Radio Station Visit #142 - WIIT at Illinois Institute of Technology

Leo Blais sign in WIIT studio. Photo: J. Waits

During my visit to college radio station WIIT in December, 2017, I was dazzled by the modern architecture and beyond intrigued by the radio station's rich history. Located at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, Illinois; WIIT-FM has connections to radio history (Lee de Forest taught on campus) and hip hop history and its studio even appeared on the TV show Empire.

Read my full report on Radio Survivor.

Radio Station Field Trip #99 - WHCS Hunter College Radio

Entrance to WHCS. Photo: J. Waits

For my 99th radio station tour, I visited WHCS at Hunter College in New York City. I journeyed to the station on a Saturday morning in February (Feb. 20th to be exact) and was delighted to see not only the station as well as some fascinating historical tidbits. It may also be the only station that I've visited that has created its own Zombie video.

Read my full report on Radio Survivor and also hear a bit more about my tour on Radio Survivor Podcast #47. And stay tuned for my 100th radio station tour, coming soon!!!

Radio Station Field Trip 92 - KRLX at Carleton College

Stickers at KRLX. Photo: J. Waits

It's always fun to visit college radio stations that I profiled virtually for my now-defunct Spinning Indie 50 State Tour project. KRLX is one such station, which originally caught my attention way back in 2009 when I was digging into the early history of college radio. Located at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, the station is the descendant of an amazing radio legacy on campus, with the first station, KFMX-AM, launching in 1924. Sadly, KFMX ended its broadcasts in 1933 when faced with an increasingly crowded and competitive radio landscape.

Students at Carleton prevailed, however, launching a campus-only carrier current station in 1948, which morphed into FCC-licensed FM station KRLX in 1974. Read my full report on Radio Survivor.

Radio Station Field Trip 16.5 - WHRC at Haverford College

Old shot glass at WHRC. Photo: J. Waits

My final radio station visit while in the Philadelphia-area this April, was to see the station where it all began for me, WHRC at Haverford College. I was actually able to visit the station twice this spring, once while school was still in session on April 9 and then again during my college reunion in May, 2014.

Radio Station Field Trip 64 - WQHS at University of Pennsylvania

WQHS at University of Pennsylvania. Photo: J. Waits

On a day when it seemed impossible to visit one more station, I did just that and ventured into Philadelphia to tour University of Pennsylvania's student radio station WQHS on the night of Tuesday, April 8, 2014. The morning and afternoon were a whirlwind of visits to see stations at Villanova University, Swarthmore College, Haverford High School, and St. Joseph's University. After a short break, I headed to Philadelphia.

Radio Station Field Trip 63 - Radio 1851 at St. Joseph's University

Radio 1851 Sign on Simpson Hall at St. Joseph's University. Photo: J. Waits

During a spring trip to the Philadelphia area, I visited five radio stations in one day on April 8, 2014. In the morning, I checked out college radio stations WXVU and WSRN and in the afternoon I traveled to high school radio station WHHS before venturing to see Radio 1851 at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia.

Spinning Indie 50 State Tour: Stop 16 - South Carolina's WSBF

After a too long hiatus, the Spinning Indie 50 State Tour returns with an all-new virtual trip to a college radio station somewhere in the United States. The aim of this series is to bring to light some of the intriguing radio stations located in both expected and unexpected places in every corner of the U.S.

The 15 college radio stations that I've featured thus far include stations in Arkansas, Wisconsin, Kansas, Louisiana, Alaska, North Dakota, Nevada, West Virginia, Kentucky, Minnesota, Montana, California, Nebraska, Idaho, and Tennessee.

The time around we venture to South Carolina to learn more about Clemson University radio station WSBF. In existence for more than 50 years, the initial idea for WSBF was conceived by Clemson freshman Van Fair in 1956. After writing a paper for his English class about why Clemson should have a radio station, he began the process of making that desire into a reality. In 1957 he teamed up with other interested students, including one who was running a pirate AM station out of his dorm room. In late 1957 the call letters WSBF were selected and the carrier current campus-only station was built in 1958 and went on the air on May 1, 1958. WSBF then began the process to transition to an FCC-licensed FM station and began FM broadcasts in 1960. In his accounting of the early days of the station, Fair writes, "I know that my experiences at WSBF prepared me as much for life as my Clemson education did." The WSBF website's history section includes reminiscences from a number of former DJs and it's a nice way to get a flavor for the place. There's also a section containing WSBF alumni biographies.

Today WSBF airs an alternative music format with a mix of new music and specialty music shows. They also produce a live music show called "Live Sessions" that is also filmed with the help of their campus TV station and posted to the WSBF You Tube channel.

According to WSBF's General Manager Joe Dubrowski, new music (or "rotation") shows are required to play at least 75% material from the station's new music section and also cannot play material by artists who have had a top 100 Billboard hit or a Gold album.

Dubrowski said that there is still music in the library from the early days of the station. He told me, "We have an extensive library of music dating back to the early days of the station. Our vinyl collection is not in perfect alphabetical order, but if you spend some time looking through it, there are some gems. I like to spend some time reading the reviews and seeing what people had to say about the early works of now legendary artists." He also mentioned that there are some long-running shows on the station, including the Sunday night "Protogressive Show" hosted by Joe Della-Fera for 22 years.

In his email interview with me, Dubrowski also talks WSBF's annual Spring Music and Art show and how the station fits in with the local music scene in Clemson, South Carolina.

