Radio Station Field Trip 12 - KSJS at San Jose State University

Hallway Mural at KSJS

I'm getting close to completing my tour of San Francisco Bay Area college radio stations. On Tuesday night, March 3rd , I braved the torrential rains to visit San Jose State University's radio station KSJS. Thanks to General Manager Nick Martinez and Subversive Rock Music Director German Toledo for inviting me down to the station. Unfortunately I missed their weekly staff meeting, but the station was still abuzz with students working on projects.

On-Air Studio at KSJS

KSJS, aka "Ground Zero Radio," started broadcasting in 1963 over FM. These days they are at 90.5 FM (they switched around a bit and were 90.7 until 1992), with 1500 watts of power. Although they were an early online broadcaster, rumored to have begun in 1992, their music webcast initially went silent in 2002. According to Nick, the station resumed netcasting for a period of time after Sound Exchange was formed, but ceased music netcasts entirely in July 2007 due to the complexities of reporting requirements for music.

KSJS is still legal to broadcast online, having registered with Sound Exchange, and does continue to air netcasts for sports and public affairs programs. Nick told me that when he turned off the Internet feed an interesting thing happened: the "programming got better," and the station started to focus more on locally-oriented programming. Additionally, the free weekly, San Jose Metro, began awarding them best college radio station (which they also were given a nod for in 2008, along with mentions for some of the best local radio DJs).

DJ Kevin Foley in KSJS On-Air Studio

Nick told me that he was optimistic about college radio, saying, "satellite is basically dead and everyone said that would kill radio." He argued that he thinks that radio in generally is going to have to shift to local, community-oriented programming in order to remain relevant.

One of my tapes of the 1985 KSJS "Top 90.7" countdown that I recorded off the radio

Back in the 1980s, KSJS was one of the stations that I regularly listened to and I actually found a cassette tape of one of their Top 90.7 Countdowns that they used to do on New Year's Eve. I brought my tape with me to the visit and some of the current radio station staff mentioned that they didn't recognize many of the bands. One girl even said, "that's from before I was born!"


Programming at KSJS has changed quite a bit in the decades since I made the tape. Nick told me that KSJS is sort of a "hybrid" of two different extremes in college radio. On the one hand it has elements of the more freeform, stations that function like campus clubs and on the other it has the structure of some of the more, rigid, regimented formatted stations. He said, "we're cut right in the middle," telling me that they are unique in that respect.

On-Air Studio Board at KSJS

Nick is on the faculty of San Jose State and runs the radio station as GM. Student managers report to him and they are all responsible for their own department staffs. He said that one must be a student or alum to join the station and everyone on staff must be enrolled in a radio class. Around 115 people make up the current staff and there's about 40% turnover per semester according to Nick. As of 2000, non-student, community members are allowed to participate, but they must register for radio classes as well, at a cost of $700 for "open university" students.

Production Studio

Prior to 2000 there were many more non-students at the station and Nick estimated that the percentage of community DJs was 30% back then. These days the staff is about 97% students and 3% alums. I did actually meet a community DJ, Kevin Foley, who has been at KSJS since 1993 as a jazz DJ. He told me that he got "grandfathered" in when the rules changed due to the dearth of student jazz DJs at the time.

On-Air Studio

In order to get on the air, one must first take a radio class, a DJ training class, do four to five weeks of in-studio training with a DJ, and then pass an exam. Brand-new DJs may do graveyard shifts, but it's not required if they are deemed ready for regular fill-ins. An interesting thing about overnight shifts at KSJS is that if they are open, then all staff members are potentially required to fill-in from time to time. Everyone gets put on a rotation for graves, and if your name comes up, then you must take the fill-in. Pretty much everyone on the staff (including managers) is responsible for one to two fill-ins each semester.

KSJS Program Schedule

Each staff member must commit to doing 114 hours of work per semester (16 weeks) at the station. Nick told me that all station work (except for one's show) counts toward the required hours. The schedule (which changes 3 times a year with the semester) is broken down into 4-hour shifts across 5 different music formats: subversive rock, electronic, jazz, hip-hop and alternativo (Spanish language music across a wide range of genres). There's currently only one specialty music show, an oldies show on Fridays from 10am to 2pm hosted by long-time DJ (35 years at KSJS) Dennis Terry. Nick told me that there are some half-hour music interview shows and that a professor will occasionally do a disco/funk show.

