Spinning Indie 50 State Tour: Stop 4 - Louisiana Station WTUL

After a brief delay (blame my CMJ back-log of posts), the Spinning Indie 50 State Tour is back. Most weeks I will be sharing an interview with a college radio station from one of the 50 states in order to expose more people to the interesting things happening at college radio stations in every corner of the country. So far I've talked to stations in Arkansas, Wisconsin, and Kansas.

This week my virtual tour takes us to Louisiana to chat with Tulane University station WTUL in New Orleans. WTUL was actually the very first station that I contacted about this "50 State" project, but a few hurricanes and my trip to CMJ delayed the publication of the interview.

WTUL is a freeform FM station and will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2009. Like many college radio stations, in its early years it was an AM campus-only carrier current station. Today, they focus on playing music that "can't be heard on other radio stations in the New Orleans area." Their schedule is mostly comprised of the following WTUL defined categories: classical, jazz, progressive, and specialty programs (including punk, experimental, loud rock, opera, folk, blues, country and hip hop).

Thanks so much to WTUL's Promotions Coordinator Lisa Mirman for taking the time to chat with me about the station. In turn, Lisa talked to many station staff and alum, including: Rob Rioux, John Maraist, Mark Tobler, Conner Richardson, Rachel Wenzel, Duncan Edwards and Tel Bailliet for fact-checking and critical details about the station's history. Lisa also provides some direct quotes from Music Director Rob Rioux (including a Beck review that also serves to encapsulate aspects of the station's music philosophy).

In her interview Lisa shares with me some interesting moments from WTUL's history, including an incident involving the song "Hotel California," Jerry Springer's connection to the station, and how a condom-covered microphone wielding DJ in a dorm shower inspired 24-hour DJ shifts during their fundraiser marathons. She also relays an inspiring story of how the station pulled through after Hurricane Katrina, thanks to help from near (a local coffee shop) and far (technology assistance from Stanford) and also talks about big plans for the station's 50th anniversary.

WTUL Studio
Image from WTUL

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

Lisa: Giving exposure to independent artists that wouldn’t be heard otherwise is our main mission. We also strongly support local artists. The basic rule of thumb is, if you hear it on another station, you won’t hear it on WTUL (and vice versa!) We are one of the few free-form stations in the country. WTUL is the anti-Clear Channel.

Spinning Indie: I hear that the station will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2009. What do you have planned for that?

Lisa: We are really excited about our 50th! We are going to combine our birthday celebration with some of the events for our annual fundraiser, the Rock on Survival Marathon. Plans are in the making for a 50th Birthday Bash block party involving multiple venues and local bands that have been featured on our annual Songs from the Basement compilation CDs (our 7th will be coming out in the spring). We'll also have limited edition merchandise and other goodies.

"The history of WTUL as told by Robert L. Dunn" (which can be found in its entirety in the history section of our website) tells of the beginnings of WTUL’s annual fundraiser: “It was in the Spring of '72 that the first "Rock On Survival Marathon" took to the airwaves. Contrary to what people claim--this was the first station fund-raiser of its kind. Years earlier in the carrier-current AM days, a jock had done a 24-hour broadcast from a dorm shower with a condom-covered microphone…"

Inspired by that DJ, we have a 24-hour DJ weekend during Marathon. Being a 24-hour DJ is quite an honor. The air-staff votes on candidates and the three highest vote-getters share that privilege. Each does a 24-hour on-air shift to solicit donations from our listeners. This year our goal is to raise $50,000 for our 50th birthday.

Spinning Indie: I know you were off the air for awhile after the flooding from Hurricane Katrina. Did the station suffer significant damage? Did you lose historical artifacts?

Lisa: We were lucky to have been on the second floor, so while the building we were in was eventually demolished, none of our music library or equipment was damaged. Packing and moving out of there was quite an experience – the minimal lighting we had was running on a generator and kept going out every few minutes.

