Spinning Indie 50 State Tour: Stop 5 - Alaska Station KSUA

Welcome to the 5th installment of the Spinning Indie 50 State Tour. The goal of this project is to do interviews with folks from college radio stations from each of the 50 states in order to highlight fascinating stations (and their tales) from all over the United States.

So far I've traveled (virtually) to Arkansas, Wisconsin, Kansas, and Louisiana.

Today we visit Alaska to talk to Matthew Schroder, the General Manager of University of Alaska, Fairbanks station KSUA-FM.

The first non-commercial radio station in Alaska (KUAC-FM) was actually located in the current KSUA studios. Public radio station KUAC-FM went on the air in 1962 and is still in existence in a different location. In 1972, carrier-current station KMPS-AM became the first student station on campus. This "progressive rock" station could only be heard in the dorms and on campus.

Radio KSUA first began broadcasting in 1984 as a commercial station playing album-oriented rock, and later indie rock. Due to financial difficulties they shut down in March 1993. In December 1993, KSUA was re-born as a non-commercial "edgy alternative rock" station.

Thanks so much to Matthew Schroder to taking the time to chat with me about KSUA. In his interview, he talks about his personal history in college radio as well as his other favorite college and community radio stations, shares the programming requirements at the station, and provides details about a few of the long-time shows at KSUA.


Spinning Indie: How did you get involved with college radio? Do you have a show?

Matthew: My first experience in college radio was with KDOX (X-58). X-58 was a part of the radio broadcasting program at Mt. Hood Community College in Oregon, and it was there that I received my associates degree in radio broadcasting. The station didn't broadcast over the air, but it was received over the local cable system in the area on Channel 58 and over the internet. It has since been renamed KMHC and has a sister public jazz station named KMHD. It was there that I learned the basics of radio and had a blast doing so.

I came to KSUA in '06 and did a show called Riker's Full Spectrum. I was looking for a station to get involved in while I was in school, and KSUA is the student station, so it fit my schedule and tastes perfectly. I became program director during the summer of '07 and general manager of the station this last summer. My show is now called "Soundtrack" and I play music from movies, musicals and television shows.

Spinning Indie: What's the overall mission/programming philosophy of KSUA?

Matthew: Everything about KSUA revolves around these three goals. To provide programming and music that is desired by the students of UAF, to provide programming and music that is otherwise unavailable to the Fairbanks community, and to provide training and radio experience to UAF students interested in a career in the broadcast industry.

Spinning Indie: I haven't heard of many college radio stations that transitioned from being commercial stations to non-commercial. Is there station lore about why KSUA was initially a commercial station?

Matthew: KSUA is fortunate to have a lot of its history still present at the station in the form of documents, pictures and first person accounts. There are quite a few people who are still involved at the station who were a part of it during the transition. The relationship between students and the university is difficult to quantify (even today), and KSUA starting as a commercial station was a way of students asserting their independence from the university while still being a part of it. Although, the commercial KSUA failed, the current KSUA which is funded by the student government, still maintains quite a bit of independence.

Spinning Indie: Did you inherit music/equipment from any of the earlier stations at University of Alaska? Anything interesting?

Matthew: A small sum of money and a transmitter were given to KSUA when the station switched from it's old commercial 103.9 FM spot on the dial to it's current non-commercial spot. The transmitter has since been upgraded.

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

Matthew: The two longest shows on the station are both on Sunday afternoons. "The Dead Session" a Grateful Dead show and "Eat @ Joe's" which is a folk-bluegrass show, have both been on the station over 10 years. The shows are hosted by UAF staff, so that helps preserve the longevity of the shows.

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

Matthew: As far as the Fairbanks market goes, I like to consider a lot of our programming as unique. It's one of our main goals to offer different programming. Almost every show format on KSUA can not be found anywhere else in this part of Alaska. We have many DJs who add their own flavor to their shows, and many DJs who might not fit the conventional role of a radio DJ, fit in well here.

One that stands out in my mind is the show "Family Ties" on Mondays. Murray Richmond, the main host, does a show with his children. Initially it started off with his daughter and has moved on to his older son. He frequently brings his younger son in to do the show as well. While the format of the show may not be entirely unique, the on-air presence of the family is.

