Radio Station Field Trip 18 - Flirt FM in Galway, Ireland

Flirt FM Entrance in August 2009

Last month I took a trip to Ireland and was particularly excited to check out the college radio scene there. It turns out that there are only 3 official, regularly broadcasting student radio stations in the entire country and that student radio is a relatively new phenomenon in Ireland. Unfortunately none of those three stations were broadcasting during the last 2 weeks of August; with two on summer break and one (Flirt FM) readying for a move to new digs.


Cheers to Flirt FM for welcoming me to their station, even though they were in the midst of a construction zone and were in a pre-move frenzy.

Located at National University of Ireland in Galway, Flirt FM went on the air in 1995. According to founding station manager Andrew Ó Baoill, the station "started as a student effort," whereas the other college stations in Ireland were initially less student-driven.


Thanks so much to Flirt FM's current station manager Paula Healy and Programme Controller Louise Clarke for touring me around the old station and talking to me about student radio in Ireland.

I stopped by for a visit on Thursday, August 27, 2009. It was summer break (although you wouldn't know it by the torrential rain) and the campus was fairly deserted except for construction crews feverishly working on various projects.

Offices at Flirt FM in August 2009

In order to reach Flirt FM I had to walk through a building and then go outside in order to navigate through a labyrinth of barbed wire fencing. Workers had to actually move a fence for me so that I could get to the station. These "old" digs for Flirt FM just happened to be adjacent to some of the major work being done on campus, making the station a bit inaccessible.

Poster Rolling and Cupcake Party at Flirt FM

A group of people were hanging out inside the Flirt FM offices rolling up posters in preparation for the beginning of the school year. Paula told me that they work really hard to get the word out about the station and she was particularly pleased that for the past two years they've been able to get posters in the hands of all 1st year students. She told me that it's really important for students to know that Flirt FM exists and that it's a "proper radio station."

With a pretty large broadcast range of about 15 miles in every direction (in an "egg shape"), Flirt FM has listeners from not only the campus, but also from the surrounding community.

Flirt FM-August 2009

Paula's been involved with Flirt FM off and on since 1998. She told me that she joined the campus "Radio Society" and was both shocked and happy to learn that there was a station on campus. She's been the official Station Manager since April 2007 and is driven by her love for both the station and for music.

According to Paula, the station exists not only to provide a service to listeners, but also to provide training for students. Like college stations in the U.S., it's primarily a station of volunteers (as many as 120).

Flirt FM- Notice the Burlap Walls and Color-Coded Mics/Chairs

Paula and Louise are the only paid staff members. According to their license, Flirt FM's emphasis is to be an alternative to mainstream radio. About 60% of their programming is music and 40% is talk. Within these categories, 15% of the music is supposed to be of Irish-origin and 20% of the talk should be current affairs programming.

Station Log

The Irish version of the FCC is called BCI (Broadcasting Commission of Ireland) and this regulatory agency grants licenses to stations and follows up to make sure that stations are living up to the terms of their contracts. Paula mentioned that the station had recently been audited, with the BCI listening to a 12 hour sample out of a week's worth of programming.


In terms of their schedule, Flirt FM broadcasts 20 hours a day on weekdays. Night-time is when their air "specialist music" beginning at 8pm. Paula told me that Monday nights are devoted to punk and metal, Tuesdays feature indie and alternative, Wednesday nights focus on "left field" or noise, Thursdays are dance music, techno, IDM, etc. and Friday nights are for "chill out" sounds like hip hop, soul, ska and reggae. Specialist shows are one hour in length and there are 20 different DJs filling those particular slots. At midnight they close the station and air repeats of shows that normally air from 4pm-8pm. Paula said that they hope to be a 24/7 station soon.

Flirt FM also airs some Irish language programming, including a music show, a magazine show and an Irish news headlines show. Paula mentioned that in the past they've also aired shows in other languages, including French and Polish, depending on the native language of station volunteers.

CD Library (Normally Locked)

What struck me as I took a look around was that Flirt FM doesn't have much in the way of a music library. When I asked about this, Paula unlocked the "little if ever" used collection of CDs to show me. They primarily play digital music (and have 60 to 70 gigabytes of ripped material on a computer) at the station and she said they used the "CDs as backup."

Flirt FM's Lone Piece of Vinyl

They have 2 "rarely used" turntables and no vinyl library. Paula told me that "even the DJs are getting away from" using vinyl. Although the station gets sent some music, they don't get any vinyl. She jokingly showed me the one 7" that they have at the station, telling me that they use it to test out the turntables.


For the most part DJs bring in their own music and it's primarily the news and talk-oriented shows that use the station's digitized music library. Paula told me that DJs aren't expected to play specific pieces of music from the station's library, although she creates a "playlist" every month in order to encourage people to check out new music that fits with the station's overall programming philosophy. According to Paula:

"I do the playlist up every month. DJs aren't expected to play from it like a playlisted radio station, it's there to provide people with backup if their music doesn't work, or of they're too busy doing news headlines to worry about the music choice.

It's also a way to get across to listeners the kind of thing that Flirt FM likes to play and champion. I try to have lots of Irish artists on it each month. Other stations (most of them, to be honest) rely on old classics or very obvious mainstream choices. The playlist is a way of setting out our agenda. And you can stream it too (not this month, unfortunately, as I'm too busy to do a new one)."

Student radio stations in Ireland are part of a larger community radio organization called CRAOL (Community Radio Forum of Ireland), which works to help stations organize and connect with one another. Through this group, Paula has organized a get-together for all the Irish student radio stations. "Craol Campus Connections" will be held at Flirt FM on October 17th and stations from Cork (Cork Campus Radio), Limerick (Wired FM), Belfast (Queens Radio), and Dublin (Belfield FM) are invited to attend.

According to Paula last year's conference (at Wired FM in Limerick) had about 50 attendees and featured sessions on promoting one's show, production, and Adobe audition. She plans to hold similar sessions this year and told me that she's excited to get to host in their new studios. Around 60 people are expected from Wired FM, Cork Campus Radio, Belfield FM, DCU FM, and Trinity FM.