In the On-Air Studio, German tries to find room for "sub rock" CDs that have come out of rotation

According to Nick, the record library contains about 20,000 CDs (mostly stored in the On-Air Studio) and around 700 CDs a month come in to the station from labels and promo companies. Currently they have a limited amount of vinyl, mostly in the hip hop and electronic libraries. Nick told me that in the past they had a huge collection of jazz vinyl, but the station donated it to the library. I was also told that more vinyl is in storage and they are working on selling or donating it as well. "Sub Rock" Music Director German said that he rarely gets sent vinyl, perhaps a handful of 7-inches a month.

Some of the "alternativo en espanol" CD collection housed in the on-air studio

Nick told me that there's a push from students at the station to go completely digital and sell off their CDs as well. He mentioned that maybe 20 to 25 percent of their servicing comes as digital downloads and that eventually he'd like to be able to put the music library on a hard drive. However, Nick isn't anxious to do away with CDs just yet, saying that he hates to see DJing becoming "just drag and drop." German agreed, saying, "I definitely prefer physical copies."

CD storage in On-Air Studio

Besides music shows, they air public affairs programming and San Jose State sports. Nick emphasized to me that KSJS is very much a part of the school and that they are largely funded from student activity fees and donations. Faculty and staff are also invited to join the station and their Jazz Director is part of the faculty. He added that "...very few stations get the love that we get from [our] school....and we play death metal...and they still love us."

Nick said, "We are an education service," but acknowledged that with the changes in the radio industry they've also had to change what they are teaching. He pointed out that KSJS is a "tool" for learning not only about radio, but also about management and working within an organization. He said that probably 35-40% of the people on campus know about the station, a pretty high number compared with what I've heard at other stations.

Nick admitted that he's sort of an anomaly because he isn't much of a "music" guy. He said, "I'm not a huge music fan" and told me that he's purchased maybe 12 to 15 albums in his life. What got him into radio, and the station, was that he "fell in love with talk." He joined KSJS when he was a student, initially doing news and sports. Eventually he did music shows as well, became Program Director, and then upon graduation took over the General Manager position from the departing GM.

He said that he does enjoy learning about new music and continues to do music fill-ins at KSJS, saying, "it helps me to get into the mindset of a freshman." Nick also pointed out that the station strives to be "inclusive" in its music programming and the goal is to not be "so niche that people won't understand it." Doing the fill-ins helps him spot-check the station to make sure that the formats are understandable to even non-music types like him.

Subversive Rock Music Director German Toledo

German and I talked about the overall music philosophy of KSJS. He said that being a non-commercial station they aim to play under-represented music and local artists. He's the Music Director in charge of "subversive rock," and when I asked what that meant, he said that it's pretty broad, covering "...punk, metal, indie, ska, hardcore and progressive" music. He also explained that DJs are given shows on a particular format and must play music within that broadly defined genre. He said, "we can't do freeform." He told me that most DJs seem to gravitate to rock and hip hop shows.


In terms of format rules, German told me that "...DJs have to play rotation within their music department...and have to follow a clock per hour (most shows are 4 hours). They must play 3 heavies, 2 mediums, 1 feature and the rest are options." DJs can only play music from the station's library (no music from home) since it's been screened for obscenities and profanity. German also mentioned that some music departments are more diverse (especially alternativo), so some DJs are allowed to play music from sub-genres within their broad category of music format.

Rotation List for Subversive Rock Shows

And, finally, we talked about the community of staff members and listeners and the role of social networking tools. Nick told me that his biggest struggle is keeping a dedicated tech-savvy person on staff to work on projects like social networking features for the website. He said that he'd like to revamp the KSJS website, add blogging features, and create an easy way for people to donate to the station.

