferes with WRAS Broadcasts (The Signal)

Funding

• Campus Radio Station WUMR Hosts Fundraiser to Maintain Learning Environment (Daily Helmsman)

Alums

• A Tribute to B. Suit (Index-Journal)
• Classic ’90s Indie Rock Album Manos by the Spinanes Gets a Reissue: Rebecca Gates Interview (Vogue)

Collaborations

• WSOU’s “This Week in Metal History” on MetalSucks (MetalSucks)

Awards and Accolades

• Chapin College Student Dials up National Honor (Jacksonville Journal-Courier)

Industry, Internships

• Paid Journalism Internships in Reporting, Radio, Video and More are Open Now (Student Press Law Center)

College Radio in Popular Culture

• A Web Series as Productive as Unproductive (the Excelsior)

The post College Radio Watch: #MeToo, Noise, Metal, and Anniversary Festivities appeared first on Radio Survivor.

On episode 167 of the Radio Survivor show/podcast, our guest Andrew Bottomley digs into the roots of podcasting and internet radio. The story includes some college radio pioneers, namely the college radio stations that debuted simultaneous internet radio streams concurrent with their FM broadcasts. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill’s WXYC and Georgia Institute of Technology’s WREK launched their initial streams on November 7, 1994; while University of Kansas’ KJHK began its stream in December, 1994.

College Radio on the Radio Survivor Podcast

With 169 episodes so far, the Radio Survivor Show/Podcast frequently addresses issues related to college radio, with some episodes focused solely on student radio. If you haven’t checked it out in awhile, here are a few episodes that are college radio-centric:

• Podcast #165 – College Radio Is Truly Local Radio– Live from CBI Seattle (10/30/18)
• Podcast #164 – College Radio and the Culture Wars (10/23/18)
• Podcast #161 – Happy College Radio Day 2018 & Tour of WVKR at Vassar (10/3/18)
• Podcast #159 – Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes, in College Radio and Podcasting (9/18/18)
• Podcast #142 – Touring WHPK’s Bell Tower & YouTube’s ‘Pirate Radio’ (5/15/18)
• Podcast #136 – Storied College Stations WIIT & WKCR (4/3/18)

1920s College Radio History in Montana

While compiling my college radio news round-up, I uncovered some fascinating early college radio history in Montana. The Missoula Current writes of Garvin Dennis Shallenberger, who came to State University in Montana in 1923:

G.D. came from Beloit College, where he had helped construct a broadcast transmitter with his physics students. In Missoula, with the backing of State University (now, UM) President Charles H. Clapp, he and his students would tackle the same project…

By early 1924, according the Missoulian, the students had constructed an experimental 50-watt station dubbed KFLW, operating on 234 meters. ‘The station opened up Tuesday evening (April 29), by broadcasting the Missoula Male chorus and the Varsity Glee Club concert.’

One of the station’s  experiments was a “…broadcast with a play-by-play recreation of a Grizzly-Bobcat game based on relayed telephoned descriptions.” Licensed as KUOM, the station’s official first broadcast was February 17, 1925. Four years later, the license was not renewed, and KUOM faded away. According to Missoula Current, “Finally, on November 3, 1929, the national radio commission ordered KUOM and 19 other stations across the country ‘off the air’ for failing to file applications for renewal of their licenses.”

As followers of radio history know, the late 1920s was an increasingly competitive time in radio, with a number of pioneering college radio stations leaving the dial, including the first station at my alma mater, Haverford College’s WABQ.

More College Radio News

New Stations and New Signals

• New Border Radio KOFA 94.7 Launches in Yuma (KAWC)
• Wolf Pack Radio Celebrates One Year of FM Partnership with KWNK (The Nevada Sagebrush)

Profiles

• Video: Behind the Scenes with KDUP (The Beacon)
• On the Air: MSUM’s Student Radio Station KMSC AM 1500 (The Advocate)
• Community Radio Station Provides Variety of Music (University of Southern Maine Free Press)
• It’s Time We Come WBAbove Ground (Columbia Daily Spectator)
• Why Should I Support a College Radio Station – KCSU (Scene Magazine)
• Better Know a College Radio Station: Rice University’s KTRU (Bandcamp Daily)

Events

• WLCI’s Benefest to Celebrate Music and Non-Profits in Athens (The Post)
• The River’s Thanksgiving Food Drive (Non Pareil Online)
• WUNH Rallies for Marathon Week (The New Hampshire)
• KSYM Hosts Alternative 2 Hunger Concert, Food Drive (The Ranger)
• What We Can Learn from College Students (Radio and Television Business Report)