All but one or two of the student DJs were out of town for the semester, but our engineer, Robert Carroll, and advisor, Tel Bailliet, were back, and the station's local staff and alumni turned out to get us back on the air and staff the station until the students came back the next semester. Those of us in that small group possess coveted “Resurrection Staff” t-shirts, designed by John Maraist, one of the alum whose organizational skills were pivotal in getting the station packed up (we had less than a week’s notice before the building was demolished!).

WTUL staff and alum were scattered everywhere by Katrina. Two of those, Carr Wilkerson and Conner Richardson teamed up and connected with Stanford's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) and the center’s engineer, Fernando Lopez-Lezcano. Together, they set up a system that enabled WTUL to broadcast during the times that we could not have live DJs (particularly overnight in the land of post Katrina curfews that were in place at the time). Acting as a relay station, the CCRMA server used audio streaming to link listeners by computer to pre-recorded radio programs made by Tulane students, New Orleans locals, faculty and staff DJs. We are grateful to Stanford and CCRMA for donating this assistance to WTUL.

We got back on the air in December 2005 and broadcast out of the mezzanine of the Rue de la Course coffee shop for a while, which was also a unique experience. During every air-break listeners got to hear the clanging and banging of the espresso machine in the background. The coffee shop was only open until 7pm (nothing was back to normal business hours at the time) but we were permitted to stay until midnight. It got a little creepy sometimes. There was one incident when a would be thief ran into one of our DJs, Jon Ulz, around midnight. The intruder tried to pass himself off as a coffee shop staffer (5 hours after closing) and asked to borrow Jon’s key to get out – not the brightest criminal ever.



Spinning Indie: What's the longest running show/DJ at the station? When did the show/DJ first go on the air?

Lisa: Our Reggae show started in 1976 and is the longest running Reggae show in the country. Shepard Samuels, who has been on air-staff since the early 1970s, originated and still DJs the Reggae show. Shepard discovered Reggae while working at the Mushroom, a local record store and has had a lot of unique opportunities over the years. Shepard went to Bob Marley’s studio in Jamaica, where he also met Augustus Pablo. In 1979, Shepard interviewed Peter Tosh - he was rolling around on the floor for part of it (Peter Tosh – not Shepard!)

Spinning Indie: Do you have music in your library dating back to the early days of the station? Does it get played?

Lisa: We’ve got vinyl going back to the beginning. WTUL started out as an AM station and the early stuff doesn’t really fit our current format. During our annual Marathon fundraiser, listeners pledge money to “be the DJ” and select music –that’s when you will hear a lot of music that isn’t usually played on WTUL.

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

Lisa: WTUL has a wide variety of programming in addition to our core of progressive, jazz and classical shows. Brian Denzer, our classical music director, spearheaded a Saturday morning Community Gumbo show. While the show was designed to address important local issues from the beginning, it has taken on even more significance in the years after Hurricane Katrina. The Cheez Music Programme, which is sort of new agey music, has a very dedicated listenership. The weekend focuses on specialty shows – opera, stage & screen, folk, blues, Americana, country, kid’s show, electronic, alternative oldies, to name (more than) a few.

Weekday evenings we’ve got Latin, reggae and world shows. Our weekly local program showcases the diversity of New Orleans music. 20th Century Classics is also a very unique program. Most classical radio in the U.S. focuses entirely on pre-WWI composition, maybe with the occasional short Glass or Shostakovich piece every few weeks. WTUL's classical programming in general, and the 20th Century Classics Show in particular, is one of the few forums in this country for new formal works.While other stations may have similarly named programming, WTUL puts its own spin on it all.

Spinning Indie: Is there certain music that DJs are required to play? Is there anything that DJs aren't allowed to play?