2007 Live Sessions Flyer

(courtesy WSBF)

Spinning Indie: Your station has a lengthy history. What are your favorite tidbits/scandals from your station's past?

Joe Dubrowski, WSBF General Manager: My favorite part of station history is the infamous “ball gag” incident. A few station DJs decided they would express themselves in a rather unusual way at the Clemson University First Friday Parade. Their dress and antics at the event got us banned from the parade until just recently.

Spinning Indie: Do most students at Clemson know about the station? Do a lot of students listen to the station? Is the staff/DJs mostly students?

Joe Dubrowski: Clemson is a big school and there are a lot of activities to get involved in, but being a part of WSBF is the best choice any student could make. When I first came to Clemson 5 years ago, I would say that most students did not know about WSBF. However, some big promotional efforts in the last several years have raised awareness. Currently, I'd say that most students know that we are here. Most of our staff is made up of students but we do have a group of graduate students and community members and we have had professors and other Clemson University staff in the past. To my knowledge, we are the only student organization on campus that allows and encourages membership by non-students.

Spinning Indie: What's the local music scene like and how is WSBF involved with that scene?

Joe Dubrowski: The local music scene in Clemson is, let's say, developing. The biggest challenge in Clemson is the lack of any dedicated music venue. The only choice for artists is a handful of bars, none of which have an ideal set up. Anytime WSBF puts on a show downtown, we bring our own equipment and sometimes we even rent and assemble a stage for the performers.With that said, we have a unique role in our community because of the lack of an established scene. In many ways, we really ARE the music scene. WSBF has developed a loyal following and many people will come out to our shows regardless of the genre. It's pretty cool to see the diverse crowds at our shows. It feels good to see a dedicated group of people who enjoy supporting live music and their local radio station.

Spinning Indie: Can you tell me a bit about the festivals that you've produced?

Joe Dubrowski: The WSBF Spring Music and Arts Festival is currently in its 4th year and I'm always excited to see the growth of the event from year to year.  This all day event showcases national and local musicians, artists, vendors, and businesses. WSBF Spring Music & Arts Festival is a service-oriented event that aims to collect donated goods to be provided to the neighboring communities where it is needed most... WSBF Spring Fest IV... [took] place on Friday, April 13th at Tiger Park in Clemson, SC.

Spinning Indie: Do you listen to other college radio stations? Who do you admire?

Joe Dubrowski: I love WUSC in Columbia at the University of South Carolina. A lot of us listen to them and we have a good, friendly relationship. In the past we have co-sponsored some shows and events. Last year, we invited the DJs at WREK at Georgia Tech up to Clemson and had a fun time hanging out with them. We are also jealous of their 100,000 watt output power! I think it is important that college radio stations support and learn from each other, especially with the current state of college radio.

Spinning Indie: Anything else?

Joe Dubrowski: I'd just like to mention our recent partnership with RadioFlag. RadioFlag is an Internet social media website that connects radio stations with a focus on college, community, and independent radio. With their help, we have seen our listenership increase. We are one of only a few stations to receive an award from them as a "Spirited College Radio Station". In addition, we are the southeast representative on their College Radio Advisory Board. I am excited about our future collaborations and can’t thank them enough for their continued support.

I'd also like to extend a big thanks to Spinning Indie for this interview and featuring us in the 50 State Tour Series. For more info on WSBF you may visit our website at wsbf.net or facebook.com/wsbf881. We are also on twitter @WSBF_FM.

College Radio (Good) News Round-Up: From New Transmitters to a College Radio Hall of Fame

The Scenery at WZBC at Boston College

Photo: Jennifer Waits

With all of the gloom and doom surrounding college radio stations getting sold off or being told they can't broadcast terrestrially, I was happy to see that there's actually been some good news in the college radio world this week. Here are a bunch of stories about stations launching, reinventing themselves, or simply welcoming in the new school year.

Georgetown University station WGBT's Storied Past and Impending Renaissance
On Radio Survivor I wrote about some highlights from a great piece about WGBT. Be sure to delve into the fascinating history of the station, which includes battles with the Georgetown administration over their radical on-air content in the 1970s.

Wellesley's WZLY Profiled in The Wellesley News
Apparently Wellesley College was the home of the first all-female college radio station when it launched in 1942 as WBS. According to a piece in the Wellesley News, "Broadcasting seven days a week at 91.5 FM, WZLY has been supplying students with music and entertainment since 1942. WZLY focuses on allowing members to broadcast their own two-hour radio show every week, making it a unique experience from other organizations on campus. The system allows for DJs to experience an environment as close as one could find to a professional radio system."

Bristol Community College Launches Online-Only Radio Station
Although they also have dreams of someday having a terrestrial radio station, for the moment Bristol Community College in Massachusetts is happy to be streaming online as BristolCC Radio.

Syracuse University Station WERW Holds Launch Week Events and Party
Celebrating a new school year of broadcasts, Syracuse University station WERW held special events this week leading up to a launch party tonight. The station broadcasts at 1570 AM in Central New York and online.

Northern Michigan University station Radio X to Boost its Broadcast Power with New Transmitter
Radio X (aka WUPX) at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan just got FCC approval for a new transmitter so that the station can up its power from 360 to 1700 watts. Cool news for a relatively new FM station (they started out as an AM station in 1970, then went cable-only, and got their FM license in 1993).

