Radio Station Visit #131 - WUVA at University of Virginia

Old WUVA promotion spotted at the station. Photo: J. Waits

The descendant of a carrier current radio station that launched at University of Virginia in 1947, WUVA celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2017. Now in the final moments as a commercial FM station operated by WUVA, Inc., the station is being sold, with proceeds being used to fund WUVA's online news operation.

See my full report from my March, 2017 tour on Radio Survivor.

Radio Station Field Trip 86 - WHBC at Howard University

Mural outside WHBC. Photo: J. Waits

While in Washington, D.C. this April, I was able to visit a few nearby college radio stations. First up was Howard University's student-run radio station WHBC. The sister station to Howard's commercial radio station WHUR-FM, WHBC offers students mentorships with WHUR peers, while giving them the opportunity to run their own station online, via WHUR's HD3 signal, and over campus cable.

Read my full report on Radio Survivor.

Radio Station Field Trip 58 - WHRB at Harvard University

WHRB logo on wall at station. Photo: J. Waits

During my trip to Boston earlier this month, the second station that I visited was WHRB 95.3 FM at Harvard University. I was interested to check it out for many reasons, including the fact that it's one of the handful of college radio stations that holds a commercial FM license (I've visited one other - WPGU in Champaign, IL). As it turns out, it was one of my more surprising station field trips, as WHRB has many different, diverse identities.

Radio Station Field Trip 36 - WIBN in Oxford, Indiana

WIBN sign (Photo: J. Waits)

During the family vacation portion of my trip to the midwest this summer, we took a drive from Chicago to Turkey Run State Park in Indiana. Along the way back to Chicago on the afternoon of Thursday, August 2, we traversed through small towns off the main highway.

Ode to Dan Patch on Oxford, Indiana water tower (Photo: J. Waits)

In the town of Oxford, Indiana, I was mesmerized by the mysterious "Dan Patch 1:55" sign atop a roof. As we drove through the town square, my husband spotted a sign for a radio station. We continued on our way and stopped to take a look at a Dan Patch tribute along the side of the road (it turns out that he was a horse made famous for a record-breaking 1:55 minute mile). After we'd solved the Dan Patch mystery, my mind turned back to the radio station that we'd just passed. Promising my family that it would be a quick trip, I asked them if it would be OK if we stopped by the radio station to see if anyone was there. They surprisingly agreed.    

Radio Station Field Trip 30 - KCNL, KSJO, and KLOK in San Jose

Outside KLOK, KCNL, KSJO headquarters in San Jose

(All photos by Jennifer Waits)

Back in February I received an email with an intriguing offer of internships for college students interested in working in radio. The attached flyer stated,  

"Hey radio junkies! Want to host your own radio show? Buzz Radio FM is looking for new DJ’s in San Jose! No experience needed. Pick and choose your own style of music, program, and/or show. Reserve your preferred time slot NOW! For as little as $30 per hour!" 

It turned out that the station, Buzz FM, was affiliated with commercial radio station KCNL 104.9 FM in San Jose. With my curiosity piqued by this offer, I scheduled a visit to KCNL to learn more about their radio operations and to find out how college radio DJs could get on the air at their station. 

On the afternoon of February 21, 2012, I trekked down to the San Jose headquarters for commercial radio station KCNL and its sister stations KLOK and KSJO. The non-nondescript mid-20th century building housing the stations is located in the historic KLOK building in southeast San Jose. Adjacent to the building is a large field containing radio equipment, satellite dishes, and towers, with a view of the nearby foothills. 

A 25th anniversary plaque from 1971 at the entrance to the building reads, "On October 13, 1946 E.L. Barker, founder of KLOK radio began his 'birth of a station.' The first broadcast on 1170 KCS was with a 5kw signal for daytime only." According to the plaque, Barker sold KLOK to Davis Broadcasting in 1967 and in 1969, "KLOK radio became the most powerful standard broadcasting station in the entire Santa Clara County with a signal increase to 50kw daytime."

Today, KCNL, KLOK (still at 1170 AM), and KSJO (92.3 FM) are owned by Principle Broadcasting Network, a "portfolio holding company" for Mercury Capital Partners. Principle bought these three stations between 2009 and 2011 and according to the Mercury Capital Partners website, the stations are run using a "ethnic brokered time business model." Through this model, they lease out airtime to "various ethnic groups who have traditionally been disenfranchised from gaining access to the kinds of mainstream media broadcast properties which Principle owns." Currently they lease airtime on KCNL to the Hispanic community, rent airtime on KSJO to the Chinese community, and sell airtime on KLOK to the Asian Indian community.

Buzz FM Studio at KCNL

(Photo: J. Waits)

In addition to leasing airtime over traditional FM and AM airwaves, Principle has also been establishing separate radio brands on various HD channels. As it turns out, Buzz FM, which initially had led me to visit KCNL, is a new project over KCNL 104.9 FM's HD3 channel. While Buzz FM awaits programmers, its HD channel and website currently airs a mix of automated music ranging from the Beatles to the Cure to Johnny Cash. 