Lisa: WTUL is totally free-form, so DJs decide what to play. We do have minimal requirements for our progressive shows, such as playing a certain number of new tracks, local tracks, variety genres and alt oldies per show – but DJs determine how they meet those requirements. We have an extensive library and a constant influx of new music. Of course, in fitting with our purpose, the emphasis is on giving exposure to artists that aren’t heard elsewhere and to shy away from artists heard on commercial stations. There was an “incident” a few years back when a DJ played “Hotel California” by the Eagles…

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?

Music Director Rob Rioux: Every piece of music that gets sent to WTUL gets heard by an MD. Each disc is decided 'yes/no' on an individual basis. Sometimes, major label releases do make the grade, but on average we're adding far more independent labels (and self released projects) than major label acts.


Lisa: In addition to the above info from WTUL’s Music Director, Rob Rioux, I would also like to submit his review of the latest Beck CD, because I think it answers this question in detail (and allows other people to see the quality of reviews our MD puts out - he adds 60+ CDs per week - each with a detailed, thoughtful review):

"One day I've promised myself to write a few essays to add to the station's folder of such things. One will be my thoughts on what makes a good progressive show, and one will be my thoughts on what WTUL's programming mission should be. In a way, this disc offers me a chance to encapsulate my feelings on these matters, specifically the latter point. WTUL's purpose should be to offer crucial exposure of new artists to our listeners; back when I started at WTUL (pre electricity days) we were literally the only game in town; no internet. Doesn't that last statement give you shivers? All I did back then was be depressed that I could not check my Facebook because I didn't have a Facebook because I didn't have an email address because there was no Internet.

Anyway, while new artist exposure is critical and should be the main focal point of this station, it should not be at the expense of all the other music that gets released (from the artists/releases that are not so new). Now Beck doesn't need the help; pretty much everyone knows who he is. The thing is though, despite his level of notoriety he is still making records that fit in with the bigger picture programming sound of the station, and as such he finds himself yet again in our merit section...This is a pretty good record, though the only Beck album I own and will probably ever own is the stunningly gorgeous and languid 'Sea Change'. If this is worked in sparingly and carefully into the right progressive set, there is not a thing wrong with WTUL playing Beck – but that is only one opinion and nothing more, no matter how many of these little review thingys I crank out. Note: Danger Mouse plays and produces and Chan Marshal guest vocals as well. RR 7/9/08"

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

Lisa: Vinyl... we have over 20,000 pieces of vinyl, however the amount of new vinyl that is sent in to the station has decreased drastically. But if the content makes the grade then it will be added. There are some of us that have a love of vinyl and incorporate it into our shows. We have an Alternative Oldies show every Saturday night and most of what is played during that show is vinyl.

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

Lisa: WTUL isn’t as well known on campus as we would like to be, which has been an age old problem that we are working to improve. While the majority of our all volunteer staff does consist of students, we also have a core group of “lifers” made up of alumni, university staff and community members. WTUL has a strong, dedicated listenership in the local community. We also have national and worldwide listeners via our webcast.

Image from WTUL website

Spinning Indie: Tell me about the Jerry Springer connection. Any other famous alums?

Lisa: Jerry Springer was actually the one to announce the news of JFK's assassination to WTUL listeners. Ivan Bodley, bass player and musical director for a long list of performers, was a noted WTUL Punk Show DJ in the 80s. Ernie K-Doe, best known for his colorful personality and his 1961 hit song "Mother-In-Law,"was a DJ at WTUL in the 90s. There is a clip from a documentary about Ernie K-Doe in the media section of our website that gives a taste of his WTUL show. There are also a number of record company execs that are former WTUL DJs.

Documentary about Ernie K-Doe

Spinning Indie: Any other interesting tidbits about the station that you'd like to share?

Lisa: I would just invite everyone to check us out for themselves. Our website is www.wtulneworleans.com – go there to listen to our webcast, see what we are playing right now, donate to WTUL (you can help us reach our 50th birthday $50,000 goal!!) and view our past play lists on-line through wtul.radioactivity.fm. Any questions can be directed to wtul@tulane.edu


Stay tuned. Next week the Spinning Indie 50 State Tour will travel to Alaska.