Programming

• Stay Tuned for Radio Dramas on WPCD (The Prospectus)
• The Future of Radio (Drama) in Cambridge and Beyond (Varsity)
• University of Central Oklahoma’s KZUC to Play Non-Stop Holiday Music (NewsOK.com)
• A Dose of Disney on Campus on Lute Air Student Radio (Mast Media/Pacific Lutheran University)
• DMU Students Bring Show to BBC Radio (De Montfort University)
• Inuk Activist’s Show Pulled off the Air after Sexual Harassment Allegations (CBC News)

Technology

• RadioFX Helps College Stations Grow with Mobile App (Radio World)
• CommRadio Updates App Approach to Enhance Interactivity (Penn State University)

History

• Before Black Friday, There Was UM’s 1st Radio Broadcast (Missoula Current)
• Digging up the History on Titan Radio (WCN247)
• Western Alumnus Unearths 1991 CHRW Interview with Kurt Cobain (Western Gazette)
• Former Radio Western Host Recalls Rare 1991 Interview with Kurt Cobain (CBC News)
• Kurt Cobain Interview Reveals Nirvana Legend’s Conflicted Thoughts about Hip-Hop (Yahoo Finance)

Fictionalized College Radio

• 10 Best Podcasts that tell Totally Positive, ‘Hopepunk’ Stories (Polygon)
• Park & Rec’s Character’s College Radio Show “Zoot Suit Wyatt” (KVAL)

Alumni

• Meet the Hosts of ‘Adult-ish,’ a Podcast by Kind-of Adults for Kind-of Adults (Study Breaks)
• Hurray for Community Radio: KXSF-LP Launch in San Francisco (Radio World)
• From College Radio DJ to Minister and CEO (Journal and Topics)

Listener Opinions

• WKDU Needs to Showcase More Balanced Opinions (The Triangle)

Awards

• Students, Station Win Awards (Huntington Herald-Dispatch)
• Student Radio Awards 2018 Winners List (Radio Today)
• Smoke Radio Success at the Student Radio Awards (University of Westminster, London)
• Campus Radio Station is a National Winner (University of Chester)
• WIU Broadcasting Students Honored by Broadcast Education Association (Western Illinois University News)
• 2019 Charles Parker Prize for Best Student Radio Feature (The Charles Parker Archive Trust)

Budget

• KNTU Budget Cuts May Affect Student Wages (North Texas Daily)

The post College Radio Watch: Internet Radio Pioneers, College Radio in the 1920s and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

With the mid-term elections this week, it was great to see that a number of college radio stations were providing special coverage. University of Southern California’s Annenberg Media as well as Hofstra University and Ithaca College did extensive reporting. Additionally, the radio station at Hillsdale College has introduced a new talk show focused on politics.

Some schools, like George Washington University in Washington, D.C., are positioned in the nation’s capital, allowing incredible access to the political process. When I visited GW’s college radio station WRGW in 2014, I learned that often the station’s programming is reflective of its presence on an especially politically active campus.

A couple of years ago, I noted college radio’s response to the presidential election. College radio’s reactions to this week’s midterm election are more difficult to ascertain.

More College Radio News

License Sales

Cumberland University Selling License for WFMQ-FM (Radio & Television Business)

Programming

Hofstra Students Prepare Live Election Night Coverage for TV, Radio, Web (WNYW)

Grad Student Radio to Bring Prudence Back to Politics (Hillsdale Collegian)

Girard is the Voice of the Stadium (The Lion’s Roar)

Midterm Elections Coverage Overview (USC Annenberg Media)

Students Cover 2018 Midterm Elections (Ithaca College)

Profiles

Indiana State Student Feels Prepared for Life after College (Indiana State University)

Pizza FM Moving onto More than Just the Radio Waves (Smile Politely – Champaign-Urban’s Online Magazine)

Hofstra Radio Rebuilds for 21st Century (Herald Community Newspapers)

Triangle Talks: WKDU General Manager (The Triangle, Drexel University)

November MD of the Month: Nicole Di Donato, CJRU Toronto (NACC)

Events

Treasure Hunters Dig for Gold (Records) at WMPG’s Annual Sale (Journal Tribune)

Pearl and the Oysters Headline WPRK’s Annual Fox Fest Free Concert (Orlando Weekly)

WJJW Unplugged – An Acoustic Evening with Talented Artists (The Beacon MCLA)