Hofstra University Station WRHU Hosts its 2nd Hall of Fame
WRHU at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York prides itself on its radio broadcasting program, with many alumni going on to careers in radio. They recently inducted 5 more members into the station's Hall of Fame. Still an extremely popular activity on campus, WRHU's current staff is 184 people, with 47 students in DJ training (culled from 327 applications). According to an article in the Hofstra Chronicle:

"WRHU general manager Bruce Avery encouraged others [applicants] by informing them that radio is far from diminishing, and that the industry and the interest in radio continue to grow. 'I had a goal ever since I came here, to reunite the past with the present and the future,' said Avery. "At a time where they say radio is dying, radio is evolving- it's thriving and it's passionate.'"

Spinning Indie 50 State Tour: Stop 15 - Tennessee's WRVU

Just in time for Spring Break, the Spinning Indie 50 State Tour returns with an all-new virtual trip to a college radio station somewhere in the United States. The aim of this series is to bring to light some of the intriguing radio stations located in both expected and unexpected places in every corner of the U.S.

The 14 college radio stations that I've featured thus far include stations in Arkansas, Wisconsin, Kansas, Louisiana, Alaska, North Dakota, Nevada, West Virginia, Kentucky, Minnesota, Montana, California, Nebraska and Idaho.

This time around, we venture to Tennessee to learn more about the Vanderbilt University station WRVU. They have been on my radar recently, as they've had some controversy brewing over a decision last December to reduce the number of non-student DJs over their airwaves. I was impressed that not only did WRVU General Manager Mikil Taylor reach out to me to see if I'd like to profile his station, but that he also didn't shy away from my barrage of questions about the brouhaha over community DJ involvement at WRVU.

In his interview with me, Mikil explains why they reduced the number of non-student DJs at WRVU and points out the impact that this move has had on their schedule. He also goes into detail about the history of the station, talks about their connection with the local music scene in Nashville, and explains how they bond with another local college radio station (WMTS at Middle Tennessee State University) every year through a kickball competition. On to our interview:

WRVU Control Room

(Photo courtesy Mikil Taylor)

Spinning Indie: In December 2009 WRVU placed a cap on the number of non-student DJs on the air. This decision to drop 25 shows hosted by community DJs has sparked criticism by station staff and listeners. Can you explain why a cap was placed on community involvement?

Mikil Taylor: Last fall, the board that owns WRVU, which consists of 5 students and 3 faculty members of Vanderbilt, grew concerned about the amount of airtime that was being devoted to those with no affiliation with the University. By last fall, the number was at about 50 or 60, and growing by 5 or 10 a semester.

Due to the nature of most, although by no means all, community DJs, they have tight schedules and can usually only DJ during the prime spots on weeknights and weekends. The general practice at WRVU was to create a list of "untouchable" shows and place them in their normal spots (that list had grown to about 20), then students and other affiliates, and then community members.

However, since students often have a much freer schedule, many community members would not have spots available to them to DJ when their spots came up. Thus, we moved students to other spots they could do, normally during mid-weekdays, and put the community members in. We broke our own rules in doing that, but it had been the practice since I had been here to get everyone in, in any way possible.

Should I have changed it back to what the rules said? Absolutely, and WRVU now runs that way. This unfortunately led to a few formerly "untouchable" shows losing their timeslots, but at some point we had to face the question as to what was more important: Educating students or providing good non-mainstream music in unfamiliar genres? Considering we are funded mainly by Student Activity Fees and were founded as a learning tool for students, emphasizing students has to be the priority. The board wanted to make sure that happened.

The Board has had a policy in their bylaws since 2003 that no one who wasn't affiliated with Vanderbilt University was to be a regular contributor to any of their publications (This Board also owns the student newspaper). This included a sentence for WRVU, saying they could provide exceptions as they saw fit. Last fall, they essentially changed that sentence to say that they could set a limit on the number of exceptions they could provide, a number that was to be set each year. They asked me for assistance in setting the number, and I failed to do enough research and preparation in arriving at a number. I believe the number 25 is a little low, and I think the increase in shows run by autorotation reflect that. Luckily, this number will be revisited before the fall semester, and I plan on lobbying for an increase.

Essentially, I think the issues boiled down to this:

- The board wanted to emphasize students, and feared that having over half of the DJs at WRVU be unaffiliated with Vanderbilt was crowding out students. In addition to the crowding out of times, they also felt that potential student DJs were discouraged by the number of older DJs at the station. Considering our funding, they did not want to do anything to discourage student participation.

- The drastic increase in community participation was going to eventually lead to a cap of some sort, and the board felt that now was a good time.

- WRVU is the only organization on campus that allows those not affiliated with the University to have access to buildings after-hours. The board felt the number given that privilege posed a security risk, especially given how little they knew about them. They have since began to collect more information about community DJs, including a copy of their drivers license just in case anything goes wrong.

I have talked to a few board members, and they are certainly open to the possibility of changing the policy next semester. However, there will need to be really good evidence and reasoning behind any proposal. I am currently in the process of gathering historical data to support our case.

WRVU Office
(Photo Courtesy Mikil Taylor)

Spinning Indie: What role do community and student DJs play at the station today?

Mikil: As per VSC bylaw, WRVU is entirely run by undergraduate students. Djs can be undergraduates, graduate students, alumni, faculty/staff, or community members. Even though we are run by students, we get a lot of help from all the Djs. There are a lot of people who know just about everything about the industry and help us tremendously when we try to plan stuff. The contacts, knowledge, and experience many of these people have is a great source of knowledge to draw from.