Paula in the Old Flirt FM Studios
(in front of one of the many radio-themed paintings she's created)

As I mentioned, Flirt FM was off the air when I visited in preparation for their move to shiny new studios. As we walked around the old station, Paula pointed out things like the "potato sack" walls and talked about how she thinks the fancy new studio will give the station more prominence and will even help to boost station morale.

Although they are only moving one building over, the new space will be filled with campus societies (aka student clubs), so they will have more of a community there with other student organizations. Paula joked that her old office is being "replaced by a boiler," as others will be taking over the old station space.


The plan (when I was there) was to move the station in 5 days, so Paula had been busy buying new furniture and making sure that everything was ready to go in order to get back on the air. Generally they are not off the air during the summer (although they do cease broadcasting during Easter and Christmas breaks), so this was kind of a big deal for them.

Some of the Flirt FM Crew

The new station is 20% bigger than the old, with 2 full-sized studios, a "proper editing suite," a dedicated rack room, and an office for the managers. Paula was excited that they would finally have both air conditioning and their own bathroom.

Brand New Flirt FM Studios- September 2009

After my visit I checked in with Paula to see how the move went. She sent along some photos of the glitzy new space and told me that they are back on the air again as of this week.

Brand New Flirt FM Studios- September 2009

For now they're only on from 4pm to 4am with "repeats and pre-records," but she added, "we're inching closer to fully operational studios every day." When I asked if she had anything else to add, she said, "Student radio in Ireland has so much potential to be fantastic, and I'm exhausted!"

Brand New Flirt FM Studios- September 2009

Thanks again to Paula and Louise for their gracious hospitality during a truly crazy (and exciting) time at Flirt FM. Best of luck to them in their new studios.

Previous Spinning Indie Radio Station Field Trips:

Field Trip to WECB at Emerson College
College Radio Field Trip 2 - Cal Poly's KCPR
College Radio Field Trip 3 - Notre Dame's WVFI
Radio Station Field Trip 4 - WFMU in Jersey City
Radio Station Field Trip 5 - East Village Radio in NYC
Radio Station Field Trip 6 - WNYU in New York City
Radio Station Field Trip 7 - Northwestern's WNUR
Radio Station Field Trip 8 - Stanford's KZSU
Radio Station Field Trip 9 - University of San Francisco's KUSF
Radio Station Field Trip 10 - Santa Clara University Station KSCU
Radio Station Field Trip 11 - UC Berkeley's KALX
Radio Station Field Trip 12 - KSJS at San Jose State University
Radio Station Field Trip 13 - WBAR at Barnard College
Radio Station Field Trip 14 - KFJC at Foothill College
Radio Station Field Trip 15 - UC Santa Cruz Station KZSC
Radio Station Field Trip 16 - Haverford College Station WHRC
Radio Station Field Trip 17 - FCCFree Radio in San Francisco

A Global Look at Radio: 2009 Radio Conference Report by Nick Rubin

Main Buildings on the York Campus

I am SO disappointed to have missed a recent radio conference in Canada called The Radio Conference 2009: A Transnational Forum; but am super pleased that fellow DJ/radio scholar Nick Rubin was able to go and report back for Spinning Indie. Happening every other year (in changing locales) since 2001, this international conference brings together a wide range of radio scholars.

I met Nick (virtually) when I discovered that he had presented a paper about college radio at the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM) conference in 2008 and had him send me a copy of it so that I could write about it for Spinning Indie. We've been in touch ever since, as it's a very small group of us who write about college radio from an academic perspective (or from any perspective, really).

Huge thanks to Nick for his great insights about the July conference. It sounds like lots of good geeky radio scholar fun.

Here's his recap:


The Radio Conference 2009: A Transnational Forum

Conference Report by Nick Rubin

Hey y'all. My name's Nick Rubin and I'm a PhD student at the University of Virginia, working on a dissertation on college radio during the late-seventies/early eighties. I'm also a DJ at UVA's WTJU, and have worked at a few other college/community/public stations through the years.

Thanks to Jennifer for asking me to blog the conference; I've loved reading Spinning Indie, and I'm excited to be a contributor, in whatever minimal capacity. And if anybody reading this would be willing to share experiences/impressions of college radio in the late-seventies/early eighties, please contact me at nickrubin@virginia.edu.

Thanks.

The Radio Conference: A Transnational Forum was held July 26-30 at York University, in Toronto. Actually, it was on the extreme northern edge of Toronto, and the heart of the city was visible only as a thin, distant layer of smog. York itself was ringed by parking lots and several square blocks of brand-new, mostly-empty brownstones – the area was, in a word, uninviting.

But the remote locale facilitated a close-knit meeting, with radio scholars representing all continents besides Antarctica. A substantial contingent from Australia, New Zealand, and the UK led a nightly charge to the one nearby sports bar, and Anne McLennan of York's Media and Culture department made sure the panels ran on time. She also hooked us up with lunch and dinner each day. It sort of felt like summer camp.

The Southern View from York U

I attended this biennial conference in Lincoln, UK in 2007, and was struck then by the variety of topics addressed, partly attributable to the global provenance of the inquiries. In the U.S., music, news, and talk programming have long dominated the radioscape, shrinking our expectations along with our experiences - when’s the last time you turned on commercial radio and were genuinely surprised or bewildered by what you heard?

The medium’s possibilities dwarf its present implementation in the U.S., so it was useful to hear of radio as drama, as activism, as instruction, as propaganda. The papers suggested a multitude of directions not just for college radio scholars, but for college radio. How much are college stations testing the limits of terrestrial radio as an artistic medium? I've never done a show that wasn't spinning discs, so I can't claim to be pushing any boundaries – I'm just wondering…

Social Impact of Radio

Keynote speaker Michael Keith called for the faculty members present to teach more classes on social impact, laying out a litany of instances when radio made a difference in local politics or served as a voice for underrepresented groups. This made me wonder how much one could claim a social impact through musical programming. One interesting moment came when Keith told the crowd that college students might get interested in radio if we pointed out that these days, "radio" also means internet radio, podcasting, digital radio, etc.

I've gotta say this claim has never sat well with me, because it sounds vaguely misleading and because radio as I understand it (terrestrial radio) stands to lose out if it appears on a platter with all these other media. Andrew Dubber elegantly turned around Keith's assertion, offering "maybe we should say that broadcasting is more than just radio now." Right away, this sounded more intellectually honest while maintaining terrestrial radio as a unique endeavor – particularly valuable, irreplaceable even.