Radio Student’s 22nd Birthday (TimeOut Croatia)

Anniversaries/History

WNYO Celebrates 50 Years on the Air (The Oswegonian)

Flagler College Radio Station Celebrates 25 Years (The St. Augustine Record)

Awards and Accolades

Best Radio Station for Local Music: CKDU (The Coast Halifax)

Hillsdale Students Place in National College Radio Competition (Hillsdale Collegian)

WSOU News Director Wins National Accolades (Radio Ink)

WSOU News Director Bob Towey Honored with Two National Journalism Awards (Seton Hall University)

National Honors for UW Oshkosh Radio TV Film Students (UW Oshkosh Today)

College Radio Culture

Want to Be a College Radio DJ? Here’s What You Need to Know (Study Breaks)

Alums

Local Hero: Mel Boogie’s 25 Years of DJing and Championing Women (NOW Magazine)

In Loving Memory of Joseph Clayton (Bellarmine University)

The post College Radio Watch: Election Coverage and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

I had a wonderful time at the College Broadcasters Inc. (CBI) convention last week in Seattle! It was great to see my long-time college radio friends and fun to meet so many other student broadcasting colleagues. We recorded a college radio-centric edition of the Radio Survivor show during the conference. Take a listen to the podcast version to relive the discussion. We chatted about the current state of college radio and speculated about the future. Interestingly, we also heard some kudos for old school elements of college radio and were reminded of the power of locally-relevant content.

KFJC in Berlin, Broadcasting Never Surrender Festival

Today is the second day of Foothill College radio station KFJC‘s three-day live broadcast extravaganza from the Never Surrender Festival in Berlin, Germany. As a KFJC volunteer, I’ve been busy spreading the word about this amazing undertaking and have also been enjoying watching and listening to the streaming video for the past few days. This is on the heels of KFJC’s live surf music broadcast from Reverb Rampage (see photo and audio archives) in Berlin on Saturday, October 27.

I still don’t know of other college radio stations that trek overseas to present live music. Let me know if you are aware of similar projects. Ernesto Aguilar touches on this endeavor in his community radio column for Radio World.

More College Radio News

New Stations

Jawarharlal Nehru University to Launch Community Radio Station (The Financial Express)

First Look at SUNY Broome’s Online Radio Station ‘The HiVE’ (WBNG)

Ownership and Management Changes

Community Sounds off about KMHD (The Advocate Online)

Programming

College Radio Shows the Way (Radio World)

Theology Teacher Moonlights as Radio DJ (The Caravan)

Heeeeeere’s Zach (Durango Telegraph)

Technical Stuff

WPRK Back on the Air Following Antennae Issues (The Sandspur)

Events

WFCF to Host Rock Block Party for 25th Anniversary (The Gargoyle)

UConnPIRG Hosts ‘Ballot Block Party’ (The Daily Campus)

WXDU’s Record Fair Appeals to the Resurgent Vinyl Scene (The Chronicle)

Forget Cats and Dogs, It’s Raining Turkeys (The Wayne Stater)

College Radio Culture

College Radio is Truly Local Radio (Radio Survivor Show/Podcast)

Awards and Accolades

Media Department Students, Staff Receive Honors (Arkansas State University)

Radio 4’s Student Journalism Awards Revealed (Radio Today)

History/Anniversaries

Nifty, Nifty- KWSC  91.9 The Cat is Almost 50 (The Wayne Stater)

The Broadcast Baron Begins in Berrien Springs (Herald Palladium)

Cathy Wurzer, Boyd Huppert Look Back on Radio Journalism School Marking 50 Years (Twin Cities Pioneer Press)

Making Milestones an Exciting Part of Life (Cleburne Times-Review)

Station and Staff Profiles

Student Spotlight: Jacob Osborn (The Huntingtonian)

Profile: WPRB’s Mike Lupica (NFCB)

49 Voices: Gina Hays of Anchorage (Alaska Public Media)

Society in Focus: FreshAir Radio Station (The Student)

Alumni

Constantly Challenge Yourself to Be a Great Radio Leader (Radio Ink)

The post College Radio Watch: CBI Panel on the Podcast, KFJC in Berlin and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

On this week’s episode of Radio Survivor, the topic is college radio and the culture wars. Our guest, historian Kate Jewell, shares with us her research delving into college radio history and its intersections with activism, controversies, and institutions. She also reveals some of her research finds, including stories that she’s unearthed from university and radio archives.