As I've heard at many stations, Nick said that a great thing about KSJS is that everyone works well together and that there are no cliques. He told me that the age range of the staff is from 17 to 65 and that "they're all friends." German also mentioned that initially he joined the Television, Radio, Film, Theatre department because he wanted to do film making, but added that now, "I'm all about radio."

Thanks to everyone at KSJS for taking the time to chat and show me around the station. Stick around for my next tour stops: WBAR (Barnard College) and my home station KFJC (Foothill College).


Previous Spinning Indie Radio Station Field Trips:

Field Trip to WECB at Emerson College
College Radio Field Trip 2 - Cal Poly's KCPR
College Radio Field Trip 3 - Notre Dame's WVFI
Radio Station Field Trip 4 - WFMU in Jersey City
Radio Station Field Trip 5 - East Village Radio in NYC
Radio Station Field Trip 6 - WNYU in New York City
Radio Station Field Trip 7 - Northwestern's WNUR
Radio Station Field Trip 8 - Stanford's KZSU
Radio Station Field Trip 9 - University of San Francisco's KUSF
Radio Station Field Trip 10 - Santa Clara University Station KSCU
Radio Station Field Trip 11 - UC Berkeley's KALX

College Radio and Social Networking

So, I'm off to New York City tomorrow to attend the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) College Radio Conference. There will be lots of presentations and panels about the ins and outs of college, high school, community and low power radio. I'll be speaking on a panel about "Social Networking and College Radio" and would love to get your ideas about how your station is using social networking tools.

Does your station have pages on MySpace, Facebook, You Tube, imeem, Flickr, or others. Do you have a Twitter account? And who updates these pages and how often?

Do you think social networking tools like these are the best way to stay in touch with listeners and fans of your stations? Do you do in-person events too?

I also wonder if you take the time to monitor what people are saying about you in all of these venues? I just did a quick Twitter search for my station KFJC and saw some nice words from listeners digging the music. I also found some fun gossip when I searched for mentions of another station. And, as you might guess, plenty of people are posting tweets when they are annoyed by something that a DJ is saying or playing.

And, finally, is there a social network for college radio? There are various college radio groups out there (CMJ, IBS, CBI), regional college radio projects (Philadelphia College Radio Collective), and the private college radio message board Medium Rotation. Do you find a sense of community from any of these groups? Or are there others that I missed?

I'll definitely be recapping the conference and will let you know what everyone shares about social networking, but it would be cool to get a few ideas running here as well.

Radio Station Field Trip 11 - UC Berkeley's KALX

KALX Station Entrance

It's been a fun, but busy few weeks of visits to local college radio stations in the San Francisco Bay Area! On Thursday, February 26th I crossed the bridge over to the East Bay to check out what's going on at KALX, the station at University of California, Berkeley. Thanks so much to General Manager Sandra Wasson, Co-Music Director Casey Koon, and Operations Coordinator Erin Ruiz-Prunchak for taking the time to give me the grand tour and chat with me about the station.

KALX's 45th Anniversary 7"

Radio at Berkeley began in 1962 with the creation of carrier current station Radio KAL. The original board for KAL was built from a cigar box, which is on display in the KALX lobby. By 1967, KALX was officially born with their first broadcast over 90.7 FM. Over the years KALX has done a lot to document their history and their website even includes an archive of old charts from as far back as the 1960s. In honor of the station's 45th anniversary in 2007, staff put together a double 7" compilation featuring live recordings from their archives, including a live Talking Heads track from 1978.

KALX History on Display at Station

KALX relies on its large staff of volunteers to keep the station running smoothly. Everyone who volunteers at the station (whether on the air or not) is required to do at least 12 hours of work a month. Volunteers work across 11 different departments at the station, including music, sports, music library, public affairs, and others. Casey and Erin told me that at the monthly staff meetings there are often between 80 and 100 people in attendance (and that's just a portion of the entire staff of 250). Station managers meet weekly.

DJ "Disco Shawn" in On-Air Studio at KALX

Anyone (students, community members, faculty, staff, alumni) can volunteer at the station, but at least 50% of on-air DJs must be students. Sandra told me that it's "great in terms of diversity" to have a "broad range" of DJs across a "huge range of ages." She added that they always have a high school student or two on staff. KALX recruits heavily on campus, showing up at events and activity fairs in order to attract students to the station.