When I visited in February, I was told that it was a brand new project that had only really started two weeks before I stopped by. At that point it hadn't been promoted or marketed and its sole program was hosted by a member of their station staff. That show, "The Weekend Show" aired on Sunday nights beginning back in December, 2011 and by mid-February there had been 8 episodes of the male-oriented talk show. When I checked this week, the Weekend Show website was no longer available. 

In addition to Buzz FM, KCNL also utilizes a second HD channel, HD2, for S*ALT (aka Save Alternative). This alternative rock format also airs over KCNL's regular 104.9 FM signal on Saturday and Sunday nights and is available online 24/7. Prior to the launch of Chinese programming on KSJO, Save Alternative briefly aired over 92.3 FM. 

Messages from KCNL Guests and Hosts in Hallway at Station

(Photo: J. Waits)

The remainder of the KCNL schedule, under the brand iFM, is made up of Spanish language talk shows and music programming, including bilingual alternative rock. According to Principle's Local Sales Manager Manuel Rojas, "the community" is on the air at KCNL, including "the guy next door and his business." Brokered shows on KCNL include a range of programs including specific shows focused on health, religion, and music.

In terms of the current programming on KSJO 92.3 FM goes, it's comprised of brokered Chinese language programming over the regular FM channel under the brand China 92.3 FM. The format change to Chinese-language programming began in 2011 after Principle purchased KSJO from Clear Channel. The schedule today is made up of talk (including one show hosted by a man who one DJ at KSJO characterized as the "Larry King of the Chinese community"), music, news, and entertainment shows in Cantonese and Mandarin. During periods when the airwaves are not leased out, they play a mix of automated Chinese music programming. 

 

On KSJO's HD2 channel they broadcast technology-themed talk shows and techno music under the brand 24/7 Tech Radio. A message on the KSJO website also invites interested parties to get involved with the new channel, stating, "Universal Media Access is in the process of developing a 24/7 Tech Channel. If you are interested in being part of this project, send us an e-mail..." Not much content is available on the 24/7 Tech Channel website, but 4 episodes of September broadcasts of the program "Tracking the Tech Revolution," are available to listeners. It's unclear from the schedule if there are regular talk shows airing right now.

Principle's purchase of KLOK from Univision was completed in 2009. Today the 50,000 watt AM station broadcasts Asian Indian brokered programming under the brand Desi 1170 after launching with an all-music format. Shows range from talk shows hosted by members of the community (including shows dealing with law, mortgages, wellness, and money management), a Christian show, and a range of programs from the entertainment network Radio De' Hotties. When there isn't a live or brokered show, KLOK plays contemporary Indian music across a variety of genres. Desi 1170 is also simulcast into New York City.

As I toured around the offices for each station, I also noticed some of the things that were missing. There is no physical music library at any of the stations, although I was told that Principle did acquire some vinyl records from Clear Channel as part of their purchase. That material is in storage. DJs at various stations do bring in physical music from time to time, but Rojas said that it is mostly used as background music since the traditional AM and FM stations are mostly talk. I did see CD players and even a turntable (at Buzz FM), so DJs and hosts certainly do have the ability to play physical music if they desire.

Less than 6 weeks after my visit, word came out that Principle would be selling KCNL to University of Southern California (USC) for use in their network of classical radio stations as another outlet for broadcasting KDFC (which currently airs over the former college radio station KUSF as well as over 2 additional signals in the North and South Bay Area). In light of this pending station ownership transfer, the future KCNL's HD programs (Buzz FM and Save Alternative) is a bit unclear at the moment.

According to Brad Behnke, COO of Principle, Save Alternative (S*ALT) "will continue as an Internet operation." He told me that they are "still studying Buzz" to see if it will continue online or over another HD channel. In any event, the brokered Spanish language programming on KCNL will end by the time that the FCC approves the license transfer, if not sooner. 

Although a local marketing agreement (which would allow USC to rent the KCNL airwaves in advance of FCC approval of the license transfer) was included with the FCC paperwork regarding the sale, Behnke says that the timing of the beginning of classical programming over KCNL "depends on when the FCC grants the license transfer." When I asked Brenda Barnes, President of USC Radio, about the timing of the start of classical music programming over KCNL she said, "We haven't determined that yet." As far as whether or not this sale might have implications for Principle's other properties of KLOK and KSJO, Behnke said, "remains to be seen."

In the weeks to come we will probably learn more about what the future holds for KCNL and its related brands in light of its pending sale to USC. I feel lucky to have gotten the chance to visit this commercial radio station group in advance of these upcoming changes. Thanks to Rojas and everyone else at Principle for giving me a glimpse into their intriguing group of commercial radio stations.

See a complete list of all of my Spinning Indie Radio Station Field Trips here.

Goodbye to FCC's Indecency Policy?

What Words CAN you Say on the Radio and Did that Change Today?

There was huge news today about the future of the FCC's indecency policy. The United States Court of Appeals Struck down the policy in a decision that may have a huge impact on broadcasters. On Radio Survivor I went into greater detail about this news, but for now, radio stations would be wise to wait and see before opening up the floodgates of swear words and raunchy material.

The good news, as I see it, is that the appeals court found that the FCC's vague descriptions of indecency have proven to be a threat to First Amendment rights and have had the potential to harm both artists and broadcasters. I recommend reading the entire decision, as it gives a lot of background into how the indecency rules have evolved and provides specific examples of recent rulings that are now called into question.