Spinning Indie: Is there certain music that DJs are required to play? What type of music comprises your "play list" for daytime alternative format shows?

Matthew: Day shift DJs (8am-6pm) are required to play 6 songs from our play list each hour. If there is no DJ during the hour, the automation is scheduled to play 6 songs as well. The play list is made up of whole disks by artists and not just individual songs. We realize that the tastes of DJs vary greatly, so the play list usually offers a lot of flexibility in the genres and songs the DJ can play. If a DJ is really in to metal or some other genre, there are usually a few disks for them to play.

Spinning Indie: How does your MD decide what music to add? What's your philosophy about indie vs. major label? Do you add material by major labels? If yes, why? If no, why?

Matthew: A lot of the music you hear on KSUA comes from the recommendations of the DJs. The music director will give a DJ music to review, and many times our play list is updated from their reviews. Every disk in our library has been reviewed by someone at the station. Quite often a label will be looking for us to add a CD to our play list that is just horrible, so the opinion of our DJs really matter. We will still stick the terrible CD in our library, but we will not add it to our play list.

KSUA isn't an indie station per-se. One of our main goals is to provide programming that can not otherwise be found in the market. Quite often, we'll receive a disk from a major label and play it until we notice it in rotation on another station. This shifts between music directors, because some are hardcore indie only type people and others are a little more lenient. We're a place of learning, so a concrete rule is not enforced when it comes to mainstream vs. indie. As long as the main goals are followed.

Spinning Indie: Do you add and play a lot of vinyl?

Matthew: Not anymore. DJs that want to play vinyl can, but it's been a few years since KSUA has actively used it.

Spinning Indie: Do most students at University of Alaska know about the station? Do a lot of students listen to the station?

Matthew: I would say that most University of Alaska students do not know about KSUA just because the university system here encompasses the whole state. This means the three big cities in Alaska and all of the rural campuses. The Anchorage campus has its own station, and KSUA does not broadcast to those other campuses (besides the Internet stream).

I do believe a lot of Fairbanks students and people in the community listen to KSUA. We don't subscribe to Arbitron or any other monitoring service, but we do receive a lot of feedback on our programming. We get a lot of positive feedback on the non-commercial feel of the station.

Spinning Indie: What's the application process like for prospective DJs? Do a lot of people apply for shifts? Is it mostly students on the air?

Matthew: Every DJ on KSUA has to go through the process of filling out a show application each semester. Even the long running shows have to fill out a show application. We use the application as a contract between the station and the DJs to ensure that they understand what is expected of them.

The program director then takes the applications and designs the semester's schedule based off of past participation and need. If there are applications in for 4 metal shows, obviously not all of them will receive shows. If a genre or time are full, DJs who have proven their ability to host a show will receive shows before new DJs who haven't.

There are a lot of applications each semester for shows. We encourage DJs to get their applications in early, so they have an easier time getting the slot they want. It is mostly students who apply for shows, and the station emphasizes that students make up the bulk of it's DJs. We do allow faculty and staff members to host shows, but we limit their numbers, because it is a student station and paid for and staffed by students.

Spinning Indie: I love the DJ etiquette PowerPoint on your site. What station rules do DJs seem to have the most difficulty with?

Matthew: We have hand written operator's logs, and DJs not filling out the logs completely seems to be the biggest rule that gets broken time and again. We understand that volunteers can be forgetful sometimes, so it's a rule we really try to hammer in to to people's heads.

Keeping overly mainstream music off of people's shows seems to be frequent as well. I'm talking stuff that's played on top-40 radio stations. A lot of new DJs have never had any experience in playing non-mainstream music, so a lot of the choices they make music wise are what's familiar to them. So in our reviews of people's shows, we really try to encourage branching out and trying new things.

Spinning Indie: What sort of training do new DJs go through at the station?

Matthew: The first semester as a new DJ is one long training period. Each new DJ (and some old ones) go through one-on-one training with the station's program director. The PD schedules a time to meet with the host and they'll go over every piece of equipment in the studio and everything in the DJ handbook. We believe a lot of the learning is done by doing, so we really encourage new DJs to just get in there and do their show. They're encouraged to take things slow, and not rush in to anything. New DJs are required to host a day shift show for their first semester. It gives the PD a whole semester to evaluate what type of DJ they are and if they're up to hosting in a later time slot. It also allows the PD to work with the new DJ over the course of the semester on anything that needs attention.