Part of the vinyl library at KALX

One must work at the station for at least 3 months before becoming eligible to start DJ training. Sandra told me that there are a limited number of spaces in the weekly training class, which lasts for 4 weeks. Following that, DJs sit in with an on-air DJ, take a test, and are then required to do 7 overnight shifts. A Program Review Committee (a rotating committee of folks with stints of 6 months to 1 year) is responsible for awarding shows to DJs. Erin pointed out that this type of set-up isn't always the case in college radio, where oftentimes one person (the Program Director) is responsible for awarding shows. Music DJs don't apply for a specific style of show since the station is all freeform.


Since shows are awarded for only one year, Erin said, "there's always room in the schedule" and that it "gives everyone a fair chance." Sandra added that this makes for a "vibrant, changing" airsound. Existing DJs can re-apply for shifts as well. Additionally, DJs are approved to fill in on specific time shifts throughout the day. On can move up the "sub list" (for example from midnight to 6am shifts to daytime shifts) by submitting an application to a separate "sub list" committee.

Board in On-Air Studio at KALX

Sandra guessed that maybe less than 10 people on the entire staff are long-time members of the staff, some for 20 years. She added that since KALX has changed so much over the years, she doesn't like to focus on the longevity of any one show or DJ.

KALX Program Schedule

The KALX schedule is a mixture of music, public affairs (including a variety of talk shows), news and sports programming with no specific blocks set aside for any one type of programming. Sandra said that she really likes the fact that all departments attend staff meetings and that music DJs regularly interact with news, sports and public affairs programmers while on the air, saying that it "makes for tighter connections" between staff members.

On-Air Studio at KALX

In terms of music, KALX prides itself on its freeform style of programming and according to the KALX website, "...every KALX DJ is encouraged to play a variety of musical styles and genres." Co-Music Director Casey is a senior at Berkeley and has been at KALX for 4 years. He said that their music philosophy is to "spread as much good music as possible" with a particular emphasis on hard-to-find and local music. He said they listen to everything that gets sent to them and add around 30 to 40 items a week. They do add vinyl (but no cassettes), with more 7"s being added than LPs. Right now Casey said they don't add digital releases right now, but hopefully in the future will be able to establish a system to do so. DJs are allowed to play digital music from their own computers and iPods as well.

A Portion of the Feature File of Recent Music Adds at KALX

Music DJs are required to play music from at least 3 different genres during their shift. Additionally, they are required to play 4 tracks an hour from the "feature" file, which includes recently reviewed music. An interesting thing that KALX does is that they have 2 categories within their feature file: Red Dot (for amazing music that will remain in the library forever) and Green Dot (for music that DJs might be on the fence about). During the period that music is in the "feature file," any DJ can make an argument for elevating Green Dot items to Red Dot status. If something remains in the Green Dot category, then it leaves the feature file after a month and is sold or donated.

Music Review Checklist

Additionally, the Music Department oversees a handful of genre-specific specialty music shows that take place from midnight to 1am. The Music Department decides on the types of shows to air and selects the DJs. Currently there are shows focused on electronic music, modern & avant classical, Americana, difficult music, metal, hip hop and jazz. KALX also has a live music show called KALX Live, that airs from 9 to Midnight on Saturdays.


They have a massive music library of over 80,000 records and CDs that is housed in a single locked room, off-limits to non-staff members. No recorded material can leave the station and the library is protected by an alarm as well. The station has been in their current space since 1995 and clearly a lot of care went into the design of the record library, as its spacious and well-organized. Sandra talked about how pleased they were to find one particular storage unit that holds 18,000 CDs in a 5 by 10 foot space. All the CDs are filed A to Z, with all genres filed together. The older vinyl library is still broken down by genre.

Amazing CD storage unit with rolling shelves that holds 18,000 CDs

KALX uses a digital system to play their promos and station IDs and 2 years ago they replaced their paper playlists with Radioactivity. Through Radioactivity, they are able to post real-time playlists with time stamps on their website, including a list of all the music played in the last 24 hours. Sandra pointed out that before going digital, it took 6 hours to create weekly charts.