UCRN College Radio Conference Offers up Tips for DJs, Insights on Commercial Radio, and a Forum to Debate the Digital Future

On April 10, 2010 I got to spend the entire day fixated on college radio at the University of California Radio Network (UCRN) conference hosted by UC Berkeley station KALX. Held twice a year, these confabs for DJs and staff of University of California-affiliated radio stations are a great opportunity for shop talk and networking, but are also a chance to get a glimpse into the current struggles and debates within the music industry and college radio.

Last year I attended the UCRN event at UC Santa Cruz station KZSC and found it to be an amazing mixture of pragmatic sessions, music-focused panels, and intelligent discussion. This year's conference was similar, with sessions about broadcast law, the community and music, news and public affairs writing, how DJs can improve their on-air presence, and a panel about the future of music and media. Staff members from KALX also toured DJs around their station, the highlight of which is their meticulously organized music library containing more than 95,000 pieces of music.

 A mere sliver of the Record Library at KALX

There were around 70 people in attendance at the conference from KALX, KDVS, KCSB, KUCI, KUCR, KZSC, KSDT and upstart UC Merced station Bobcat Radio. And, many of the music industry panelists speaking at the conference had college radio pasts, making for interesting discussions about the college radio world vs. the commercial radio world. Unfortunately some sessions conflicted with each other, so I was only able to attend a selection of panels. Here's my recap of what struck me during the conference:

Community and Music Panel at UCRN

(L to R: Bev Elithorp, Joe Barham, Kathleen Wentz, and George Corona)

The Community and Music: Building Relationships Panel

This panel was fascinating to me, mainly because we got some great insight into the differences between college radio and commercial radio from KSAN (The Bone) DJ/Music Director Joe Barham (aka Joe Rock). Joe has been a DJ since he was in high school (at Mendocino high school radio station KAKX), with stints in both college radio at San Francisco State station KSFS and in commercial radio at a number of different stations. Other panelists worked at music promotions company Terrorbird, for a UC Berkeley concert series, and for local paper The East Bay Express.

Joe argued that with the way the radio and music industry is going, "it's almost an obligation that we pay attention to the local community." He pointed out that with the growth of digital music and services like Pandora, music listening is most likely "going in the direction of on demand [programming]." He said that although "radio's limited to playing something at a specific time," it can excel by continuing to play "original content" and by focusing on "localization." Joe does a Sunday night local music show "Local Licks" on The Bone and told the assembled crowd that that particular program is "the funnest part of my job," arguing that it's important to support one's local music scene.

 KALX DJ Doing a Show Amid the UCRN Crowds Milling About

Music promoter George Corona from Terrorbird (who used to be a college radio DJ at KXLU) shared his feeling that the "landscape for radio [is] shifting" and that "charting [on radio]...doesn't mean that [a band is] going to sell records."

Joe encouraged those in college radio to embrace the power and freedom that they have. When asked during the Q&A about the "forces" that he has to "bow to" in commercial radio, he replied, "The number one thing...We have commercials." Although everyone laughed at this reply, Joe argued that the commercials bring with them certain obligations. He talked a bit about the chaos in commercial radio saying that radio has been "kind of creamed" in the past 2 years and that there have been lots of firings and a great deal of flux in commercial radio staff. He said that being in San Francisco (the #4 market) gives him a bit more freedom, but that he has to answer to an out of town corporate Program Director when making certain decisions about programming.

Giving the crowd of college radio DJs a reality check about the commercial radio industry, Joe pointed out that they have to "play 450 songs over and over again" and that song list is a result of twice yearly music research in which potential radio listeners get to hear an 8 second sample of a song "in a hotel lobby." He said, "That's not art. That's robotic" and contrasted that with college radio, which he said is more like finding out about music from a "best friend."

Although all of the panelists offered up advice (start with an internship was the resounding suggestion) to those college radio DJs hoping to get into some aspect of the music business, Joe was pessimistic about the opportunities for music fans in commercial terrestrial radio, saying, "Don't do it." He was more optimistic about syndicated radio programs and about non-commercial radio where he said "music is art." He predicted that terrestrial radio "will die out," but added that there might be a glimmer of hope when stations rise from the ashes. Joe said that with all of the corporate radio bankruptcies (which aren't over yet), there could be a shift back to local, private ownership and that if that happens radio has the chance to change dramatically and for the better.

I was also interested to hear that The Bone is doing some interesting things programming-wise, not only with its local music shows, but also with Sunday night programming (Little Steven's Garage and Joel Selvin's radio show) that hearkens back to the freeform, underground radio days of the original KSAN. Additionally, Joe mentioned that The Bone airs a high rated all-request show in which music not normally in rotation gets played. His saw that as a sign that listeners really are interested in more than just the same short list of songs approved for airplay.

DJ and Programming Panel at UCRN

(L to R: "DJ Dave" Richards, Khris Brown and Shawn Reynoldo)

DJ and Programming Panel

Next, I sat in on a panel discussion about how to be a better DJ. As with the previous panel, one of the most interesting aspects of it was that one of the panelists had experience as both a college radio DJ and a commercial radio DJ. Shawn Reynaldo of XLR8R started at UC Berkeley station KALX six months after he began working at commercial station LIVE 105 (KITS-FM) as a phone operator. Eventually he became Operations Manager at KALX and a DJ and producer at LIVE 105. As we heard throughout the day, he talked about the importance of internships as the path to jobs in the music industry.