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

Matthew: I do still listen to KMHC whenever I have a chance. It was my first station, so I still like tuning in now and again. I like to listen to KBOO and KPSU in Portland, OR a lot as well. KBOO isn't a college station, but it's format is a lot like KSUA, so listening to them is great for motivation. KPSU is another great college radio station that I really enjoy for no other reason than I listened to it growing up and their format is similar to KSUA as well. KRUA, our sister station in Anchorage is a frequent stop for me as well. When I'm bored, it's fun just searching for college radio stations around the country and listening to what they're doing.

Spinning Indie: Any exciting plans for KSUA this year that you'd like to share?

Matthew: KSUA does have a lot of things on the horizon this year. We're hoping to improve a few things in house, and start doing some fresh things with the Internet and our website that are unavailable at other Alaskan stations. We're also rolling out new promotional campaigns that I think will help draw attention to the station. We're also looking in to broadcasting upcoming local events that have pretty much been ignore by other stations in town.


Next week, the Spinning Indie 50 State Tour will journey to North Dakota!

College Radio in Detroit

There's the most amazing article about college radio today in Metromode called "Metro Detroit's Real Radio." Full of great quotes and photographs from Detroit-area college radio stations, the piece by Dennis Archambault displays an immense amount of love and respect for freethinking college radio stations.

According to the article:

"The more things sound different, the more they seem the same on college radio. A longstanding alternative to commercial formats, 'free-form' student-run radio is a variety show for adventurous listeners with eccentric audio tastes, including occasional dead air, local references, irreverent comments and unpolished delivery to remind you that this is, indeed, amateur radio.

In an era when the airwaves are ruled by distant conglomerates that shift programming formats according to ratings and jam as much advertising in as listeners will tolerate while 'public' radio adopts a largely talk, syndicated format, Metro Detroit's college radio stations (including CJAM, broadcasting from the University of Windsor) offer a fresh sound."


The piece features interviews with members of a number of Detroit-area stations, including:

WHFR-FM (Henry Ford Community College)
Dennis writes: "The station programs contemporary music, from indie rock to blues, jazz and classical, as well as experimental and 'noise.'"

WUMD (University of Michigan-Dearborn)
WUMD is a freeform station that streams online and on campus.

WCBM-FM (University of Michigan-Ann Arbor)
WCBM is a freeform station at University of Michigan. Campus radio has a lengthy history in Ann Arbor, stretching back to the very early days of radio.


The article concludes by quoting the General Manager of WCBM, Brent Rioux, talking about the culture of college radio. Dennis writes:

"According to Rioux, college radio is like assembling 'all of the weirdos, people with debilitating social problems and crazy record collections…and you put them in a poorly ventilated basement and they fight over everything, but they have a common goal of doing something different, something strange, to get it out there if only to relieve themselves. Are they doing it for themselves or for the public? It's both. You're purging these weird record geek demons while, hopefully, interesting someone along the way.'"

I couldn't agree more!

KRUX Music Director Interview on CMJ

Another radio station profile is up on the CMJ Staff Blog. This time around, the Music Director of KRUX-FM (Las Cruces, New Mexico) was interviewed about the New Mexico State University station. MD Oscar Zubia discusses the station's proximity to Mexico, their annual local band event KRUXFest, and the station's formerly cliquish nature. According to the interview:

"CMJ: KRUX is so close to the US/Mexican border. Are you influenced by the music coming out Mexico?

Oscar: Definitely. Our signal reaches out to El Paso… well, the outskirts but we’re working on getting it all the way out there, even to Juarez [Mexico]. That’s what we want to do with KRUXfest—get some out of towners in. It’s free for NMSU students and a minimal charge for non-students. And we also get Spanish music too, the scene is very [eclectic] here. We’ve even charted Kinky, Amigo Invisibles, Plastilina Mosh. The electronic scene is also great down there [Juarez], but what with the violence no one really goes anymore."

Nic Harcourt Leaving KCRW Music Director Role

In the L.A. Times today there's word that KCRW Music Director Nic Harcourt is stepping down November 30th. He'll continue to DJ at the L.A. public radio station, doing a 3-hour show on Sundays.