Sandra told me that she's visited a number of college radio stations over the years and loves getting ideas from other stations. She worked at Rice University station KTRU when she was in college and later worked at KUSF. Additionally, KALX is part of the UC Radio Network (UCRN), a group of stations on University of California campuses that meets twice a year for a conferences at one of the member stations. I told her that I liked the idea of connecting with other stations and mentioned that when I first joined KFJC there was talk of a Bay Area College Radio Station picnic. Sandra filled me in on that, saying that someone from KUSF has actually put that together.

7" Library at KALX

Casey said that he also has friends at other stations, including UC Santa Cruz station KZSC and listens to KUSF. He told me that he definitely feels like he's part of a broader college radio community, especially because of KALX's participation in the UCRN conference every semester. He said, "it helps foster a nice sense of community" and has allowed him to see stations at UCLA, UC Santa Cruz and UC Santa Barbara. He also told me that the new University of California campus in Merced is starting up a radio station and that it's been great to share information with them and "brainstorm" and "give ideas."

KALX Co-Music Director Casey Koon

Erin added that KALX itself has a nice sense of community and that she really appreciates the diversity of the staff and thinks its beneficial to have a mix of students and non-students. Casey also pointed out that KALX DJs are an interesting group and are involved in the Bay Area arts scene in a number of ways.

Thanks again to everyone at KALX for a great tour. Up next will be a visit to San Jose State station KSJS.

Archival Carts at KALX

Previous Spinning Indie Radio Station Field Trips:

Field Trip to WECB at Emerson College
College Radio Field Trip 2 - Cal Poly's KCPR
College Radio Field Trip 3 - Notre Dame's WVFI
Radio Station Field Trip #4 - WFMU in Jersey City
Radio Station Field Trip 5 - East Village Radio in NYC
Radio Station Field Trip 6 - WNYU in New York City
Radio Station Field Trip 7 - Northwestern's WNUR
Radio Station Field Trip 8 - Stanford's KZSU
Radio Station Field Trip 9 - University of San Francisco's KUSF
Radio Station Field Trip 10 - Santa Clara University Station KSCU

Radio Station Field Trip 10 - Santa Clara University Station KSCU

Entrance to KSCU in Basement of Swig Hall

I've been sticking close to home lately, attempting to visit as many San Francisco Bay Area college radio stations as I can. On February 19, 2009, I traveled south to catch up with 2 of the Music Directors at Santa Clara University station KSCU. Over the years I've met a few folks who've DJ'd there, so it was fun to finally see the station in person. Thanks so much to Music Director Nicole Coxe and Assistant Music Director Sam Duarte for taking the time to speak with me about KSCU. Also a big thanks to DJ "E.O.," a long-time KSCU staff member, who gave me a bit of the low-down about the history of the station.


Located in the basement of the dormitory Swig Hall, thus the slogan, "The Underground Sound," KSCU would be impossible to find on campus if you didn't already know that it was there. There's no signage outside and the only real landmark is a big red flashing light atop the dorm building. Security on campus has been heightened recently, so any guests to the station need to be escorted in by a staff member. Like KUSF, KSCU is located at a private Jesuit University.

On-Air Studio at KSCU

According to E.O., a staff member and DJ (he does a dance/electronic/dark wave show now) at KSCU for 26 years, KSCU started in the mid-1970s, although campus radio at Santa Clara University has apparently been around for over 50 years in different forms (closed-circuit, etc.). E.O. told me that when he came to KSCU in the 1980s, the station only had 2 rooms and was located in a janitorial closet. Around 1985 the station expanded beyond the janitorial closet into a larger space in the basement thanks to their then-advisor.

The illustruous KSCU van!

E.O. had some great tales to tell about KSCU, including floods, power outages, a scandal involving the stolen KSCU van (rad! although it no longer exists, this is the first college station that I've heard of that had a van), and an incident in which a cockroach landed on a spinning record, causing it to skip.