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

Now that I've gotten caught up on all of my CMJ Music Marathon coverage, I can finally get back to some of my regular features, including the ongoing series of excerpts from the QRD "Radio Special" issue. What's so interesting to me now is that I actually saw many of the folks that Brian John Mitchell interviewed for the issue on panels at CMJ a few weeks back. Small world. Thanks again to Brian for giving me permission to share bits of these interviews. To read more about his process for selecting MDs for this special issue of his 'zine, see my interview with him in which his gives an overview of his connection to college radio and what he learned from the project.

Back in April 2008, Brian interviewed Justin Lanoue of University of Victoria station CFUV about the ins and outs of doing the Music Director role there. Coincidentally, Justin was also on the "Music Directors' Summit" panel along with fellow QRD-interviewee Keri Fico during "College Day" at the CMJ Music Marathon this year. I was super impressed with what he had to say in person, so it's great to be presenting some of his interview with Brian John Mitchell.

CFUV is a Canadian campus and community radio station that has been broadcasting over FM since 1984. They have a freeform format, with an eclectic mix of specialty shows focused on a wide range of international sounds as well as bluegrass, country, hip hop, metal, ska, rock, blues, salsa, Hawaiian music, and more. They also air public affairs and sports programming.

In his QRD interview, Justin talks about why he got involved with college radio, his perspective about the role of Music Director, why he prefers vinyl over mp3s, and his take on digital releases. When the interview was conducted, Justin had just left CFUV to move to a new city. However, based on his presence at CMJ this year, he must have only been away from his MD role for a short period of time. Based on his passion for the job, I'm sure his station is thrilled to have him back.


QRD – Why did you want the position of music director & why do you think you got it over all the other applicants?

Justin – I had always had a near obsession with new music & finding new bands, which led me into radio. Once I started getting involved in campus radio I was hooked because I would get a chance to listen to more new bands than I ever even thought existed. That led me to exploring different genres & from there it grew even more. I think that one of the main reasons that I was chosen as music director was because I was open-minded about everything coming into the station & was always learning about new music whether it was from fellow DJs, magazines, the internet, etc. I was always seeking out something new & different for my show & the staff noticed.


QRD – What do you think the job of a good music director is?

Justin – ...Open-mindedness is a vital quality to find in a music director. A good music director doesn't focus on one genre or one era of music. They should know the history behind the music & older bands that influenced the newer stuff, but at the same time respect & seek out the new bands that are making something new & groundbreaking...

A great campus music director needs to balance their love of the old with an appreciation of the new, because they’re going to be inundated with literally hundreds of new CDs every week. A good campus music director should also be open-minded in the sense that they realize they do not & cannot know everything. It is a constant learning process. When I was music director I learned so much by talking to the DJs at my station & other staff members...

A good campus music director also needs to be approachable & also learn to approach those within the industry in order to get CDs that other stations might not have. I found that some record labels wouldn’t focus a lot on radio campaigns. I also discovered that it never hurt to ask for a promo copy from them. Not only does getting these extra CDs make your station sound better & more eclectic to the listener, but it also sets your station apart from other campus stations. I remember at one point about a third of my station’s top thirty consisted of CDs that were not serviced to most other stations. It took a lot of work; but it set us apart, made us sound better, & hopefully gave these artists some extra exposure.


QRD – How have streaming online radio stations affected the purpose & competition for your station?

Justin – I honestly didn’t think much about online stations. We had our own niche pretty well established, so I didn’t think of other stations as competition or anything like that. Plus, I doubt that many people actually sit at their computers to listen to the radio. I rarely do. The sound of an internet station is low quality & pales in comparison to an FM or satellite signal. Maybe I am just a geek in that way.


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?