In addition, some of the old e-staff members are still at the station and are always there to help through a bind. In bringing non-students into the station to interact with the students, I think that WRVU is one of the best stations in the country. We're not overrun and ruled by people with an unspoken power like some stations that allow non-students; we're run by students. I like that, and I think it makes WRVU consistently changing. We don't have to worry about commercial considerations, so we play whatever we want.

There's something to be said for continuity and having a recognizable schedule or sound, but we're in college and don't have to consistently worry about that to stay afloat. Our Djs are very sympathetic to that mission, so we get 6am punk rock, a schedule that seems to do a squaredance, and that great feeling that you get when you drive down the road, flip on the radio to hear a show you don't recognize, and be blown away by the quality of the staff here.

I think one thing that's been lost in all this hubub is that there are still 25 fantastic community DJs at WRVU, in addition to the 70 or so students, faculty members, and alumni also doing great shows. It's tough to find ways to get everyone to interact outside of their shows, but we're trying a few ways. I think that's one of the biggest challenges of a station like this: How do you get everyone to stay and talk to one another and do more than their two hours and leave? It's a question I hope we can answer.

We get a lot of volunteers, student and otherwise, for some of our special events around Vanderbilt. One of my particular favorites is called "WRVU on the Wall", where we sit outside the cafeteria and blast music for an hour. It's open to any DJ who wants to do it, and we've got a bit of a waiting list to run them. It's a really cool shift from the dark windowless studio to being outside in 70-degree weather playing for people who can show their appreciation right there. We've had a pretty great reaction toit from students, many of whom didn't even know we existed.

WRVU (Photo Courtesy Mikil Taylor)

Spinning Indie: How did WRVU decide which DJs/shows to eliminate? Were any of them long-running programs?

The executive staff of WRVU, which is made up of students, sat down in December and put together a list of shows we recommended to stay at WRVU. We considered length of time at WRVU, type of music played, how helpful the DJ was (i.e. showing up at station events, programming CDs, generally making our lives easier), and other things. We submitted the proposal to the board, and most of our recommendations were accepted.

Anybody who was there can tell you that it was not an easy process. There really wasn't anyone who applied that wasn't entirely qualified. It sucks having to turn away so many great Djs, all of whom could do great shows. In the end, it was a case of having 50 or 60 great applicants and only 25 spots.

Spinning Indie: Has it been easy to fill the eliminated shifts? If not, are there plans to bring back any former DJs?

Mikil: We had an increase of about 10 unfilled hours as a result of board's decision, mostly in the middle of the day during the week, and some late-night shifts. We can't bring back any former DJs until a DJ on the list decides to leave WRVU or the board tells us we can go over 25 community Djs. They have put off reconsidering the number until the end of the summer. We're really sad to see a lot of these Djs go, and are working towards a good solution, as I mentioned before.

One of the main hopes is that these spots will be filled with more students. I think we've done a great job of increasing student awareness about WRVU this last year. We had about 30 students train last semester, and I think we're at about 20 right now.



Spinning Indie: I've heard that radio at Vanderbilt dates back to the 1950s. Can you tell me a bit about the station's history and/or some interesting bits of trivia about WRVU?

Mikil: We're extremely lucky to have the founder of the station as a current DJ, nearly 60 years after he started broadcasting from his dorm. His name is Ken Berryhill, and his show (Ken's Country Classics and The Old Record Shop) runs Mondays 12-2pm. Here's an interesting story about how it all got started, so long ago.

Also, the guy who wrote "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" used to be a Music Director here in the 70's. I don't know whether to be proud or slightly ashamed. We actually have a lot of music people who used to work at WRVU still around in Nashville, like the General Manager of Lightning 100, the local adult-contemporary station. As far as commercial stations go, it's about as good as it gets, so we're pretty happy to have that tie-in.

WRVU Music Library
(Photo courtesy Mikil Taylor)

Spinning Indie: Do you have music in your collection dating back to the early years of the station? Any favorite gems?

Mikil: I've never combed through the vinyl collections, but it looks like we've sold off most of our old music in favor of the new, especially the vinyl. We don't have very much space to store music, so we have to do periodic clean-outs of the library to keep new stuff flowing in. That, combined with the lack of any one studio location for the last 50 years and occasional water damage, looks to have reduced our old collections to very little.

Spinning Indie: Does WRVU still add vinyl? How big is your collection of vinyl and do DJs embrace it?

Mikil: We have some vinyl, although we've sold off most of it, since we just don't have enough space to hold it all. All we have left are some blues and hip-hop. We do get some vinyl, and add it on occasion, but it's nothing compared to the torrent of CDs we get. It's tough to find DJs willing to play vinyl, although there are always those who won't play anything but that.

Prepping for WRVU CD Sale
(Photo courtesy Mikil Taylor)

Spinning Indie: Are you guys set up to add digital releases?

Mikil: We're currently working towards doing that. We are adding a lot of our music library into a digital archive. However, our system may or may not support digital releases, because of some strange rules governing the software. Like many things here, it's a work in progress.

WRVU Rotation CDs
(Photo courtesy Mikil Taylor)

Spinning Indie: Are there any specific rules about the music that gets added to your stations? Are DJs required to play anything in particular? Is there anything they aren't allowed to play?

Mikil: We require about 2/3rds to 3/4ths of Djs to play music from our new rotation, which consists of the music we get sent. The number of songs a DJ is required to play generally depends on how long they've been here, and ranges from 3 to 7 per hour. There's about 50-100 CDs or more in there, so people can have a lot to choose from. We try to add music from a host of different genres, from indie to metal to blues to folk to rock. We also require all rotation shows to play at least one local artist per hour, to promote Nashville's music, and to let people know that Nashville isn't just country. We get a lot of great music made here, and WRVU does what it can to showcase that.