Nicole has also been a long-time member of the station, joining when she was a senior in high school in 1999. She told me that she was aware of KSCU because she saw their presence at shows and knew that they were community-friendly. When she started, she said it was about 60% community members and 40% students at the station. She was Music Director from 2002 to 2004 and recently returned to the station. She mentioned that she was never actually a student at Santa Clara University.

Both Nicole and Sam talked about the value in having both student and non-student volunteers at the station. Although the General Manager is always a student, managers and DJs don't have to be.

Sam shows the paper playlists that KSCU DJs use

E.O, Nicole and Sam also swapped stories about famous KSCU alums, including musician Anya Marina, commercial DJ No Name (who used the same moniker at KSCU), Lex from Survivor Africa (and Frontier Wives) and the singer from Loquat (who was a DJ and GM).

Not only is the physical location of KSCU a bit removed, but their spot on the dial (103.3 FM) is unusual, in that it's a non-commercial station (50 watts) on the commercial band. It wasn't always that way, existing in the early years below 100 on the dial. I would guess this is both a blessing and a curse, as people seeking out non-commercial and college radio stations would be unlikely to find it if scanning the dial. Yet, commercial radio listeners might be more likely to run across KSCU. Sam mentioned that it's very common for people to call and request mainstream material, because they think it's a commercial station.


The station survives off of funding from the school and from paid public service announcements. I was told that KSCU used to do fundraisers, but that they stopped around 2006. When I asked more about funding, I was told that things have been cut from the budget, including trips to the annual CMJ Music Marathon in New York.

In terms of KSCU's role at the university, Nicole told me that they've enjoyed having events on campus, but that it's become increasingly difficult as the school has been reluctant to allow shows and events. KSCU had to cancel a planned Halloween event last year due to concerns from the school about student safety. Sam added that there have been break-ins on campus and that there is new heightened security and that the "view of non-students has gotten harsher." I asked if the fact that they are at a Jesuit university influences programming at all. Nicole said that in particular metal and hip hop shows have faced scrutiny over some of their content and they have had to step away from certain genres like dark, death metal after getting complaints.


Despite all of this, Nicole and Sam told me that a lot of new people are joining KSCU, many of them non-students and some from other college radio stations like KZSU. Nicole said that he appeal of KSCU for new DJs is that "it's so freeform" and that DJs are "generally allowed to play whatever they want." DJs are required to play 5 tracks an hour from their "clocks" (new adds) section. Music remains in "clocks" for 7 weeks and includes around a few hundred releases in a range of genres including electronic, rock, and hip hop. There are also specialty shows playing a range of sounds including blues, power pop, 1980s underground music, electronic, and reggae.

KSCU's Assistant Music Director Sam Duarte

Between 20 and 40 items are added to the music library every week, including some vinyl. Nicole said that they don't get as much vinyl as they used to and are increasingly getting sent digital-only releases, which they burn to CD and add to the library. Although it's not in place now, they're working on a digital library where they can house new digital releases for DJs to play. They don't play cassettes anymore, but Nicole said that when she started at the station there was still an 8-track player. She added that the majority of DJs are playing CDs on their shows, with some playing music from iPods and computers, and a small number (maybe 5) playing vinyl.


KSCU has a large music library, with a lot of vinyl (including a separate jazz library). Nicole said that they listen to everything that gets sent to them, including online submissions. They try to be "local-friendly," adding and supporting musicians from the area as much as possible. DJs are actually encouraged to play 2 local artists an hour on their shows. Within the music department there are also sub-genre directors handling electronic, blues, metal and hip hop.

Jazz Library

Since KSCU emphasizes adding non-commercial music that isn't being played on mainstream radio, I asked how they define "independent." Sam said she tends to focus on local artists and people who are struggling to get heard elsewhere and tends to put releases that look "pretentious" in a second opinion pile when deciding what to add to the station. Nicole added that it's difficult to figure out what's independent, as some releases are "masked" as indie, even though they are on a major label. She said that sometimes they will add major label releases, but just won't chart it. Nicole told me that once she was hassled for not adding a major label Beastie Boys release, but that she just didn't feel it was appropriate to add something that was charting on Billboard. Sam said that things have really changed, though, and that "indie is just a musical genre." Nicole agreed, pointing out, "The '90s indie is no more." Sam added that truly independent artists are still a primary focus, saying, "We still want to promote label-less bands."