Nic is quoted in a press release on the KCRW blog:

"'As a parent of two young children, I believe it’s time for me to explore new career opportunities and expand upon my other activities in movie, television, voice over work, advertising and the Internet.'

'My heartfelt thanks and gratitude go to KCRW, the staff and volunteers who have supported my work through the years, but most of all to the listeners. I’ve always said that I couldn’t do what I do without them and I hope they will join me on Sunday nights,' said Harcourt.

KCRW’s General Manager Ruth Seymour said 'Nic has enhanced KCRW’s reputation for introducing new artists to listeners in Southern California and beyond on radio and the Internet. His singular gifts as a radio deejay and his ability to spot new talent attracted major media attention from both national and international press.'"

Nic's definitely got a presence outside of the station in the music and entertainment biz. In fact, I just saw a TV promo for him during 90210, for which he's the music supervisor. You can hear Nic talk about the music on 90210 on the CW's website for the show.

QRD Music Director Interviews Part 7 - Foothill College Station KFJC

This is part 7 of my weekly series of excerpts from a special radio-themed edition of the QRD 'zine, published by Silber Records chief Brian John Mitchell. In his "Radio Special" issue, which came out earlier this year, Brian conducted interviews with Music Directors from a number of college radio stations in the U.S. and Canada. To learn more about the publication and Brian's connection with college radio, see my interview with him in which he details the project and some of the big insights that he gained from his discussions with radio MDs.

I first learned about the "Radio Special" edition of QRD when I ran across Brian's interview with the former Music Director of my home radio station: Foothill College's KFJC.

KFJC, a nearly 50-year-old college radio station in Los Altos Hills, California, is an eclectic station that is devoted to unearthing underexposed music, but is also home to a large number of long-time DJs and specialty shows. KFJC got some buzz a few months back (including a write-up in CMJ) when the station organized an underground music festival in Japan and broadcast it live over FM and over the Internet (along with a video feed).

In his QRD interview, former KFJC Music Director Thurston Hunger talks about both the joys and stresses of being MD. He also discusses the station's love for music from all over the world and the lengths they've taken to present that music, his varying takes on technology (from digitial releases to show archives to DJ automation), KFJC's relationship with other like-minded stations, and his feeling that a music library is museum worthy of respect. The following are some choice tidbits:


QRD – Did you read the charts of other stations & if so how did they affect your charts?

Thurston – Before, during, & after my tenure as KFJC’s MD, I’ve enjoyed an excellent friendship with Brian Turner at WFMU. I always welcomed input from him, & in turn would be pleased if I turned him on to a band or project that he had not come across yet. WFMU gets a lot of deserving accolades, but KFJC ain’t too shabby. WFMU was honestly the only other station that I would watch the tops of... & loosely so. CMJ has gotten to the point that a hit there almost works against a band at KFJC.

There are some fine stations in the Bay Area, KZSU, KALX, KUSF, & others. Don’t get to check them out too often personally, but have enjoyed them over the years. I’d also put a plug in for Aquarius Records, Andee & his team run their store with the passion of a radio station! Should be more like them.… [Jennifer writes: See QRD's interview with Andee from Aquarius in their most recent "Record Store Special" issue]

QRD – What’s the longest time you felt comfortable keeping a record in rotation?

Thurston – KFJC had a long-standing policy of 8 weeks in rotation, we were adding about 45 items a week, which led us to consider 6 weeks ins, but there is something about having a record get a splash, & then work its way back into the sound stream that 8 weeks was conducive towards.

QRD – How much control did you let individual DJs have over what they play & how did they deal with requests?

Thurston – At KFJC DJs call the shots. There is a 35% “rotation” requirement for most shows; but with roughly 360 items to choose from, I don’t think anyone had any problems with putting their own sonic signature on their own show. As for requests... connecting with the audience is a fantastic thing, but the mighty majority don’t pick up the phone; they don’t want to miss the trip you are taking them on. Requests again are ultimately at the DJ’s discretion.

QRD – What’s the importance of specialty shows at your station?