HD Radio in U.S., WFMU's Real-time Chat Rooms,
and What it Means to be a Radio Listener

That said, the most interesting papers I saw on the first day weren't about radio in this specific sense. Michael Huntsberger (Linfield College, Oregon) recounted the botching of HD radio in the U.S. context, expanding his purview to consider examples of "value-added" terrestrial radio, such as WFMU's real-time internet chatrooms, where listeners discuss the music on the air or more likely, something totally unrelated. Huntsberger paraphrased WFMU Manager Ken Freedman; the chatrooms are like a party where FMU provides the site and the music, and the guests can talk about whatever they're talking about.

It made me think of the ways that we conceive of our listeners and the way we intend our shows – are they meant as background or as close listening, for solitary listeners or groups? And it made me think of the ways that changing technologies have externally affected our modes of listening to radio; i.e., the existence of music streams on the internet makes us listen differently to a radio station, whether or not the station itself has a stream. Do we subconsciously acknowledge or respond to this as DJs, and how much should we even think about it?

African-American CB Radio Culture and Relation to College Radio

Angela Blake (Ryerson University, Toronto) examined African-American CB radio culture, a welcome reminder that the Citizens' Band comprised (and still comprises) more than just the working-class white truck drivers of seventies' lore. Blake linked African-American CB culture to games like the dozens and to hip hop emceeing, which on one hand seemed to reinscribe borders of black cultural activity, but on the other hand, located it in an unexpected site, causing a reevaluation of CB.

Blake's paper made me think of radio stations at traditionally-black colleges, and the way that these stations are often implicitly erased from "college radio" because of the way that the term is so casually equated with, you know, predominantly white kids spinning tunes by predominantly white musicians for a predominantly white audience. I know that "rock" is a contested field, but would applying "college rock radio" to the scenario just described remind us that it only represents one strain of college radio?

New British Invasion and College Radio

My paper was about the "New British Invasion" in the early eighties mainstream, and college radio's relation to the phenomenon. Briefly, when the synthpop bands started breaking huge here in the States (thanks in large part to MTV), there was a backlash from many angles: synthpop wasn't real rock; it was linked to the twin evils of disco and punk; the dudes wore makeup; etc. College stations had largely supported these bands as imports, but a self-image as gatekeepers to the underground led them to turn more to regional American scenes as the English bands hit the mainstream. There's a lot to tease out, but it sparked some interesting discussion, which was pretty exciting. I'll let y'all know if I publish it some day.

Also on my panel was a paper about the rise and fall of the "Alternative/ Modern Rock" format. The speaker's background included record promotion and commercial radio, as well as record promotion, and he was concerned with reviving the format, rather than analyzing what makes modern rock modern rock, which as a music head, I would have been really interested in. In any case, our papers dovetailed nicely, and (in a reverse echo of what I said at the beginning of this post), some of the folks there said it was nice to hear papers about music formats.

Radio History: 1930s Aboriginal Recordings, 1960s Pirate Radio in New Zealand, Commercial Radio in Canada in the 1970s-1990s, Finland Radio in the 1990s, etc.

The other papers hinted at the range of possibilities for radio scholarship – one examined the ethical issues of an expedition undertaken in the 1930s to record (and broadcast) aboriginal musical activity, and more importantly, of the efforts to repatriate the recordings with the source communities. Others recounted Radio Hauraki, New Zealand's 1960s pirate radio station; the shifting policies of the Canadian government to shape commercial radio programming from 1975-1990; the narrowcasting developments in the Finnish radioscape during the 1990s; and the neoliberal social sensibilities inculcated by This American Life.

The range of approaches and topics was pretty staggering, and suggested the vast intellectual space out there for radio scholarship. At the same time, I wondered about the audience for such inquiries, as radio's social impact – while remaining considerable – seems to have been far outstripped in the present context by "new social media" outlets. Radio folks are obviously interested in radio; can we convince communications departments and publishers that others are as well? The pessimistic view is that radio – including college radio – is in crisis; it's pretty much history. But isn't the crisis worth examining? What are the social, economic, and legal forces in play? What are the cultural ramifications?

There's plenty to talk (and write) about, as the Radio Conference proved. Thanks to Jennifer for asking me to report back to y'all.

Interview with College Radio Vet and "Kill the Music" Author Michael Plumides

I'm always on the lookout for college radio references in pop culture and some of the most interesting happen to be real life tales recounted in books.

A new book, Kill the Music: The Chronicle of a College Radio Idealist's Rock and Roll Rebellion in an Era of Intrusive Morality and Censorship, by Michael Plumides includes college radio as a backdrop. This time the location is South Carolina, the era is the late 1980s and early 1990s, and the affiliated radio station is WUSC-FM. Plumides was a DJ at WUSC and also ran the 4808 club, the site of an infamous incident at a GWAR show involving accusations of obscenity on the one hand and censorship on the other.

I interviewed Michael to learn a bit more about his book and how college radio figured in to the whole Charlotte/Columbia, South Carolina scene back in the day. In our email discussion he talks about his introduction to college radio in the 1980s, his DJ gig at the now defunct WLOZ (University of North Carolina, Wilmington) when it was a cable FM station (and after the station's infamous drug scandals), DJing at WUSC, the current state of college radio, censorship and music, and his "indie" approach to his new book Kill the Music.

On to the interview:


Spinning Indie: What drew you to college radio?

Michael Plumides: College radio. You know, I was always a big alternative music fan: The B-52’s, REM, The Ramones, The Cars, Flying Lizards, Thompson Twins, English Beat, and Talking Heads. Problem was that my hometown of Charlotte, NC, did not and still doesn’t have a true college radio station.

In the early eighties, while in high school, I used to listen to a station at Davidson, the call letters were WDAV-FM; and they had a “college radio hour”, but aired only on Saturday around midnight. WFAE-FM was originally assigned, and licensed to UNC-Charlotte and played easy listening, classical, and big band. WFAE had shows like “Night Moods” playing cool jazz tunes by Earl Klugh, David Sanborn, and Sade, but it was never run by students, and was too adult for my sensibilities.