Radio Survivor at CBI Seattle

If you are at the College Broadcasters Inc. National Student Electronic Media Convention in Seattle this week, please join us in the audience for a live recording of the Radio Survivor show/podcast on Thursday, October 25. With our panel of college radio participants, we’ll be discussing the role of college radio in 2018. On Friday, October 26, I will be leading a session focused on archiving college radio history. Please say “hello” if you are at the event!

More College Radio News

Profiles

Campus Radio Station Gives Students Hands-on Experience at SUNY-Broome (Fox 40)

Programming

Never Surrender Fest + KFJC Radio Live Stream (NWN! Productions)

KFJC Ventures to Berlin to Broadcast from Surf and Metal Festivals (KFJC)

The Buzz to Attend Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (The Bona Venture)

Fall Events at Rider include Radio Station’s Scream Screen (Rider University)

Student Radio DJs Share New Sounds (Texas A&M The Battalion)

WNYU Hosts Talk Radio and Resistance (Washington Square News)

Zealous Sheryl Underwood’s Plan to Leave Her Mark on Radio (RadioFacts)

College Radio Alums

WMUA Alums are Using Internet Radio to Elevate the Music Scene in Massachusetts (Amherst Wire)

Fundraising and Grants

KUOI Fundraising for New Board (University of Idaho Crowdfunding)

College Radio Foundation Invites Stations to Submit Grant Applications (College Radio Day)

WZBC Launches $30K Fundraiser for Renovation (The Heights)

College Radio Culture

Why College/Local Radio Matters (KWVA)

College and Local Radio is Rad (A Perfect Playlist)

College Radio History

‘Last Days of Dixie’ to Tell Tale of College Radio Station D91 (KTLA)

How it all Started: Debunking KCPR Myths (Mustang News)

Awards and Accolades

Student Radio Nominated for Two Awards (Warrington Worldwide)

The post College Radio Watch: Radio Survivor at CBI, Culture Wars, and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.

On Tuesday, supporters of college radio station WUEV gathered at University of Evansville to speak out against a rumored sale of the station’s FM license. I’m glad they are keeping up the fight, as WUEV was my shining example of how college radio stations could successfully convince and educate university administrators about the relevance and importance of student radio. Back in 2006, a Save WUEV campaign worked and as a result, the station’s FM license remained under the control of University of Evansville.

Following Tuesday’s protest, University of Evansville continued to deny that WUEV has been sold. Courier and Press writes,

WUEV producer Zach Barnett mentioned on air multiple times during his radio broadcast that the station, which is owned by the University of Evansville, was being sold. UE released a statement Tuesday refuting Barnett’s on air comments stating no official agreement is in place to sell WUEV. Barnett said that he doesn’t have documentation of the sale, but his decision to talk about it on air was, instead, a call to action.

However, a statement from University of Evansville today hints strongly that negotiations are underway with a buyer for WUEV’s FM license. Most notable the line that, “Details about unsettled business decisions require a commitment to confidentiality that we must maintain for all parties involved. We understand that this precludes a full disclosure of public information. We will provide updates as we are able.”

The release also reiterates that the school may not view FM radio as a form of  “21st century communications.” Courier and Press published the entire statement, which reads in part:

While there is still no official agreement in place to sell UE’s radio station, WUEV, we want to address the conversation about WUEV and what our students can expect to prepare them for a future in communications.

The idea to consider a sale of the radio station based on the future of communications is not a new one. In 2005, a sale was explored and after much consideration, we decided to retain the radio station. Now, 13 years later, we are once again examining the relevancy of the medium and exploring opportunities to enhance our curriculum through providing additional experience in 21st century communications methods.

A variety of academic departments have academic plans about how the station’s space and its equipment could be utilized to provide a student-centered multimedia and multidisciplinary experience. Those plans complement and support the already existing ESPN3 and ONB Radio Network and include podcasting, online television and video production, streaming opportunities in both audio and video capacities, and potentially more. These methods do not require maintaining a broadcast frequency, therefore, the possibility considered 13 years ago to sell the FCC license is being explored.

From this statement, it would also seem that there’s a desire for the station’s real estate on campus. All of this does not bode well for the future of FM at WUEV. Stay tuned.

KFJC Broadcasts from Two Festivals in Berlin

The station where I volunteer and DJ, Foothill College’s KFJC-FM in Los Altos Hills, California, is preparing for a couple of live remote broadcasts from Berlin, Germany. In what’s starting to become an annual tradition (KFJC traveled to Iceland and Liverpool in 2017, which I wrote about for Radio World), the station will be presenting live streaming video and audio from niche music festivals far from its home.