I was told that one of the challenges at KSCU is attracting enough volunteers to the station. Many time slots are vacant and when I was there I witnessed this myself, as one DJ left and stuck a Depeche Mode compilation in the CD player on repeat as the fill-in DJ. Nicole said, "it's sad that it's gotten to that point," where they have to put CDs on repeat when there's no DJ. Nicole said their number one priority has to do with recruiting and retaining DJs. They are actively trying to recruit new DJs and each time I've listened to the station recently I've heard the on-air DJ making an announcement about how one can join the station. In order to become a KSCU DJ, one is required to do a certain amount of volunteer work (reviewing music, attending monthly staff meeting, etc.) before becoming eligible for DJ training. It's typically 2 to 3 weeks of on-air training and then one is allowed to apply for a shift the following quarter or begin subbing for shows right away. Sam told me that the current staff is about 50/50 between students and non-students, with more a majority of managers being students and a majority of DJs being from the community (or alums).

Flyer for upcoming KSCU off-campus shows

Nicole told me that one area where there is a lot of energy at the station is in promotions. They are doing lots of ticket giveaways for shows and are also putting on events off-campus by either co-presenting shows at local clubs like the Blank Club and co-presenting "Midnight Movies" at the Camera Cinemas in San Jose. A KSCU DJ is also doing live music shows at an arcade in San Jose called Nickel City. Nicole and Sam both talked about how the South Bay has been lacking in music venues and that they often get creative about places to host events, especially since they tend to have younger listeners and strive to have all-ages shows. Nicole mentioned that they used to do Listener Appreciation parties and even held one at a thrift store and had the punk band Discount (singer from the Kills) play.


We talked about the college radio community in the San Francisco Bay Area and Nicole told me that in 2005 there was a KSCU vs. KSJS basketball tournament. She said she'd like to do more things like that, where stations are interacting. Sam added that with "college stations suffering...it's cool to pull together...with other stations." Sam added that KSCU feels separated from the school and other organizations on campus since they are located in a dorm basement, saying that it often feels like they are a "lone ranger." For that reason, she was excited about the possibility of connecting more with other college stations in the area and sharing "friendly advice," saying "it would be great to have a community."

Nicole and Sam added that they do have a community of long-time listeners, but still need to work to get their name out there. Nicole added that the availability of music online has hurt the music scene, saying that people used to go to shows to learn about new music and would hear opening bands and music they'd never heard before. She said that she used to go to the Cactus Club every week to see shows, like The Donnas, Toilet Boys. Sam agreed that she loved seeing live music and that today there are "so many bands" on MySpace that it's "hard to get close to them." She said that she'd like to host a local music show and have bands come to the station to play on it. KSCU does have musicians performing live at the station now, including a lot of hip hop acts.


Both Sam and Nicole talked about the closeness of the staff and sense of community within KSCU, with Nicole saying, "The people that are involved at KSCU are all very personable and just warm, we really are a big giant family. Most of my great friends I met through KSCU, including my boyfriend..." Sam said that "it would be cool to have more people hanging out at the station" as she really enjoys being around the station and having great conversations about music.

Thanks again to everyone at KSCU for a fun visit. Up next will be a recap of my visit to UC Berkeley station KALX.


Previous Spinning Indie Radio Station Field Trips:

Field Trip to WECB at Emerson College
College Radio Field Trip 2 - Cal Poly's KCPR
College Radio Field Trip 3 - Notre Dame's WVFI
Radio Station Field Trip #4 - WFMU in Jersey City
Radio Station Field Trip 5 - East Village Radio in NYC
Radio Station Field Trip 6 - WNYU in New York City
Radio Station Field Trip 7 - Northwestern's WNUR
Radio Station Field Trip 8 - Stanford's KZSU
Radio Station Field Trip 9 - University of San Francisco's KUSF