Shawn also pointed out that if you are DJing because you love music, then corporate, commercial radio is the wrong industry for you. He said that the music played at commercial stations comes from a "giant list that a middle-age white man" has compiled based on phone surveys and added that on college radio "you can experiment more."

In terms of specific advice that Shawn and others on the panel had for college radio DJs, here are some of the highlights:

1. "Drink water. Eat a green apple. Imagine your audience is your friend." - Khris Brown (KBA Voice Production)

2. "Pull more music than you need ahead of time...it's better to have too much." -Shawn

3. "Make an effort to expand your musical knowledge" and seek out advice from others at the station- Shawn

4. "Playing random things sounds like playing random things," so really think about your set -Shawn

5. When on the air don't apologize for your mistakes because the audience won't even notice them - Khris

6. Write notes before going on mic so that you remember what you need to cover - "DJ Dave" Richards

7. Be prepared for your shift and for mic breaks - Shawn

8. "Personality really makes a difference on the radio." Be yourself. -Shawn

9. Listen to the beginning and end of each track to ensure smooth transitions without dead air -Shawn

10. If you don't know what to say at the beginning or end of a mic break, say the name of the station - Shawn

11. When mixing sounds don't overlap voices or mismatch beats because "it sounds like shoes in a dryer." - Shawn

Panelist Prepare for the Changing Media Landscape Panel at UCRN

(L to R: Jody Colley, Corey Denis, Jillian Putnam-Smith, and Mike Cadoo)

The Changing Media Landscape: What is the Future of the Music and Media Industry?

The final panel of the day brought together everyone from the conference into one room to discuss the future of the music and media industry. As the KALX staff member introducing the panelists pointed out, "everything's transitioning to digital." This digital transition became the focus of the panel, with several of the panelists working almost purely in the online world.

This led to some tensions in the room as radio wasn't always acknowledged as being a part of this digital future. Corey Denis from Not Shocking Digital Strategies proudly said, "I don't deal with any traditional radio," but conceded that artists do still value radio and that college radio is particularly important for local musicians. She added that "unique programming is still going to be the backbone of radio." Mike Cadoo from digital-only label n5MD added that "[radio] charts are pretty valuable to a label" and said that his label services 200 radio stations in North America.

East Bay Express editor Jody Colley chimed in with the role that college radio plays in her job as the editor of a weekly newspaper that works hard to cover local music events, saying that college radio helps local music promoters identify talent because "college radio has always been on the forefront of finding the best bands." The East Bay Express just opened a music venue, so it's even more important for them to be tapped into the music scene.

Talk then turned to digital music and how it is stored and distributed. When discussing the possibility of housing music in "the cloud," located on servers far from one's own physical location there were concerns raised by both panelists and DJs in the audience. Jillian Putnam-Smith of online music company IODA acknowledged that artists seem to make less money from their music if it exists in this virtual space. One DJ said, "When I DJ...I'm being a fan, but I'm also selecting...instead of going to a faceless website and downloading." Another added, "We're a visceral, tangible educational resource" and stated that it's beneficial to have a "physical library [of music] with physical comments on [the material]."

At this point Corey made the claim, "College radio used to break bands. That doesn't happen anymore."

 New Release Bin at KALX

Corey asked the assembled DJs in the room if their stations accepted digital submissions and as far as I could tell no hands went up. Jillian (who used to be a KALX DJ) pointed out that for college radio stations it's often a very complex process to handle digital releases and navigate the password-protected systems put in place by promo companies.

A DJ in the audience then said that for college radio stations having libraries of CDs and LPs is important and that "the actual physical thing reminds you that it exists."

Later on in the discussion Corey added that if a college station created a system for accepting digital music submissions it would be "such a story" and encouraged stations to do so and hire grad students to develop this type of tool. Similarly, others in the audience wondered about the possibility of having digital music located in "the cloud" so that stations could access it without having to download it from promoter or label websites.

But, then the discussion turned back to the desires of DJs who want to be able to play physical music on their shows. Jillian agreed, saying that as a college radio DJ "you want to be able to go into your library and smell all the vinyl." Someone in the audience then brought up a concern about the sound quality of digital and the difference in sound between playing vinyl, CDs, or a stream off of MySpace over the radio. Corey's reply was that "audiophiles like us...We're not the general public" and she argued that people are being taught to expect lower and lower sound quality and that music formats have "degraded in sound over time" as vinyl made way for cassettes, CDs and digital files.

On the flip side, Mike agreed that there is a resurgent interest in vinyl, with vinyl-only labels cropping up. Jillian said that at IODA they create digital files from vinyl and that there's an entire online store ThinkIndie devoted to digital music converted from physical music, including vinyl.

 Audience for the Final UCRN Panel of the Day

Another DJ then brought up that he couldn't imagine preparing for his radio show without having access to bins of CDs and records and said that he likes that he "can see all the CDs...and the artwork" and that he wouldn't want to plan for his show by just going off of a list of music files. Inexplicably this comment caused Corey to launch into an attack on college radio. She complained about record stores being full of cast-off promo CDs and blamed college radio for selling off material, saying that bands pay $2 for that CD and when it gets sold off they don't make any money.