This time around, my KFJC colleagues are trekking to Berlin for the Reverb Rampage surf music festival (Oct. 27) and for the metal-focused Never Surrender Fest (Nov. 1, 2, and 3). As always, I’ll be watching from home, marveling at modern technology.

It’s not unusual for KFJC to do remote broadcasts from out of state (starting with SXSW in 1994 and continuing with trips to Providence, Milwaukee, and most recently Takoma Park). The station undertook its first international live remote in 1996 (Brixton, England) and its first international remote with video in 2008 (Tokyo, Japan). The fall trip to Berlin will bring the international live remote tally for the station up to 11 events.

Upcoming Events

Oct. 20 in Chicago, IL: IBS Regional Media Conference (IBS)

Oct. 25-27 in Seattle, WA: CBI’s National Student Electronic Media Convention (CBI)

Oct. 25-28 in Louisville, KY: ACP/CMA National College Media Convention (National College Media Convention)

Nov. 3 at WMLU: Virginia is for Radio 2018 Un-Conference (Facebook)

Nov. 3 at Simmons College, Boston, MA: IBS Regional Media Conference (IBS)

Nov. 10 at Nassau Community College, Garden City, NY : IBS Regional Media Conference (IBS)

Dec. 1 at Cal State Long Beach, Long Beach, CA: IBS Regional Media Conference (IBS)

More College Radio News

Rumored License Sale

University of Evansville Says No Agreement in Place to Sell WUEV (Evansville Courier and Press)

On-Air Report Suggests WUEV Was Sold for $350K (Tri-state Homepage)

WUEV Supporters Gather Today Amid Rumored College Radio License Sale (Radio Survivor)

University of Evansville Refutes WUEV On-Air Claims of Sale (Evansville Courier and Press)

UE President Talks about New Role, WUEV (Evansville Courier and Press)

UE puts out new Statement on WUEV 91.5 Radio Station (Evansville Courier and Press)

Station and DJ Profiles

Video: ASU Radio Blazes its Way to the Top (The State Press)

Radio Queen: DeVito Has Four Decade “Habit” (Roanoke Times)

Show Spotlight: Ben’s Rock Revival (The Dynamo)

WCSB DJ Cameron Rivera Picks Three Albums You Should Check Out (Cleveland.com)

Studio Upgrade

College Radio Station Dedicated to Late Morningside Professor (KCAU 9)

Professor Leaves Lasting Legacy to Morningside College Radio Station (Sioux City Journal)

Morningside College Dedicates On-Campus Radio Studio to Mark Heistad (KTIV)

Radio in Emergencies

Hurricane Michael Batters Florida; Gulf State College Radio Provides Information (US News)

College Radio History, Anniversaries and Alumni

KUPS 90.1 Celebrates its 50th Anniversary (The Trail)

WRUR in on the Air: 70 Years of College Radio at Rochester (University of Rochester)

Fanshawe College Marks 40 Years of Campus Training Radio (The London Free Press)

Alternative Songs 30th Anniversary: Are Any ’80s Bands Still Getting Played on Alt Radio? (Billboard)

KNKX: The Little Radio Station That Could (Tacoma Daily Index)

North Campus Radio Tower Still Used after WBFO Sale in 2012 (The Spectrum)

Joe Rainey Dead: Capitol Records Pop Promotion Executive Dies at 43 (Billboard)

‘The Media Rats’ Revisit WERG for Homecoming (The Gannon Knight)

Bobbito Garcia Shares Chuck D’s Appreciation for College Radio (HipHopDX)

Events

College Radio Day Rocks out at Barcadia (LSU Now)

Students Conduct Cleanup of Adopted Section of Interstate 390 (The Livingston County News)

Homecoming: Friendly Competition Fosters Creativity (Royal Purple)

Programming

WSOU’s TGFM to Interview Seton Hall University President (WSOU)

Funding and Fundraising

WIUX to Have Annual Fundraising Week (Indiana Student)

Student Vote: Brock University Student Radio Levy (The Brock Press)

Editorial: Students Need to Use Their Voice and Vote on Upcoming Referendums (The Brock Press)

Awards

Smoke Radio Success at Student Radio Award Nominations (University of Westminster)

The post College Radio Watch: WUEV’s Murky Future, KFJC Broadcasts from Berlin and More News appeared first on Radio Survivor.