Spinning Indie: What's the longest running show/DJ at the station?

Mikil: I think Ken Berryhill can officially be considered the first WRVU DJ, since he sowed the seeds over 50 years ago. Even at his age, his voice is just perfect for the radio. Listening to his show brings you back into the days of old-time radio. You can actually catch a copy of his latest show on WRVU.org by clicking on Archived Audio and finding "Ken's Country Classics" and "The Old Record Shop."

WRVU Production Studio
(Photo courtesy Mikil Taylor)

Spinning Indie: Do you have any specific programs/specialty shows that are unique to WRVU or stand out as being different from anything else on radio?

Mikil: Being the country music capitol of the world, we get some fantastic country shows here, like the aforementioned Ken Berryhill-run programs, Hipbilly Jamboree, and the Honky Tonk Jukebox. We also have a really cool show called Nashville Jumps, focusing on Jump blues. A few blues shows (Spoonful, the Sky is Crying, and The Delta Groove), Metal shows (The Gauntlet and Out Ov The Coffin), and Punk shows (Loud Love, Misplaced Tracks, etc). A Liberal talk show that's followed by a conservative one run by students, and then later in the week are two sports shows run by students.

I particularly like Sacred Hymns, which is a fantastic collection of Gregorian chants and the like. Sound of the Bayou (cajun), Colombian Party Cartel (Colombian music), and Viva VAIA (Brazilian!), just to name a few.

If I absolutely had to pick some favorites, these would be in that list:

Nashville Jumps (a description of his genre can be found here).

Liberadio (Liberal talk radio, always interesting to hear in the home of the National Tea Party Convention).

Sacred Hymns. (His description: A unique program featuring Eastern Orthodox Christian Liturgical chant and acapella singing as the expression of an ancient Judeo-Christian Liturgical Tradition of nearly 3000 years combining Beauty and Worship.)

I could probably go on and on, but for the sake of my sanity (and my spring break), I'll leave it at that.


Spinning Indie: What role do you guys play in the local music scene in Nashville?

Mikil: We promote local shows, play local music, encourage our Djs to bring in local artists to interview and promote. Many of our Djs work closely with local musicians here, and we're always trying to bring in more local talent. We also require most of the shows here to play music by local artists during their show. Considering how easy it is for a local band to be played on WRVU, I'm surprised we don't get more submissions. We could probably do a better job of promoting all that.

Spinning Indie: Tell me a bit about the local college radio scene and how you've connected with folks from other stations nearby.

Mikil: There aren't many nearby "college radio" stations. There are a few stations run from colleges, but we mainly hold the banner of college radio for Nashville. We love WMTS, which is about an hour south of Nashville at MTSU (Middle Tennessee State University), but it doesn't reach all the way up here. We play them in kickball each year, and are currently scheduling the next game for the next few weeks. We're currently ahead in the all-time standings 2-0, and are hoping to increase our win total soon. Recently, to my happy surprise, Belmont University in Nashville just recently reached out to us, as they're looking to restart their internet radio station soon. We'll be doing what we can to make that happen.

Spinning Indie: Is there anything else you want to share about WRVU?

Mikil: WRVU is one of the most powerful college radio stations situated in one of the biggest music cities in the world. Despite this, we are not affiliated with any broadcast school. At many colleges, this would mean that WRVU was underfunded and consistently in danger of being sold off. We're extremely lucky to have a very supportive university and governing board. We never
have any substantive trouble with money nor are we in danger of going away any time soon.

The lack of a broadcast school means that WRVU can concentrate on students and music, without having to create a structure similar to any other station. We don't promise anyone a job at another station, so we don't have to be like any other station. I think that frees us up to do so much more, and to play some fantastic music. I'm not alone in remembering my first time listening to WRVU very fondly. After listening to nothing but the 12-song rotations of most stations around Nashville, I was very happy to find WRVU. It would be rare to hear the same 12 songs in a week here, let alone 30 times a day.

The Early History of College Radio Revealed

I'm pretty fascinated with the secret, early history of college radio; especially since my own college had a pioneering student radio station back in the 1920s. So, when Hugh Richard Slotten released his book Radio's Hidden Voice: The Origins of Public Broadcasting in the United States last year, I was thrilled to finally have a resource to turn to in order to get a better idea of how college radio really began.

According to Radio's Hidden Voice:

"Radio stations at universities were particularly important because they pioneered some of the earliest experiments with radio in the United States and they played a key role in the establishment of an alternative, noncommercial, public service model for broadcasting."

Thanks so much to Hugh for taking the time to talk to me about his research into the early years of student and educational radio. You can find my book review and interview with him over on Radio Survivor.

WWRM's Renaissance at Randolph College

In spite of all of the gloom and doom stories about radio these days, my optimism for college radio remains strong. This week's Lynchburg News Advance story about Randolph College station WWRM is a nice reminder that college radio perseveres. Like many stations, WWRM (aka "The Worm") has been through its highs and lows over the years, but seems to be on an upswing. According to the article:

"Shows on the censorship-free station run the gamut from indie rock and zombie music to sports talk and poetry readings. Students can talk about whatever they want, as long as they do not slander members of the Randolph College community. And any music is fine, as long as it’s not pirated...