When I pointed out to her that it should be the responsiblity of labels and promo companies to identify stations that would be most interested in specific CDs, she backed off a bit, but didn't really acknowledge that the financial constraints of labels has a lot more to do with their push for stations to go digital than college radio stations getting rid of free CDs that they don't want. Her argument is quite similar to what I've heard on other panels, in which promoters said that they couldn't send out promo CDs anymore and that music stealing fans were to blame.

It was an interesting discussion to say the least and provided some great fodder for the piece that I was just finishing up for PopMatters about "Technology and the Soul of College Radio," so the timing of this debate couldn't have been better.

Thanks to everyone at KALX for allowing me to again be a fly on the wall at UCRN. It's an amazing event that is so beneficial to everyone who participates.

College Radio Creeps into New Arbitron PPM Ratings

Jose Fritz always unearths some amazing gems about radio on his Arcane Radio Trivia blog. Although he rarely writes about current news, yesterday he turned his attention to college radio ratings that he culled from Arbitron reports that use the portable people meter (PPM).

Now, the last time that I looked at Arbitron radio ratings I found that college radio rarely showed up in the listings, so I was very interested to hear that Jose found some stations who defied the norm.

With these new PPM-based ratings, Jose uncovered a number of college stations that managed to make their way into the listings. The first surprise that he found was that in Boston, Emerson College station WERS ranked higher (.9 share of listeners) than commercial rock station WFNX (.8 share of listeners).

Take a look at Jose's entire post to see ratings for some other college stations around the country. By the way, a few of the big buzz college stations also made the rankings, including Seattle's KEXP with .7 share and L.A.'s KCRW (.9 share). Jose postulates about the ratings, saying, "...perhaps this is real and can set a new bar for non-commercial stations. Maybe they can compete on their own terms."

By the way, Jose Fritz is one of the folks who I've profiled on Radio Survivor for our "Radio Obsessives" series. If you have suggestions for others who I should profile, let me know in the comments.

My 5 Favorite Radio Shows

Over on Radio Survivor we've started a new monthly feature where the editors publish "top 5" lists related to some aspect of radio.

For our first installment we focused on our favorite radio shows and as you might imagine, many of mine have college radio connections.

Here's my list:

1. Radiodrome at KUSF (DJ Schmeejay)
2. Trading Time at KZYX (call-in swap show)
3. Skulltime for Kids at KFJC

4. Dr. Demento Show
5. The Shadow


Take a look at the articles above to see mentions of some other radio shows that I love that are similar to the ones that made the top 5 list as well. WTUL, WNUR, WFMU, and East Village Radio are among the stations that got some love.

My fellow Radio Survivors Matthew and Paul also put together interesting lists of shows that are worth checking out as well.

So, what shows do you think we missed? List your favorite radio programs in the comments or over on Radio Survivor.

Spinning Indie Radio Station Field Trips

Beginning in March 2008 I set out to visit as many college radio stations as I could all over the country. For the most part, if I have plans to travel out of town I will attempt to visit a nearby station.

In January, 2009 I turned my attention closer to home and scheduled trips to five college stations in the San Francisco Bay Area. So far, the furthest I've traveled was to Ireland, where I have visited college radio stations in Galway and Dublin.

Although I've expanded my travels to include community radio stations, commercial stations, unlicensed low power stations, high school stations, a religious station, a pop-up radio station, and NPR; my focus still remains fixed on independently-minded radio.

So far, I've visited the following places (not necessarily in chronological order of when I visited each station!):


2008:

Field Trip 1 - WECB at Emerson College in Boston
Field Trip 2 - Cal Poly's KCPR
Field Trip 3 - Notre Dame's WVFI
Field Trip 4 - WFMU in Jersey City
Field Trip 5 - East Village Radio in NYC
Field Trip 6 - WNYU in New York City
Field Trip 7 - Northwestern's WNUR

2009:

Field Trip 8 - Stanford's KZSU
Field Trip 9 - University of San Francisco's KUSF
Field Trip 10 - Santa Clara University Station KSCU
Field Trip 11 - UC Berkeley's KALX
Field Trip 12 - KSJS at San Jose State University
Field Trip 13 - WBAR at Barnard College
Field Trip 14 - KFJC at Foothill College
Field Trip 15 - UC Santa Cruz Station KZSC
Field Trip 16 - Haverford College Station WHRC
Field Trip 17 - FCCFree Radio in San Francisco
Field Trip 18 - Flirt FM in Galway, Ireland
Field Trip 19 - RXP 101.9 FM in New York City
Field Trip 20- WGBK at Glenbrook South High School 

2010:

Field Trip 21 - KPDO in Pescadero, California 
Field Trip 22 - KZYX in Philo, California 
Field Trip 23 - San Francisco's Pirate Cat Radio 
Field Trip 10.5 - KSCU's New Digs at Santa Clara University (2010)
Field Trip 24 - Radio Valencia in San Francisco (2010)
Field Trip 25 - WZBC at Boston College 
Field Trip 26 - KSFS at San Francisco State University