Thurston – Very important, often these are listener favorites. I loved (& miss) KFJC’s Spiderman for being a hip-hop show that could also drop the Flying Luttenbachers or Jimmy Castor into the mix. Any time a noted specialty DJ at KFJC, like Robert Emmett or Jo Ed showcases an idiosyncrasy into their show, it can really open a window for listeners.

QRD – How is your station involved in the local music scene?

Thurston – I think at one point, there was a stigma of playing local music at KFJC, I’m talking over a decade ago. But the creativity of the Bay Area is an unstoppable force, & KFJC has certainly helped to champion a lot of local artists. I’ll forever fawn over Faun Fables! Again it’s one of those things you wish you could do more... Mills College is the great resource that KFJC sort of bats earlashes with.

On the flip side, many at KFJC consider the world our music scene. We love having bands from remote places come & play live in our pit. & if they cannot make it, we’ve journeyed abroad to send back live performances from New Zealand, the UK, as well as domestically a Terrastock or two! I’d like to see us do more distant remotes... there’s talk of a jaunt to Japan. Noise summit from China, punk rock explosion from Mexico, folk freak out in Finland, Bhutanese pop... contact us!

QRD – What were the best & worst parts of your job?

Thurston – By & large I loved being KFJC’s MD, but doing it on top of a paying job & raising kids was a study in sleep deprivation. Still, at 3am hearing something amazing that you cannot wait to share with your fellow DJs & listeners is the best. Also hearing people take stuff you’ve added & fit it into a musical mosaic that blows you away, that too is quite a reward. Encouraging artists, labels, & DJs is something I enjoyed, & strived to do. Being inundated with inadequate stuff, & trying to listen to it all, that wears the soul & ears down. & the obscured tragedy is that underneath the bad packaging, sonic clichés, & hackneyed lyrics lies a true love of music, that kind of got to me. For the people who sent KFJC music that did not make it: the hell with us, keep on doing what you love. It is its own reward... right?

QRD – I imagine a lot of the younger generation of DJs pretty much exclusively use MP3s over CDs (much less vinyl). How do you feel about the situation?

Thurston – Music wants to be free, & not just jazz. Musicians, however, are not nourished by the starving artist syndrome. If it can work out that musicians get their due, & less raw materials are consumed with packaging & stuff; MP3s work for me. That being said, I do enjoy the totem... sprawling out with a gatefold record will be missed. I sometimes dream of wearable music, earrings that pop into an MP3 player, or a necklace of nanodiscs?? People identify so much with music; let them wear it on their sleeves?

QRD – Did you try to get your entire catalog digitally encoded on a hard drive for radio play?

Thurston – We’ve done some encoding, went with MP3 just as a diving-in point. Rarely do we play from that archive live to air at this point. Having the catalog online helps with show prep & discovery by DJs; it also serves as insurance against !@#!@$ theft...Honestly, I’m ashamed to admit that I haven’t followed the varying formats that well & frequently flirt with sonic infidelity, blame it on Guided by Voices??

QRD – How do you feel about automation for overnight or unfilled DJ slots?

Thurston – We are 24x7 with human beings (or reasonable facsimiles) manning the controls at all times. I’ll take a KFJC graveyard over an autobot any time. I’d actually like to see KFJC grow to have 100 active staffers & two shows on at any time... one to the air (& web) & one to the web alone.…

QRD – I know that some labels & promotional teams are pushing towards digital download links over physical copies. How do you feel about this?

Thurston – This was just happening at the end of my tenure, & at that point they realized that us dinosaurs do treasure our totems. Again, I guess it makes sense from the point of view of environmental impact, & 47 years of age make the KFJC library bust at the seams of storage, still... I like KFJC’s library as a museum, with artifacts!! What happens to Christian Marclay’s Record with No Cover in such a world??



Coming up next week will be excerpts from Brian John Mitchell's interview with the Music Director of Canadian station CFBX.