This fall, WWRM experienced a renaissance, growing from a handful of inconsistent shows to 47 deejays putting on 28 live shows a week...

'Radio definitely is a dying art, but I think that’s part of the appeal maybe on this campus,' [student manager Sarah] Kreiger said...

The studio dates back to when the station was founded in the 1960s. The musty brown rug and a collection of about 2,000 vinyl records have survived the decades..."

According to WWRM's website, the online-only station originally broadcast over AM carrier-current, then through cable TV at Randolph-Macon Woman's College. The complete history of the station is a bit of a mystery, although it looks like campus radio dates back to at least the 1950s. A 1950s station with the call letters WAVA was based at the college, but, somewhere around 1957 the call letters and some equipment was sold off, perhaps evolving into WWRM.

KFJC Celebrates 50th Anniversary with Open House

Over the weekend I got to participate in an amazing event at my beloved station KFJC. In honor of the station's 50th anniversary, there was an Open House on Saturday, October 17th up at the Foothill College station in Los Altos Hills, California.

Highlights for me were meeting so many alumni DJs, including the original station manager Bob Ballou. He was the architect of KFJC and is an amazing source of information about the radio scene back in 1959 when KFJC first went on the air over FM. Bob will be on the air again tomorrow night at 8pm, celebrating 50 years to the hour since he first launched the station on October 20, 1959.


There was also a running program of video and film clips playing at the station. It was pretty mind-boggling to see the old TV news coverage of KFJC's famous Louie Louie marathon in 1983. Seemingly every San Francisco TV station did a story about the marathon, including shots of the station and interviews with musicians and station staff. A short film about KFJC from 1979 was also on display, as well as another documentary featuring a very young Spliff Skankin' (who still does the reggae show at KFJC on Sundays).


Also on display at the Open House were some vintage KFJC program guides and magazines ("Waves"). Many of the alums brought in some rare artifacts, including T-shirts from the 1970s, old newspaper clippings, handwritten playlists, and dot matrix printouts of old "adds" lists.

Old copy of "Waves"...sooooo 80s!

For the past few months KFJC has been bringing back DJs from the past and during the Open House I was really excited to host old friend and former KFJC Music Director "Gray Shades" from the late 1980s. He put together an incredible three hours of music. I was super impressed that he dove into some of the current releases that KFJC has recently added and seamlessly blent them into his mix of new and old sounds. You can listen to that show for the next two weeks in the KFJC Broadcast Archives.

Now's a great time to listen to KFJC, as more alumni DJs are coming up this week, including:

Monday October 19, 2009: 7-10pm Pacific
The Glovin Show - DJ from the early to mid-1980s
DJ Dave Glovin along with Nikki Teen and Elvis Pretzel

Tuesday, October 20, 2009: 7-10pm Pacific
Official 50th anniversary of KFJC at 8pm, when Station Manager Bob Ballou signs KFJC on again, re-creating that epic moment 50 years ago.

Saturday October 24, 2009: 3-6pm Pacific
Mr. Phil - DJ from 1986-1992

Monday October 26: 7-10pm Pacific
Daryl Licht - DJ from 1991-1993

WOUB Radio Turns 60

It's a big year in radio history, with many college-based stations celebrating significant anniversaries. This week WOUB marked 60 years on FM (it actually began transmitting as a carrier current station in 1942 under the call letters WOUI) at Ohio University. According to an article on the WOUB website, the station was the first college radio station in Ohio to broadcast over FM in 1949.

WOUB, which has undergone a number of format changes over the years (from country to classical/jazz to news/talk), is now part of a larger WOUB "Network" and can be heard all over Ohio.

These days, WOUB-FM is a public radio station that emphasizes talk programming along with some specialty music shows. Their sister station WOUB-AM plays a mixture of music (including blocks focused on adult album alternative, "college alternative rock," hip hop and soul, and an "eclectic" mix on Saturdays with "Radio Free Athens"), talk, and syndicated public radio programming.

According to the piece on WOUB's website, the station's anniversary celebration was held during homecoming weekend on October 16th and 17th:

"Former staff and students gathered to celebrate the anniversary with a reception and tour of the station on Friday evening, which featured photos and memorabilia from throughout WOUB Radio's history.

...Alumni participated in activities on Saturday, which included a float in the homecoming parade, a tailgate party and recognition during the OU football game."

That's awesome. I can't imagine anything cooler than a college radio float during homecoming!

Even though WOUB provides some educational opportunities for students, these days it seems to have much more in common with public radio than with its college radio roots. For those who want more of a classic college radio experience, Ohio University also has an online station called ACRN (All Campus Radio Network) "The Rock Lobster." It's run entirely by students and airs "college rock" and specialty music programming.

Happy 50th Anniversary to KFJC!

Design for new KFJC artist T-shirt

It's a really fun time to be a DJ at KFJC as we're celebrating our 50th anniversary. It's hard to believe that the FM station began in 1959 and all sorts of fun things are taking place to mark the occasion. The station officially turns 50 next week, as it was October 20, 1959 at 8pm when KFJC signed on the air for the very first time. Bob Ballou, the original Station Manager will be back at KFJC to sign on again on October 20, 2009 at 8pm (you can catch an archived interview with him on the station's website).

Bob Ballou will also be on hand at a celebratory Open House event at KFJC this Saturday, October 17th from 1 to 6pm at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills. Current and former KFJC staff members will be milling about the station and listeners will get the opportunity to tour the station.