2011:

Field Trip 27 - KEAR and Family Radio in Oakland, CA 

2012:

Field Trip 28 - Belfield FM at University College Dublin, Ireland
Field Trip 29 - Trinity FM at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
Field Trip 30 - KCNL, KSJO and KLOK in San Jose, CA
Field Trip 31 - WLUW at Loyola University Chicago, IL
Field Trip 32 - WPGU at University of Illinois, Champaign 
Field Trip 33 - WEFT in Champaign, Illinois 
Field Trip 34 - WRFU in Urbana, Illinois
Field Trip 35 - Radio DePaul, Chicago, IL
Field Trip 36 - WIBN in Oxford, Indiana
Field Trip 37 - KCSF at City College of San Francisco
Field Trip 38 - WRAS at Georgia State in Atlanta
Field Trip 39 - SCAD Atlanta Radio
Field Trip 40 - WREK at Georgia Tech 
Field Trip 41 - WMRE at Emory University 

2013:

Field Trip 42 - WZRD at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago 
Field Trip 43 - KLC at Lewis and Clark College, Portland, OR 
Field Trip 44 - KRRC at Reed College, Portland, OR
Field Trip 45 - KALW in San Francisco
Field Trip 46 - Urban Knights Radio at Academy of Art, SF, CA 
Field Trip 47 - KPSU at Portland State University, OR
Field Trip 48 - KDUP at University of Portland, OR
Field Trip 49 - KJCC at San Jose City College, San Jose, CA 
Field Trip 50 - KSMC at St. Mary's College, Moraga, CA 
Field Trip 51 - KCEA at Menlo-Atherton High School, Atherton, CA

2014:

Field Trip 52 - WXVU at Villanova University, Villanova, PA
Field Trip 53 - KPOO in San Francisco, CA
Field Trip 54 - Mutiny Radio in San Francisco, CA
Field Trip 55 - BFF.fm in San Francisco, CA
Field Trip 24.5 - Radio Valencia's New Location in SF (2014) 
Field Trip 56 - WSRN at Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA
Field Trip 57 - WMBR at MIT, Cambridge, MA
Field Trip 58 - WHRB at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 
Field Trip 59 - WTBU at Boston University, Boston, MA
Field Trip 60 - WMFO at Tufts University, Medford, MA
Field Trip 61 - WRBB at Northeastern University, Boston, MA 
Field Trip 62 - WHHS at Haverford High School, Havertown, PA 
Field Trip 63 - Radio 1851 at St. Joseph's University, Philadelphia, PA
Field Trip 64 - WQHS at University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Field Trip 16.5 - WHRC at Haverford College, Haverford, PA 
Field Trip 65 - WRGW at George Washington U, Washington, D.C. 
Field Trip 66 - WMUC at University of Maryland, College Park, MD 
Field Trip 67 - NPR in Washington, D.C. 
Field Trip 68 - WLOY at Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore, MD 
Field Trip 69 - WLTL at Lyons Township High School, La Grange, IL 
Field Trip 70 - KEXP in Seattle, WA
Field Trip 71 - Rainy Dawg Radio at U of Washington, Seattle, WA
Field Trip 73 - UWave at University of Washington, Bothell, WA 
Field Trip 74 - Hollow Earth Radio in Seattle, WA 
Field Trip 75 - KXSU at Seattle University, Seattle, WA
Field Trip 76 - The Tower at SF Art Institute, San Francisco, CA

2015:

Field Trip 72 - KUSF-in-Exile/San Francisco Community Radio
Field Trip 77 - WRFL at University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
Field Trip 78 - KCSB at UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 
Field Trip 79 - RBMA Radio in San Francisco (pop-up station)
Field Trip 80 - WRVG-LP at Georgetown College, Georgetown, KY
Field Trip 81 - WONC at North Central College, Naperville, IL
Field Trip 82 - 9th Floor Radio at Laney College, Oakland, CA
Field Trip 83 - ARTxFM in Louisville, KY
Field Trip 84 - KBCP at Bellarmine College Prep, San Jose, CA
Field Trip 85 - Bellarmine Radio at Bellarmine U, Louisville, KY
Field Trip 86 - WHBC at Howard University, Washington, D.C.
Field Trip 87 - WGMU at George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
Field Trip 88 - KWVA at University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 
Field Trip 89 - KAOS at Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA
Field Trip 90 - WVAU at American University, Washington, D.C.
Field Trip 91 - Radio K at University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 
Field Trip 92 - KRLX at Carleton College, Northfield, MN
Field Trip 93 - KBOO in Portland, OR
Field Trip 94 - XRAY.fm in Portland, OR
Field Trip 95 - WMCN at Macalester College, St. Paul, MN
Field Trip 96 - KSPC at Pomona College, Claremont, CA
Field Trip 97 - KBPS at Benson Polytechnic H.S., Portland, OR
Field Trip 9.5 - KUSF.org at University of San Francisco

2016:

Field Trip 98 - WBCR at Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY  
Field Trip 99 - WHCS at Hunter College, New York, NY
Field Trip 100 - WPRB at Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 
Field Trip 101 - WCUA at Catholic University, Washington, D.C.
Field Trip 102 - WGTB at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
Field Trip 103 - WOWD-LP Takoma Radio in Takoma Park, MD
Field Trip 104 - WERA-LP Radio Arlington in Arlington, VA 
Field Trip 105 - CHIRP Radio in Chicago, IL 
Field Trip 106 - Met Radio at Metropolitan State U of Denver, CO
Field Trip 107 - KOMF-LP Open Media Foundation in Denver, CO 
Field Trip 108 - The SOCC Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO 
Field Trip 109 - KCSU at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
Field Trip 110 - KVCU Radio 1190 University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
Field Trip 111 - KUCI at University of California, Irvine, CA
Field Trip 112 - KBPK at Fullerton College, Fullerton, CA
Field Trip 113 - KEPC Pikes Peak CC, Colorado Springs, CO
Field Trip 114 - WCAS Radio at Metropolitan State Univ., Denver, CO
Field Trip 115 - KXUA at University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
Field Trip 116 - KHDX at Hendrix College, Conway, AR
Field Trip 117 - KCHUNG Radio in Los Angeles, CA
Field Trip 118 - KPSQ-LP in Fayetteville, AR
Field Trip 119 - KUOZ-LP at University of the Ozarks, Clarksville, AR
Field Trip 120 - KABF in Little Rock, AR 
Field Trip 121 - KUHS-LP in Hot Springs, AR
Field Trip 122 - WYBF at Cabrini University in Radnor, PA
Field Trip 130 - WNUW-LP at Neumann University, Aston, PA
Field Trip 134 - WHIP at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
Field Trip 135 - WKDU at Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
Field Trip 138 - WPPM-LP at PhillyCAM in Philadelphia, PA
   
2017:

Field Trip 123 - WVCW at Virginia Commonwealth, Richmond, VA
Field Trip 124 - WRIR-LP in Richmond, VA
Field Trip 125 - WMWC, U of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA
Field Trip 126 - WXJM, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA
Field Trip 127 - WCWM, College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA
Field Trip 128 - WHCL, Lehman College, Bronx, NY
Field Trip 129 - WTJU, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Field Trip 131 - WUVA, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Field Trip 132 - WXTJ-LP, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Field Trip 133 - WDCE at University of Richmond, Richmond, VA
Field Trip 136 - KLMU, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA
Field Trip 137 - KXLU, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA
Field Trip 139 - WFUV, Fordham University, Bronx, NY
Field Trip 140 - KLLG-LP in Willits, CA
Field Trip 141 - WKCR at Columbia University in New York, NY
Field Trip 142 - WIIT, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL
Field Trip 143 - WHPK at University of Chicago, Chicago, IL   

2018:

Field Trip 144 - KVCB-LP at Vacaville Christian Schools, Vacaville, CA
Field Trip 145 - Wave Farm and WGXC in Acra, NY
Field Trip 146 - WGXC Hudson in Hudson, NY
Field Trip 147 - KAKX-FM at Mendocino High School, Mendocino, CA
Field Trip 148 - WVKR-FM at Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY
Field Trip 149 - KDVS-FM at UC Davis in Davis, CA
Field Trip 150 - KSFL-LP Portland Radio Project in Portland, OR 

Stick around to see who's next...

WRXP's "The Vinyl Experience" Show

"Vinyl Experience" Host Paul Cavalconte Browsing Record Bins at Rough Trade in London
Photo courtesy Paul Cavalconte

When I visited commercial radio station WRXP in New York City back in October, one of the things that impressed me was word that they were starting up a vinyl-only show on Sundays. The show premiered in late October and has aired 6 episodes so far on Sunday mornings.

Thanks to much to the host of "The Vinyl Experience," Paul Cavalconte, for taking the time to chat with me over email about this unique radio show. Although I was disappointed to learn that he wasn't actually hauling his vinyl to the radio station for the weekly show; it made sense when I found out that this is more a matter of fulfilling the specific goals that he has set out for the program. Since it's only an hour a week, he's crafted it more like a magazine; with features designed to help instill a love of vinyl. One might call Paul the "vinyl evangelist," as he's working to both educate people about vinyl and encourage vinyl listening.

To learn more about the show (airing from 9 to 10am Sundays in New York City and on the WRXP webstream) and take a look at playlists, see Paul's blog on the 'RXP website.

As I talked with Paul he shared with me his college radio past, his love for vinyl, the intricacies of putting together his show, and his hope that through the show he'll be able to encourage more people to pick up and listen to vinyl records.

On to the interview:

Spinning Indie: How did the Vinyl Experience Radio Show come to exist on RXP.

Paul Cavalconte: It began as my web page. Leslie Fram, who is also our Program Director, challenged me to come up with the on-air equivalent. Originally I thought it would be a feature, one vinyl-only song, but she said "you need to do a whole show on this." When I set about putting the demo together, I realized that this show needed to be carefully planned and produced so as to convey what I have learned and wish to share. So winging it as a live free-form hour of spinning turntables doesn't cut it--as much fun as that can be, meeting the goals I have set for myself is more fun!

Spinning Indie: Tell me about the first show. What did you play and how did people react?

Paul: I have had wonderful response so far, and you can check out playlists on my Vinyl Experience web page at 1019rxp.com, and also "The Vinyl Experience Radio Show" on Facebook. The first song on the first show was Pearl Jam "Spin The Black Circle."