Anyway, I went down to Atlanta in June of 1983 to see a B-52’s show, but we stopped off in Athens to pick up a friend. That was the first time I heard college radio. WUOG-FM. I was hooked. It was new and it wasn’t Duran Duran. So, when I started college at University of South Carolina in the fall of that year, I tuned in daily to WUSC-FM, when they had just upped their range to 3000 kilowatts. Before then, I had to resort to the back pages of Rolling Stone Magazine to find my music; it seemed to be the tabloid of record for the period.

Eventually, WFAE was moved to Uptown Charlotte, and now is primarily an NPR station. Some students were up in arms. Their position was that WFAE had been high-jacked by the city, and believed that the station had actually belonged to UNCC, where I went to summer school one semester. In an effort to compromise with students interested in establishing a “student run” radio station in the early nineties, the SGA entertained the idea of starting a new station, but insisted on a student poll to determine the future radio station’s format. The verdict? Top 40. Students lost interest.



Spinning Indie: Tell me a bit about the first station where you DJ'd and when you were there?

Michael: The WLOZ-FM station, originally broadcast from UNCW on 91.3 (now public radio WHQR's frequency) before being shut down by administrators in 1983 because of a drug scandal. Supposedly, the student broadcasters called out to their dope smoking customers on-air, using code language to indicate that certain packages had arrived. The death knell came when a deejay took a bong hit while broadcasting.

In the mid-eighties, WLOZ returned as "cable radio station," requiring a special hookup to your cable TV. You had to go to Radio Shack and buy this coaxial antennae device to rig to your receiver. Needless to say, we had a deeply disturbed following. I was in on the “Cable FM” incarnation (90.9) in 1985 and 1986, where I acquired my first FCC license, and then I transferred back to USC. For a time in the late '90s, WLOZ broadcast an extremely weak signal on 89.1 FM that could more or less only be heard on campus. That station ceased functioning in 2001. I understand they’re now a net broadcast.

Spinning Indie: When did you join WUSC and what years were you there?

Michael: I joined WUSC in September of 1986, and I was there through May of 1988, and was Promotions Director for my last year there. They paid me $18 every two weeks. That’s an extra few beer cases every month. Bonus.

Spinning Indie: How did WUSC compare with WLOZ?

Michael: WUSC-FM was very organized, and had recently been celebrated as one of the “Tastemakers” in Rolling Stone Magazine circa October 1986 in the “College Issue.” WLOZ was a good springboard experience for me and taught me my way around a control room. Speaking of which, the one advantage of WLOZ’s control room was it was brand spanking new, and WUSC’s control room was a little more “lived in.” It’s still the same, with some minor changes.

But WUSC was established and very connected. We had deejays moonlighting for Capitol Records, and some got tons of payola, which later became a no-no in college radio. I was fortunate in that when I transferred back to USC, I had radio experience and I was personable. That worked for and against me. But I bypassed all the bull shit that a lot of other trainees had to go through. I guess it was easy for me, and it wasn’t supposed to be.


Spinning Indie: What role did WUSC play in the music community of Charlotte when you were there as both a DJ and a club owner?

Michael: As I mention in the book, “Columbia and Charlotte were only 90 miles apart but they might as well have been a million miles away from each other.” But I would occasionally drive to Charlotte to interview bands at the old Coliseum. Some of the bands performing there, usually the opening acts, were getting airplay in Columbia that no one would touch in “The Queen City” on our station.

WUSC was a fixture in Columbia, SC, by the time I started working there. The station had “partnerships” with certain clubs and bars in town, albeit unofficially. Saved the venues a lot of add dollars. But I think that WUSC was an intricate part of the University. I think it’s a necessary function at any major learning institution to have a college radio station. I think a college radio station adds legitimacy, just as much as a good football or basketball team. Well, at least as much legitimacy as a decent soccer team.

Spinning Indie: In your book you write a bit about conflicts and politics at WUSC and how you were accused of breaking FCC rules even though you had an aircheck that proved otherwise. What did most DJs think of station rules/enforcement at the time?

Michael: Interestingly, my own college radio station, WUSC, has not embraced my book, refusing to interview me on two separate occasions. I guess they’ve taken offense to some of my insights. What I don’t understand is, I was very kind to WUSC-FM in KILL THE MUSIC, and the only scathing commentary in the book refers to the “Fat chicks in black” who abused their positions of authority twenty years ago. There again, Bruce Dickenson of Iron Maiden, took offense personally to the film “Spinal Tap.” Go figger.

The way I see it, some rules are meant to be bent, and others broken. And I was always a “push the envelope” kind of guy. I think I provoked some of the more timid guys to grow some balls and stand up for themselves, because everyone was sick of the Gestapo tactics. In that sense, I may have represented a threat to their system. Maybe I still do. I don’t know. I’m a little far removed from their Cheney-esque, behind-closed-doors decisions. I refer to their politics in the book, where the conniving reminded me of “witches peering over a cauldron of defiance and absurdity” and their plotting and plundering was reminiscent of “Macbeth.”

Spinning Indie: Do you think the 1980s were the heyday of college radio?

Michael: Some refer to that period as the “heyday” of college radio. I think that it may have been, because of college radio’s diversity. College radio created nineties commercial radio. Had it not been for the advances in programming established by college radio, and documented by CMJ, and other media, the Nirvana-era induced alt. rock explosion would have never happened.

At the time, we were playing Bad Brains, Black Flag, and The Replacements, “Left of the Dial” along with Depeche Mode, Sisters of Mercy, and Jane’s Addiction; all landmark bands. I remember us playing Guns-N-Roses way before anyone. The same with Metallica, Motorhead, and Megadeth. That whole metal era was first embraced by college radio. Now college radio has metamorphed into something else. I can’t put my finger on it, or pigeon-hole it, but definitely more “Americana” than before.

Spinning Indie: Do you still listen to college radio? What stations do you admire?

Michael: College radio was more versatile then, than it is today. A lot less eclectic. I think the trend for college radio now is to focus more on the rootsy sound, similar to WNCW-FM, which services Asheville, NC, and surrounding regions, now even Charlotte. They’ve been big supporters of my book. I recently did an interview there, and they have the podcast up on their website.