New KFJC Girlie Shirt Designed by Elizabeth McGrath

KFJC also continues to bring back DJs from the past. This Saturday, October 17th will include an appearance by 1980s DJ Grey Shades on the air from noon to 3pm.

The anniversary happens to fall during KFJC's annual fundraiser, so there are some 50th anniversary-themed thank you gifts available as well. Several of the new items feature designs and logos that were submitted during the station's recent art contest.

I'm most excited about our first-ever double LP compilation. In the course of digging up archival materials in advance of the anniversary, station staff have found some audio gems recorded at the station or at events previously aired over the KFJC airwaves. The double LP compilation includes some tracks by Iggy Pop and TSOL from the 1980s, Melt-Banana from 1995 and Windy and Carl from 1998 (among many others).

Hopefully I'll see some of you up at the KFJC Open House this Saturday!

KTUH Celebrates 40 Years of Student-Run Radio in Hawaii

Congratulations to KTUH on the occasion of their 40th anniversary. According to an article in the Honolulu Star Bulletin, the station purports to be the only 24/7 student-run radio station in the nation. I'm not sure how they came up with this claim (especially since I'm also at a 24/7 college radio station that is run by registered students), but I applaud them for continuing a long tradition of radio at University of Hawaii, Manoa.

The article also explains KTUH's devotion to challenging music:

"'It's not our intention to provide comfortable, familiar music,' [general director Nick] Yee said. 'We're trying to push you to try new music, and as a deejay, that's sometimes a daunting task.

'We cannot stress enough the importance of the station,' Yee said. 'It's wonderful that we have the ability to take students and community members off the street and, after a month and a half of training, give them a mic and empower them with the courage of playing their own kind of music and the ability to think for themselves.'"

As part of their 40th anniversary celebration, KTUH is sponsoring a concert series on campus and will also be screening a documentary about the station called "KTUH, A History in Progress..." Additionally, they are working to collect stories from the station's past; so if you a station alum, take a look at their 40th anniversary page.

Radio K Goes FM

Yesterday was a big day for Radio K (KUOM) at University of Minnesota. After more than 80 years of broadcasting from University of Minnesota (under various call signs), the station has finally ventured onto FM. In recent years they've been on AM and online, with terrestrial broadcasts ceasing when the sun went down.

As of October 1st, they will be broadcasting 24/7, utilizing three different FM channels reaching various parts of the Minneapolis-St. Paul region. They will still broadcast online and over AM.

A piece on City Pages points out:

"It's a big leap for the college radio station, who has gradually grown over the years from a daytime AM station to one that would move to the FM dial after the sun went down to allow continuous broadcasting.

'This is a huge milestone for us because we've always been a daytime-only AM station and have been waiting to get a full-time FM signal since Radio K formed,' says programmer Amy Daml."

It's impressive to me that radio is still such a strong force at University of Minnesota after all of these years. Radio experiments began on campus in 1912, an experimental radio license was granted in 1920, and a radio broadcast license was issued in 1922.

According to Radio K's website:

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

So I guess they are yet another contender for the "oldest college radio station" title.

To see a bit more about the history of college radio in Minnesota, take a look at my profile of the Carleton College radio station KRLX.

Spinning Indie 50 State Tour: Stop 11- Montana's KBGA (Part One)

The Spinning Indie 50 State Tour started a year ago, when I decided that it was time to more formally recognize interesting college radio stations in every corner of the United States. Stations in big cities and on the coasts tend to grab a lot of attention, so I really wanted to help make the point that student radio is thriving in places where some people would never expect it to thrive.

This virtual tour of radio stations has so far included stops in 10 states, including Arkansas, Wisconsin, Kansas, Louisiana, Alaska, North Dakota, Nevada, West Virginia, Kentucky and Minnesota.

Although my tour has been hobbling along at a relatively slow pace recently, with the beginning of a new school year I'm feeling re-energized about the project and hope to feature stations on a more regular schedule.

So, with that, we're off to Montana to check out University of Montana station KBGA. Today's actually a big day for KBGA, as they'll be hosting a big concert/fundraising event tonight in Missoula. "KBGA's 13th Annual Birthday Bash" will feature DJs, bands, and a silent auction to benefit the station.



As an article in Monday's Missoulian (take a look to see some video of the station too) points out, the 1000 watt FM station is devoted to indie music sounds:

"...new music - independent, often obscure, largely non-corporate - is at the heart of the station's mission. Punk, hip-hop, metal, jazz, grrl rawk, garage - all of it and then some finds a home on its airwaves."

The same article mentions that although the station is largely funded by student fees ($12 a year per student), the DJs come from both the school and the community.

Thanks so much to KBGA General Manager Ben Weiss for taking the time to answer some questions about college radio and KBGA. In our interview he talks about the history of the 13-year-old station, discusses its role in the local community, and talks about what it's like to be doing college radio in Montana, where they are 200 miles away from other indie music-oriented radio station. In a future post we'll dive into more details about the inner-workings of the station. For now, on to part one of our interview:


Spinning Indie: What motivated you to get involved with college radio?

Ben Weiss: On the first day of my freshman orientation at Grinnell College in Iowa, KDIC had a table at a campus organization fair where the staff was encouraging incoming students to get involved with radio.