I like to begin each show with a song about records or "the vinyl experience," such as Squeeze's "If I Didn't Love You," Ryan Adams' "Majick," The Kinks' "Juke Box Music," Todd Snider's "Vinyl Records." I have debuted new single-only tracks by Arctic Monkeys, David Gray, local artists like Locksley and Black Gold. I've done focus pieces on classic stuff such as the alternate mixes on the mono late Beatles albums; the back story and ongoing influence of David Bowie's "Space Oddity," tied in with the reissue of the original British album. Sometimes I'll throw historic stuff in, such as audio on commemorative records released for the Apollo 11 Moon landing, JFK's assassination, etc.

Vinyl Records Propped in the Window of the 'RXP Music Director's Office

Spinning Indie: Are you mainly playing music from your own collection? Does RXP have a vinyl library?

Paul: We are building a library of new releases and some catalog stuff, and I certainly draw on my own collection for much of each weekly show. Eventually, I would like to see RXP put vinyl into active on-air duty, or to use the vinyl aspect in imaging the presentation of library classics, but we'll need a setup for that, because.....

Spinning Indie: How many turntables does RXP have?

Paul: None! I am not playing records live on-air and I don't intend to! There are a few practical reasons. First off, all broadcasting is now entirely digitally transmitted, from the console to studio-transmitter link, to on-air audio processing and finally the transmission itself..... so the analog texture one experiences listening to records on a home Hi Fi system cannot be exactly recreated --that's why I like to say "DO try this at home.

That said, I do feel that some psychoacoustic aspects of the analog listening experience do translate--better midrange definition, better bass pitch, more palpable imaging. Vinyl dubbed to digital sounds like vinyl, but with the glassiness of digital superimposed over it; master tape commercially cut to CD sounds like something very different.

Interestingly, digital recordings mastered to vinyl sound digital--as vinyl is a very faithful and transparent medium, despite the signal-to-noise improvements in digital. I also do believe that the "substrate awareness" factor of a palpable medium--stylus drag through the groove and the occasional pop and tick--adds to the analog psychoacoustic effect, and this does translate to digital as well.

I dub all analog sources from my own audiophile home system, and edit and assemble the show using Adobe Audition on my computer, set for the highest possible resolution manageable. It is very sensitive and responsive. If the tubes in my preamp and my vintage Neumann microphone are not sufficiently warmed up, I can hear it on the recording! I can certainly hear the differences in cartridges I use, and I believe that astute listeners can pick up on this, but it is not specifically what I'm aiming for!

Most importantly, I want the show to evoke the vinyl listening experience and encourage people to seek it out in their own lives. I want to detail the culture of records and how albums are a body of pop literature. I want young listeners to build the kind of relationship that I enjoy with records and through that, a better understanding of music. So it goes way beyond audio geek-dom, which is a very minor consideration, even though I have a lot to say about it!

Paul's Gear
Photo Courtesy Paul Cavalconte

Spinning Indie: Why do you think that vinyl has a future?

Paul: We will always need "hard media", and vinyl--along with CDs--are that. Both older and new generations are enamored of vinyl--for one, nostalgia, for the other, discovery. I do believe that the sonic advantages of analog will win fans over, but that must be properly presented. The quality of vinyl playback equipment has improved greatly over the affordable commercial stuff out in the market back when vinyl was the only game in town!

Spinning Indie: What do you love about vinyl?

Paul: Vinyl is sensual. It has a feel, look, even smell (the sweetly musty book-smell that libraries have) and most certainly a sound. That sound is truer to life for me, despite the many disadvantages of vinyl playback...but anyone can learn to hear through those small distortions and deeper in to the music than squeaky-clean but one-dimensional digital will ever allow.

More of Paul's Gear Used to Craft the "Vinyl Experience" Show
Photo courtesy Paul Cavalconte

Spinning Indie: Are you aware of any other commercial stations with vinyl-only shows?

Paul: Quite a few stations (mostly AAA and Oldies) do vinyl segments featuring one or two special songs, or a "Turntable Thursday" type all-day feature...some track entire albums for effect. "The Vinyl Experience" is (as far as I know) the only longform American broadcast radio show about the culture, story and sound of vinyl records. It surely is the only one addressing technical aspects, offering Vinyl News and "Turntable Tips." It is an on-air magazine, more so that a feature, and that's my concept!

Spinning Indie: Do you have a college radio past? If so, at what station?

Paul: I sure do! I went to Fordham in The Bronx, New York and I owe my career to WFUV. When I was there (1979-83) students had much more air time and power. It is public radio now, with some student involvement, but mostly a paid professional staff.

Spinning Indie: Anything else?

Paul: I am always looking for new music and --sticking with the concept of the show--if it is on vinyl, I will consider playing it. The show right now is rooted in library and major label releases, but I would love to break a little Indie music too.

I'm also soliciting listener participation through our "Virgin Vinyl" feature, where you tell us about your "first time" --with a record, that is! I'll also ask visiting artists what LP was their first, or changed their lives. I'm planning personal appearances through Record Store Day, and naturally, sponsorship of the show by vinyl-related purveyors who might not have considered radio as an advertising option before.