College and Community Radio Tidbits: KKUP Seeks Funds for Move, WGMU's Radio Summer Camp, and More on Vinyl Revival

DJ at East Village Radio in NYC

A few college radio-related stories to share:

Community Radio Station KKUP is Moving, Needs Funds
KKUP (91.5 FM) is a long-time community radio station right in my backyard. According to an article in the San Jose Mercury News, they are losing their current lease in Santa Clara so are being forced to find a new home. For this, they are seeking donations from listeners. The piece also points out that they may be one of the few stations that is entirely supported by listeners since they do not even accept underwriting. The article states:

"Started by a group of college students as educational programming in the early 1970s, KKUP now offers music ranging from comical to classical, reggae to barbershop, New Age to oldies, world to bluegrass, blues to gospel, current affairs to philosophy and vintage radio to poetry."

Radio Summer Camp at WGMU
I love that teens get the chance to learn about radio at college station WGMU's annual summer camp at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. According to an article in The Mason Gazette, the camp's been going on for 14 years.

Vinyl Revival among College Students in Kansas
Taking another look at the resurgence of vinyl, The University Daily Kansan ran a piece about young, local vinyl record enthusiasts who own hundreds of records and praise vinyl's sound, permanence, and the beauty of its artwork.

Vinyl Records at WNYU

Dearth of Indie Radio in NYC?
A piece in New York Magazine makes the argument that indie radio offerings in New York City are meager at best, at least as far as terrestrial signals go. Too bad the article didn't mention other over-the-air college stations like WNYU (89.1 FM) and online options like East Village Radio and Barnard's WBAR which are great resources for unheard sounds. The article states:

"Radio listeners who move here from smaller cities consistently discover that their preferred station has no analogue here. We barely have an indie presence, in any genre. (WFUV, Fordham's station, and WNYC itself are reliably smart, but New Jersey’s WFMU barely makes it to antennae on the East Side, and WKCR, Columbia College radio, is similarly underpowered.)"