WNCW isn’t a true college radio station either, but they’ve managed to balance NPR news broadcasts with Wilco, Zappa, and the Avett Brothers. They even simulcasted from Bonnaroo this year, and are funded primarily by private donations. Due to budget cuts, WNCW is struggling a little. I’ve offered to do anything I can to help.


Spinning Indie: Do you think that the incident that you experienced at your club with the GWAR show could happen today? Why or why not?

Michael: Censorship has a way of popping up in the oddest places. There’s legislation introduced before the City Council of Chicago right now to require all hard rock promoters to purchase an expensive license, in order to promote even the smallest shows. Green Day’s new album 21st Century Breakdown was banned from Walmart.

I read recently in The Charlotte Observer that parents were in an uproar in North Carolina about a semi-nude rendering in a recent issue of the DC comic, Batman, a mother purchased at the public library. NC’s film industry was recently scuttled after clamor from the right to review all scripts before films can receive subsidies from the state. The Fed blamed Marilyn Manson for the Columbine Massacre. There are forces at work trying to censor porn on the internet.

Yes, I believe what happened with GWAR could happen again. Americans need villains, to call attention away from their own inequities. And as long as there is sensationalized ‘yellow’ journalism out there to “exploit so you will consume,” there will always be people up in arms about something or another. It gives them purpose. Rock and Roll has always been an easy target, and they come at you when you least expect it.

Spinning Indie: Anything else?

Michael: KILL THE MUSIC will be available in Kindle format August 10, 2009, and right now Anne Saunders, my editor and partner and I are working on our marketing strategies for the upcoming second edition. The book will have an excerpt featured in the fall issue of BLURT Magazine, and soon thereafter we hope to have KILL THE MUSIC in major bookstores such as Barnes and Noble, and Borders nationwide. It's presently being sold in various stores throughout the southeast: Charlotte, Columbia, and Atlanta, as well as on-line at Amazon.com, Target.com, and Alibris.com.

We've done the whole thing "indie" in every sense of the word; very grass roots, and so far, the reception has been great. Even some talks about a film based on the book. So, something that caused me disgrace and misery many years ago, as illustrated in the book, is now getting me noticed as a writer. Probably the most ironic thing I can think of in all this is, I failed typing.


Thanks so much to Michael Plumides for sharing his tales about college radio. My favorite quote from the interview is something that I'll have to dig up the next time I'm asked why college radio is so important:

"I think it’s a necessary function at any major learning institution to have a college radio station. I think a college radio station adds legitimacy, just as much as a good football or basketball team. Well, at least as much legitimacy as a decent soccer team."

I wish Michael luck on his book tour!

Radio Station Field Trip 17 - FCCFreeRadio in San Francisco

On Monday I had the opportunity to check out a brand new low power FM (LPFM) radio station in San Francisco called FCCFreeRadio.

Located in a secret South of Market (SOMA) location, FCCFreeRadio is a micropower community radio station (they shy away from the term "pirate radio") that is broadcasting both online and at 107.3 FM without a license from the FCC. According to their website they believe that the U.S. government has granted emergency authority for broadcasters to operate without a license during time of war, including the current "war against terrorism."

Board at FCCFreeRadio

The station has been on the air since January 24th, 2009, although the studios have only been recently built. The first live show from the current studio took place on May 30th.

It was exciting to visit such a new station and it's encouraging to me that there are people who believe in radio so strongly that they are willing to start up a new terrestrial station. Thanks so much to General Manager John Miller and Program Director John Hell for taking the time to show me around their new digs.

John Hell and John Miller

Both John Miller and John Hell are enthusiastic supporters of radio and have extensive broadcast experience. Between the two of them they have worked in college radio, community radio at LPFM stations (they were both at Pirate Cat Radio in San Francisco), commercial radio, and in Internet broadcasting.

They both began DJing when they were teens. John Miller started at commercial station KWNE in Ukiah and had his trial by fire when he had to stand in for the regular DJ (who was stuck in jail). He said that from then on he "got hooked" on radio and eventually became inspired by comedy, then Internet broadcasting. He's been involved with many stations since then, including a gig at All Comedy Radio on KPHX 1250AM in Phoenix which aired on 271 stations globally (including South Africa). Additionally, he's been the technical brains being a variety of stations and helped to set up a new LPFM station in Arizona: KWSS. Along with John Hell he helped Pirate Cat Radio build their new studio as well.

John Hell's DJ career started with him spinning tunes at the Ice Capades ice skating rink in Foster City. He went on to DJ at weddings and events, worked at college stations KCSM and KFJC (where he DJ'd for nearly 10 years under the moniker The Reverend Dah Wave), and was part of the crew that started Radio Free Burning Man before he joined SF Liberation Radio and Pirate Cat Radio.


John Miller told me that he'd always dreamed of doing comedy radio in the San Francisco Bay Area and was inspired by the morning show hosted by Alex Bennett back in the 1980s and 1990s on a series of stations including KMEL, KQAK and Live 105. Bennett's show at the time (he's now on Sirius satellite radio) was characterized by a regular stable of comedian guests and a live audience. John's passion for comedy comes through in the current lineup of programming on FCCFreeRadio. He's hosting a morning show that's in the spirit of the old Alex Bennett show and has a programmer on staff who is dedicated to filling the comedy shifts.


Currently FCCFreeRadio is working to recruit DJs and fill up its 2-hour shifts. They have 17 hosts and 16 shows right now in addition to John Miller's weekday morning show (Monday to Friday from 6-10am) with comedian Susan Maletta. When there is no live DJ the station runs automated music programming culled from top hits of the past several decades. John Hell was quick to point out that the automated programming is a temporary solution and isn't necessarily reflective of the more adventurous airsound that they are going for with live DJs. They hope to eventually provide live programming 24 hours a day, but for now are focusing on filling up drive-time shifts. To get a sense of some of the music programming, take a look at John Hell's archived playlists on his website.


Most of the DJs at the station have extensive radio experience already, so on-air training is pretty limited. To get a show, people are required to submit a proposal and upon approval they are trained on the equipment and given a run-down on the short list of rules (don't swear, play station promos, say the station name, and give out the studio number).