Music is in my blood - my father played in bands before I was born, taught a "music as literature" class to high schoolers in the 70s, and now owns and operates Whaling City Sound, a jazz label, in Massachusetts; my late uncle was the chair of the RTV program at San Antonio Community College where he was the faculty advisor to KSYM, the student station there; my aunt ran away from home and went to England to follow the Who before they had even come to America; and my other uncle is a music teacher, folk singer, and busker; my brother is in about three bands, and writes music and lyrics for others - and college radio is the only place that I can listen to and play the type of music that I want to hear.

It is only on college radio, where musical breadth and depth are celebrated and revered, that you can hear the evolution of sounds, songs, and styles. College radio DJs are knowledgeable enough to play the artists that influenced the popular artists, and this is important from both a personal perspective and a musicological perspective.

I had a show all through college. When I moved to Montana to grow dental floss, I took two years off. It was not long before I had become friends with the GM and Program Director at that time, and I undertook the Saturday night/Sunday Morning 2 - 6 AM slot in September of 2004.

Spinning Indie: Is it true that KBGA has only been around since 1996? How did the station get started? Were there radio stations on campus prior to KBGA?

Ben Weiss: KBGA has only been around since 1996. B, G, and A all shared the dream of having a radio station on campus, and they worked tirelessly to gather signatures, lobby the student senate, purchase equipment, attain the frequency, and do all of the other jobs associated with getting a station off the ground.

The first song played on KBGA was "FM" by Steely Dan. As the station was brand new, interest had not been generated enough to have DJs around the clock, and the first couple of years involved prepackaged shows that were loaded onto a player, sort of like 8-tracks from what I can tell. We played a lot of "alternative" at the time which, being the mid 90s, meant loud, almost mainstream music, the precursors to emo and nu-metal, I guess what is called "modern rock" now. As soon as people realized what a resource the station was, more and more music geeks got involved, bringing with them their taste for more diverse, obscure and underground music.

Spinning Indie: Tell me about the station's relationship with the campus and off-campus community in Missoula. In particular, I'd like to know more your community forum show "Footbridge Forum."

Ben Weiss: Aside from KUFM, the NPR-affiliated station also located on the UMT campus, we are the only station in the area that is explicitly local. We have a news department that broadcasts news, weather and sports every weekday at 9 and 5. The news department also produces an hour-long talk show, and an hour-long sports show every week. The emphasis is on local, state, and regional news.

"Footbridge Forum" is a multi-part talk show run by the Journalism school that is named after the pedestrian bridge which links campus to the community to the north and was originally funded by an off campus grant. The program seeks to bring attention to a local issue, present multiple points of view about the issue, bring together experts and laypeople to try to solve the issue, and then present these possible solutions to campus administrators, city council members, and other relevant decision makers in the community.

The show takes place over the course of the fall semester and lasts for 3 to 5 episodes. For example, last fall's "Footbridge Forum" was about homelessness. Missoula has a large homeless population and has a history of being better to the homeless than other communities in Montana. In the first episode, citizen panelists, including students, and business owners discussed the homeless "problem."

In episode 2, these panelists were joined by police officers and a school counselor to further probe the issues associated with homelessness. In episode 3, all of the panelists came up with ideas on ways to better help the homeless while maintaining the safety and security of citizens and businesses. After the show, the producers wrote up a summary of the issues raised and the solutions presented, and then submitted their findings to deans of the university, the governor, our senators and congressman, and all shelter directors in the state.

"Footbridge Forum" is an interesting combination of journalism and activism, but it is not the only show on KBGA geared towards the community.

On Tuesday mornings one of our DJs hosts a show called "Pet Problems" on which he and a local veterinarian discuss pet issues and welcome callers to ask questions. The show has been on for close to 2 years.

One of our newest DJs is starting a Spanish educational segment of his morning show. He has a co-host who is a Spanish teacher and they will conduct conversations relevant to our listening audience and explain why they are saying what they are saying. It has yet to broadcast but will start by the end of this month.

[Since July we've] been broadcasting "Democracy Now" 5 days a week from 11 am to 12 pm.

Our News and Sports team produces two hour-long shows a week - one news and one sports - for which they have won regional and national awards in the past. They also have a news segment at 9 and 5 every weekday that lasts about 10 minutes or so and covers local, national, and international stories.

We are in the process of developing a local politics show that will be co-hosted by our favorite state senator and a rotating cast of his opposition in state and local government. We have had shows in the past dedicated to local politics, community events, and local gossip as well.

Spinning Indie: Similarly, what's your role in the Missoula music community? Do you guys host bands at the station? Co-present shows off-campus?

Ben Weiss: KBGA is the only station for almost 200 miles in any direction that plays "college" music and discusses "college" issues.

It is true that "college" music is not necessarily appreciated by all college students, and that you don't have to be in college to like new and bizarre music, but for the most part, we are it.

We have three major events each year that feature a variety of national touring acts. Our Birthday Bash, held every late September/early October, is our biggest celebration. Last year Monotonix played and nearly got us in trouble with the city. This year Birthday Bash features Talkdemonic and James Pants, plus 4 local bands.

Our annual fundraiser is called Radiothon and at week's end we throw another big concert. In the spring, around the beginning of April, we have a Fool's Night Out party. Some bands that the station has brought to town in the past couple of years include Blitzen Trapper, Vampire Weekend, Ghost, Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, Monotonix, the Dodos, the Death Set, Ponytail, High Places, Vivian Girls, Titus Andronicus, Starfucker, Japanther, Blank Dogs, and many smaller national and regional bands. We also sponsor shows of tons of local bands and help sponsor Total Fest.


Stay tuned for part 2 of my interview with Ben Weiss of KBGA.

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.