Previous QRD MD Interviews:

Interview with Brian of Silber Records about QRD Radio Music Director Issue

QRD Music Director Interviews Part 1 - Wesleyan's WESU

QRD Music Director Interviews Part 2 - McGill's CKUT

QRD Music Director Interviews Part 3 - UMass Dartmouth's WUMD

QRD Music Director Interviews Part 4 - University of Georgia's WUOG

QRD Music Director Interviews Part 5 - Stony Brook University's WUSB

QRD Music Director Interviews Part 6 - University of Victoria's CFUV

College Radio Tidbits - CFMH and "Wolf Pack Radio" Profiled, Ball State's WCRD Gets New Antenna, International Show at University of Oregon station

A few stories related to college radio this week include:

Canadian Station CFMH Profiled

UNB Saint John station CFMH was the subject of a profile in the Telegraph Journal. The campus-community radio station is located in New Brunswick, Canada and has a programming staff of more than 80 volunteers. According to the article:

"The diverse student population at UNBSJ means broadcasts might be in various languages, eight different ones in fact: English, French, Mandarin, Arabic, Hindi, Bengali, Persian and Spanish. Programming includes a wide range of campus- and community-based productions that include the musical genres of jazz, blues, hip-hop, electronica, world/international, folk, punk and metal. There is also spoken-word programming on local issues such as the environment, information technology, religion, politics and media."

Ball State Radio Station Expands Listening Range

An article in The Ball State Daily News Online, talks about the expanded listening range for Ball State University radio station WCRD-FM. According to the article, a new antenna now allows for students on campus to actually hear the Muncie, Indiana radio station, which previously had a very limited range. The article quotes assistant professor of telecommunications Nancy Carlson who states:

"'Even though a lot of people know there's a college radio station, not a lot of people could actually listen to it because they were outside of the coverage area,' she said. 'Now, any of them can hear it and it will become the voice of the Ball State students on campus.'"

Nevada's Wolf Pack Radio Profiled

An article in Reno News & Review profiles University of Nevada, Reno's AM station "Wolf Pack Radio." The station hopes to gain an FM license at some point in the future and is working really hard to build ties to the local community. According to the piece:

"An irregular stream of students and DJs come and go from the station—it’s a gathering place for the campus community. All in all, the station has 30 hours of airtime with live DJs—all volunteers—encompassing a large range of subject matter and music. “NFL Hour,” for example, is a sports show that focuses on UNR and professional football. On Wednesday evenings, there is a three-hour block of political talk shows. The first, “It’s All Gravy,” hosted by a political science graduate student, focuses on current events and attempts to be objective. It is followed by “The Voicebox,” a debate-style show where hosts Dan and Donnell discuss both sides of the issues..."

"Music from Around the World" at University of Oregon station

An article in the Oregon Daily Emerald profiles an International student from Germany who hosts a show on the campus station KWVA-FM called "Music from Around the World."According to the piece:

"...Haenelt received specialized DJ training and now has her own show on the air Thursdays from 11 a.m. to noon. Each week, Haenelt invites a different international student from ICSP onto her show to discuss life back home in his or her culture. Guests also play instruments live on the air.

'Last week we had a girl from Vietnam and she sang on the air,' Haenelt said. 'Her voice was beautiful and we even had someone call in after the show, wanting to try her out.'"

Ithaca College Station WICB Wins MTVu "Woodie" Award

Apparently the votes are in and, according to the All Things Park blog, Ithaca College (New York) radio station WICB has won the first mtvU "Woodie" award for "Best College Radio Station."

The voting for this award took place over a number of weeks, during which time regional winners were selected from an initial list of 20 college radio stations. The final list of nominees were the 4 radio stations that earned the most votes during separate weeks of regional voting:

KSSU (Sacramento State)
WICB-FM (Ithaca College)
WEGL-FM (Auburn University)
WGRE-FM (DePauw University)

See my earlier post about the original list of 20 nominated stations.

mtvU will be airing their official Woodie Awards 2008 ceremony on November 19th. According to a post on MTVu on October 23:

"Acting as vanguards of emerging music, four college stations including KSSU, Sacramento State University; WICB, Ithaca College; WEGL, Auburn University; and WGRE, DePauw University; moved on to the final round of competition in hopes of bringing home the inaugural Best Campus Radio Station Woodie Award. Lauded for championing artists before they achieve mainstream success, these student-run radio stations were first chosen based off accolades from CMJ College Radio Awards, Princeton Review Nominations, and independent questionnaires completed by a cross-section of record labels. After four weeks of voting, college students have hoisted these musical pioneers into the final round of battle, with final voting beginning today."