DJs at FCCFreeRadio are expected to pay monthly dues and attend monthly staff meetings. Those with music shows must bring their own music since there is no music library. Currently the studio supports the playback of CDs, mp3s, and music from laptops. John Hell told me that any money left over from staff dues will get used for projects at the station, including studio improvements like new equipment and better soundproofing. Being a low budget operation, they are also soliciting help from listeners in the form of underwriting, equipment donations, and real estate (do you live atop a mountain? they need a better spot for their transmitter).


Even with their limited resources and space, FCCFreeRadio has already taken on some interesting projects, including a live remote from a nearby auditorium. DJs regularly have in-studio guests, ranging from musicians to comedians to artists.

In my interviews with John and John I learned more about the mission of FCCFreeRadio, where they fit in to the overall radio landscape in San Francisco, and why they chose a slot on the commercial side of the dial:


Spinning Indie: What's the overall mission of your station?

John Miller: I would say to your question to the over all mission of FCCFREERADIO is to provide a place for community radio. All the staff will be doing something each week that will link their show to the community. We are putting the local back into radio.

John Hell: This is something that is ever evolving, but I know it's safe to say that part of our mission is to serve the SF community that we broadcast out of. We want to pay attention to the concerns of the neighborhood, and we strive towards being a voice for those in the neighborhood that have no voice. With that being said, we also believe that music programming should be challenging as well. We don't believe that we should be playing the "hits," from any genre or era. There are plenty of other stations in the bay area that are doing this.

We've asked the staff to take the next few weeks to think about the mission. We plan on putting it in writing and on our website within a few months. Check back.



Spinning Indie: How do you differentiate yourselves from other low power, community, and college radio stations?

John Miller: Well this question is one that I have never thought about, at least to the point that should matter. I have built a LPFM because I was without a home for my program. That's where it started... after that I am just running a station like I would run any other LPFM station. I just want my hosts to be on the top of their game, with all hosts working each week to do better for themselves and their programs.

John Hell: There is plenty of room in this largely populated and diverse bay area for many non-commercial, LPFM's. Our station is personality driven. Most of our staffers have at least 10 years radio experience; many have over 20 years experience. John Miller and I have a passion for radio as done in the days of KMPX/KSAN's "Big Daddy" Tom Donahue, KYA's Emperor Gene Nelson and Bob Mitchell; and of course the King of Pirate Radio, Wolfman Jack.

FCCFreeRadio's show log

Spinning Indie: Were you influenced/inspired by any existing radio stations?

John Miller: Well, all but 2 morning hosts are gone from the airwaves in SF. I grew up to Alex Bennett for my morning show (My program The John Miller Program with Susan Maletta has the foundation of The Alex Bennett Program with Lisa Thompson.) From KOME.... Dennis Erectus, One of the kings of working the FCC.

From KSJO Lamont and Tonelli. They have somehow been on the air in the Bay Area for over 25 years. I am personal friends with both and back in the day helped with live remotes when I could.

Last, well maybe not the last, but the last for this list...Tom Leykis. He owned afternoon drive for years and before they put him on FM he owned AM. Shame to see the talent of yesteryear not on the air.

John Hell: I was influenced by the '80s morning show of Frazer Smith, of KLOS in LA, and M. Dung of KFOG. Dung also hosted the Sunday Night Idiot Show, which he would sometimes do live at Wolfgang's (owned by the late rock impresario Wolfgang Bill Graham). I would attend those live shows as often as I could.

View into a Phantom Studio

Spinning Indie: Can you explain a bit more about how you selected 107.3 FM?

John Miller: Well I did not want to be down in the basement so I have always been on the upper side of the dial doing my radio program. So with that I went looking and found 107.3 FM was open for San Francisco proper. With that I liked being between CBS's KCBS and Cumulus station The Bone. Both huge stations with a very broad group that tune in.

The Ubiquitous Radio Station Couch

Thanks again to John Miller and John Hell for showing me around FCCFreeRadio. And kudos to them for believing in the power of local radio!


Previous Spinning Indie Radio Station Field Trips:

Field Trip to WECB at Emerson College
College Radio Field Trip 2 - Cal Poly's KCPR
College Radio Field Trip 3 - Notre Dame's WVFI
Radio Station Field Trip 4 - WFMU in Jersey City
Radio Station Field Trip 5 - East Village Radio in NYC
Radio Station Field Trip 6 - WNYU in New York City
Radio Station Field Trip 7 - Northwestern's WNUR
Radio Station Field Trip 8 - Stanford's KZSU
Radio Station Field Trip 9 - University of San Francisco's KUSF
Radio Station Field Trip 10 - Santa Clara University Station KSCU
Radio Station Field Trip 11 - UC Berkeley's KALX
Radio Station Field Trip 12 - KSJS at San Jose State University
Radio Station Field Trip 13 - WBAR at Barnard College
Radio Station Field Trip 14 - KFJC at Foothill College
Radio Station Field Trip 15 - UC Santa Cruz Station KZSC
Radio Station Field Trip 16 - Haverford College Station WHRC

College Radio's Role in '90s SF Music Scene

College radio stations are often inextricably linked the music scenes of their surrounding communities. It's pretty cool to see that acknowledged in a San Francisco Bay Guardian article from 2003. It just got on my radar today, as the blog Squirrel Antics posted a quote from that piece about the SF music scene centered around the Mission District. In the article, author Josh Wilson (as mentioned below, a KUSF DJ) gives credit to San Francisco Bay Area college radio stations for their role in supporting indie music. The Bay Guardian piece states:

"Though the '90s-era Mission was home to a thriving community, it did not occur in a vacuum. Tangential happenings and institutions flourished, part of a confluence of and infrastructure for homegrown, urban, do-it-yourself creativity. KFJC, KALX, KZSU, and KUSF (where this writer DJs) delivered the emerging soundtrack of the era to Bay Area listeners starved for adventurous music. Burning Man was still a lawless punk-pyro and machine-art utopia, and San Francisco Art Institute superheroine Warrior Girl's 24-Hour Community Spacewalk orchestrated a colossal, simultaneous display of interactive, round-the-clock art, music, and performance on dozens of street corners in the Mission and South of Market for two years running. Nowhere, however, were things as concentrated as in the Mission."

For any of you who lived in San Francisco in the 1990s, the Bay Guardian article is a nice bit of nostalgia; with its mentions of seminal bands and classic clubs. I certainly have fond memories of shows at Komotion, Kilowatt, and the Chameleon and a sense of pride for the amazing bands coming out of SF at the time.

College and Community Radio Tidbits - 1980s College Radio Nostalgia and Community Radio Station Crisis in Colombia

1980s College Radio Nostalgia

The recent NY Times piece on college radio certainly generated some commentary, including a blog post on My Aimz Is True about the writer's connection to college radio in the 1980s and 1990s and how it helped shape her music taste and turned her on to songs by They Might Be Giants, the Smiths and Husker Du. She writes:

"College radio had a huge influence on developing my musical tastes in the 1980s and early 90s. Growing up in small town Wisconsin, I listened to WRST from the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh. They even let some of my high school friends DJ, usually at 4a.m. on Thursdays. My only other source of alternative music came from friends who had older siblings in college, and they passed on what they heard at their local college stations to we high school underlings."

Community Radio Station in Colombia Under Siege
Non-commercial radio faces many obstacles in the U.S., mainly over struggles about funding, volunteer involvement, and connecting with an audience. But, imagine, if your station was under siege by outside groups, and was repeatedly vandalized. A post on the MAMA Radio blog talks about a community radio station in Colombia whose transmissions have been compromised due to vandalism and equipment theft. By the way, the author of this blog, Mario Murillo, is a Hofstra professor and radio veteran (WBAI, NPR, WHRU at Hofstra) currently working in Colombia. He's also involved with college radio in Columbia at radio station Javeriana Estereo.

CMJ New Music Marathon Then and Now

It's the end of Day Two of the CMJ New Music Marathon (it feels like more!) and all of a sudden tons of memories are coming back from my three other trips to CMJ...way back in the early days of college radio. Here's a little comparison of then and now, based on my sketchy memories of past events.

Guitar in Lobby - 2008

CMJ in the 1980s:

In 1987 I was one of the Music Directors of WHRC (AM carrier current radio station at Haverford College in Pennsylvania) and I was SO excited to be taking a trip to New York City for CMJ. It was my very first trip to New York and a number of us traveled together and shared a tiny hotel room at the Roosevelt Hotel where the conference was being held. Back then, CMJ was held even closer to Halloween and I remember seeing costumed revelers in the Village.

In 1988 I trekked to NYC all by myself, as nobody else at the station wanted to go. Crazy, huh? Being an impoverished college student, I finagled lodging by staying with a high school friend's sister in SOHO. She was just out of college, working her first job as an investment banker. She wore fancy suits and it all seemed so high powered and exciting. I remember that she was kind of shocked that I was brave enough to go to shows by myself.

During those CMJ conferences in the 1980s, I remember the exhibit hall being packed with record label reps, sitting behind tables laden down with piles of vinyl, cassette tapes (anyone else remember Jim Clevo's compilations of Cleveland bands?), and occasionally CDs. After each conference, I came home with plastic bags full of heavy 12" vinyl LPs and cassettes. I also picked up some of my very first CDs at CMJ, including a tiny Kid Creole and the Coconuts CD.

I went to see Fishbone at the Cat Club one year, saw rap pioneer Schoolly D, and also saw bands at CBGBs and The Bitter End. Our CMJ badges also allowed free admission to dance clubs. I remember vividly going to the Palladium in 1987 and we all got in with our fake IDs crafted from our official radio station staff cards. The place was packed with older sleazy guys hitting on underage girls, so it probably wasn't the best choice.

I don't remember too much about the panels, other than than a great panel about the role of women (and sexism) in heavy metal music. I also have flashes of labels like SST and Homestead being panel members...but I could be wrong.

CMJ in the 1990s:

In 1996 I was Assistant Music Director at WBGU (Bowling Green State University, Ohio). Four of us flew to New York from Toledo to go to the conference. Again, since we were all very poor, we all crashed in one hotel room together. I remember it being kind of creepy to share a room with 3 guys in their 20s who were sort of like co-workers. In 1996, CMJ was held in early September and at the Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center. They had some pretty major keynote presentations (Patti Smith?) that year in a large auditorium. I also saw the amazing film "Hype" (about the frenzy surrounding Seattle after "grunge" became a commodity) as part of the festival.

In terms of the shows in 1996, I hit several label showcases around town featuring artists on Matador (including Cat Power) and Lookout! Records (probably bands like The Smugglers, Hi-5s, and the Donnas at the club Coney Island High). One of my favorite shows was Cold Cold Hearts at The Cooler in the Meat Packing District. Despite the name of the club, it had to have been the most swelteringly hot show that I've ever been too. Regardless, they were awesome, and, I think some of their parents were even in the audience.

CMJ in 2008:


So, what's different today? This year CMJ is at NYU in Greenwich Village and takes place from Tuesday through Saturday, making for a very full week of music and events. As in the past, there are still panels (although keynotes seem to have gone by the wayside), tons of shows (at more than 40 locations today), and lots of schmoozing. As in the olden days, there are still musicians without badges hovering near the entrance to the conference, hoping to hand off their music to an influential label exec or radio programmer (and now you can add blogger to that mix).



In 2008, CMJ has definitely grown in scale. It's longer, larger, and has expanded to include a film festival in addition to the music fest. And, most notably, sponsors have hit CMJ in full force. The exhibitor room this year had booths featuring various products, including energy drinks, tools for musicians, music organizations, and a few regional organizations working to promote music from different countries (Ireland on one table, Western Australia on another). I wonder why the record labels don't exhibit anymore?

In the next few days I'll do posts specifically focused on some of the panels at CMJ, including tomorrow's "College Radio Day." I'll also give highlights of the shows that I attended and will do separate posts on my New York radio station field trips.

BlazeRadio Playlist from Today's XMU "Student Exchange Program"

Today college radio station WBLZ (aka BlazeRadio) from University of Alabama-Birmingham made its first appearance on satellite radio station XMU. For their stint on the "Student Exchange Program," the Internet-only station dusted off both new hits (Fleet Foxes, Raconteurs) and college radio classics like Dinosaur Jr., Fugazi, Joy Division, Pavement, The Pixies and Sonic Youth. Kudos to them for mixing things up a bit with the old and the new.

According to an article in University of Alabama student newspaper, The Kaleidoscope, the General Manager of BlazeRadio caught a bit of "the Student Exchange Program" one day and then decided to contact them about being on the show. Within a few months, BlazeRadio got their wish, so it certainly sounds like interested stations should contact XMU. You could be next!

BlazeRadio hopes that their satellite radio debut might help to increase student interest and involvement in the station. The article states,

"Raising campus awareness about Blazeradio has been no easy task in the past. The station has previously seen a decline in staff, due to lack of interest in volunteer positions, until now.

'We’re currently working on filling the DJ schedule, and this has been going great. We hope that with our new advertising campaign, the upcoming XMU broadcast and increasing working relationships with all groups on campus, we can increase our listenership and bring Blazeradio into the spotlight as one of the best college Internet radio stations in the nation,' [General Manager Lonnie] Goldberg said."

Coming up next Sunday, October 5, 2008 (1pm Pacific/4pm Eastern on XMU channel 43) is another new station for XMU: Villanova University's WXVU-FM.


Blaze Radio (University of Alabama-Birmingham)
"Student Exchange Program" Playlist
09/28/08


The White Stripes - The Hardest Button To Button – Elephant
Dinosaur Jr. – Been There All The Time – Beyond
Sonic Youth – Kool Thing – Goo
LCD Soundsystem – Tribulations – LCD Soundsystem

Civet – Pay Up – Hell Hath No Fury
The Pixies – Head On – Trompe le Monde
My Morning Jacket – Anytime – Okonokos
The Chemical Brothers – In Began In Afrika – Come With Us
Fugazi – Cashout – The Argument

Be Your Own Pet – The Kelly Affair – Get Awkward
Bif Naked – Nothing Else Matters – Superbeautifulmonster
Brazilian Girls – Jique – Talk To la Bomb
Damone – Out Here All Night – Out Here All Night

Joy Division – No Love Lost – Substance
Pavement – Conduit For Sale! – Slanted And Enchanted
Fleet Foxes – Blue Ridge Mountains – Fleet Foxes
Girl In A Coma – In The Background – Both Before I’m Gone

The Raconteurs – Many Shades Of Black – Consolers Of The Lonely
Kerli – Love Is Dead – Love Is Dead
Elbow – Red – Asleep In The Back

The Rolling Stones – Paint It, Black – Live Licks
Shiny Toy Guns – You Are The One – We Are Pilots
Radiohead – Idioteque – I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings

Pennsylvania College Radio Love by Former Teen Metalhead

The cover story of The Weekender this week lauds the importance of college radio in its home zone of Northeastern Pennsylvania. In his editorial lead-in, "Turn on, Tune in, or Lose out Words," Michael Lello writes about his love for college radio and his nostalgia after finding an old cassette tape that he'd recorded off of a college radio metal show when he was in high school. He writes:

"...When I was in an almost-obsessive metal phase during my high-school years, I found out about 'Metal Monday,' a show on WCLH, 90.7 FM, Wilkes University’s radio station. I would always have some blank cassettes at the ready on Monday after school in case a DJ played something I wanted to keep...

...it’s fairly reasonable to conclude that I put together this little collection of songs in 1992. I was 15 years old. Why is any of this important? Well, it may sound a bit odd that a 15-year-old kid was listening to a college radio station. But it’s not that out if the ordinary. And not understanding (or understanding and not caring) that many listeners are adventurous and curious is one of the reasons commercial radio has become so out of touch...

But you don’t have to eat from the same trough. There have always been new and unique flavors out there, thanks to college radio, and more recent additions, namely satellite radio and online streaming. Campus radio has long been one of the most innovative and refreshing outlets for new and overlooked music, and these stations are more important now than ever, as many commercial stations dig in, cut budgets and refuse to take risks..."

In the cover article, "Academic Airwaves," he writes:

"Scanning the lower-frequency end of the FM band, you came across a punk or metal song you’ve never heard before. You were intrigued and waited until the DJ told you the name of the artist. Or during a road trip, frustrated with the numbing and repetitive sameness of the radio landscape, you pressed the seek button until your index finger got sore, begging for something different to keep you awake, until something fresh caught your ear. If this sounds familiar, you’ve listened to college radio."

He goes on to spotlight the following local college radio stations in Northeastern Pennsylvania:

WSFX 89.1 and 105.5 FM (Luzerne County Community College, Nanticoke, PA)

The article includes a quote from WSFX's Music Director Pat Yurista, who says, "'We base our music off the nationwide magazine, the CMJ New Music Report.'" Pat continues, saying, "...'A lot of new bands use that as a launching pad, but you’ll also see Coldplay and the Foo Fighters on there. We also get in touch with local and nationwide record companies to get them to promote their music. We’ll take the time to listen to the CD, and if it’s good enough, we will play it.'"

VMFM 91.7 FM (Marywood University, Scranton, PA)

The format of this station is college alternative, with some exceptions. According to the article,

"There is room for variation, though, explained Brian Johnson, VMFM’s program director, including a weekly country show, a metal and hard rock show called 'Mayhem Til Midnight' and a Top 10 show, which combines songs on the CMJ charts with VMFM’s own most-played 'currents,' or newly added tracks. Some of the songs VMFM works into its rotation can also be heard and seen on shows like MTV2’s 'Subterranean.'"

WRKC 88.5 FM (King's College, Wilkes Barre, PA)

WRKC is a 440 watt station at King's College that's been around since 1942. According to their website, "WRKC programming includes alternative, hardcore, punk, emo, Christian country, blues, gospel, electronic, dancehall, reggae, Triple A, alt country and rpm."

The article in The Weekend points out that on the station,"...you can catch 'Smooth Jams' — a show that juxtaposes aggressive hard rock and metal with soothing, smooth-talking DJs — or even the 'Radio Home Visitor,' in which the Rev. Tom Carten reads community news to the visually impaired."

Cougar Radio (Misericordia University, Dallas, PA)

According to the article, Misericordia College's station "...debuted...on the university’s campus cable system before it began streaming online a year ago..." and "...is working on re-establishing the station online."