Justin – I always grumbled to myself when a DJ would plug in their laptop, open a playlist & be done with it. There’s no fun in that. Plus, sometimes the sound of the MP3s was atrocious. I always encouraged people to play the CD or vinyl copies of something over MP3s.


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

Justin – We didn’t try it. We had way too many CDs & vinyl to even attempt to digitize it all. Plus, again there is the sound quality issue. Some MP3s just sound bad.


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

Justin – Conflicted. Hard copies have been & always will be ideal for campus radio, but I understand the move to digital submissions. For a tiny indie label it saves them thousands of promo copies & the costs to mail them, which can mean a lot to a struggling label. It can mean life or death for some of them. On my end, as a music director, some digital delivery systems were easy to use & some were a nightmare to use.

A positive thing about digital submissions is that it allowed me to get my station serviced albums that otherwise we never would have gotten. I would ask labels for digital copies of something that they might have only been releasing on vinyl in limited numbers & they would send the links right over. Otherwise, there would have been no chance of getting it into the station at all. A digital submission is better than no submission is what I would keep telling myself.


Coming up next week will be excerpts from Brian John Mitchell's interview with the former Music Director from Foothill College station KFJC.

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

Radio Station Field Trip 6 - WNYU in New York City

Entrance to WNYU at New York University
October 24, 2008

It was an embarrassment of riches for me at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City this year, as I was able to visit three different radio stations. I love seeing how different stations operate and it's always fun to chat with station staff and DJs, check out their record libraries and equipment (like the fabulous "Instant Replay" machine pictured below that plays station IDs and promos!), and hear station lore.

"Instant Replay" Machine at WNYU
October 24, 2008

On my final afternoon in NYC for CMJ I signed up for a special tour and live performance at New York University station WNYU. In conjunction with the CMJ conference, WNYU set up live performances and tours of their radio station every afternoon for a limited number of CMJ attendees. When I came to visit on Friday, October 24th, I was among a small group of 3 people who were interested in seeing the station and hearing a live set from Kurt Vile.

Program Director Jonathan Williger of WNYU

Thanks so much to Program Director Jonathan Williger for showing us around the station and for chatting about WNYU. He told me that the station had moved to new studios in August (out of a "tiny closet in Tisch"), so not everything was set up quite yet. He mentioned that much of their vinyl (thousands of records) is still in storage, that the on-air studio will be moving soon, and that they needed to put more posters on the walls to make the station feel more like home.


WNYU airs their programming online 24 hours a day, but splits their FM signal with another station (WFDU), so only airs their programming from 4pm until 1am terrestrially. Jonathan told me that some of their online-only shows serve as a training-ground for new DJs. Additionally, when there's no on-air DJ, WNYU uses a "jukebox" to shuffle through songs online.

WNYU "Jukebox"

WNYU has a lengthy history and turns 35 years old this year. They have programs that have been on the air for close to a decade, including Tim Sweeney's "Beats and Space" and a hip hop show called "The Halftime Show." Many of their shows are specialty programs, covering a variety of genres like punk, metal, dance music, reggae, electronic, and experimental.

DJs at the station are mostly students or former students at NYU.

A portion of the vinyl at WNYU

When I asked about vinyl, I was told that they do still get a lot of vinyl releases at the station, especially from labels like Siltbreeze. Jonathan said that during his show he'll typically play 3 to 5 vinyl tracks. He also told me that they also play cassettes, especially on the "Make the Product" show, which specializes in self-releases and hard-to-find limited production cassettes, CD-Rs, and vinyl recordings.

Kurt Vile Performing at WNYU
October 24, 2008

At the end of the visit, we were all treated to a live in-studio performance by Philadelphia-based musician Kurt Vile. Bright lights blazed into the space, creating an eerie glow as we watched from the soon-to-be on-air studio. Kurt Vile did a lovely set of Gothic-inspired folky acoustic music. His lyrics were fascinating and mesmerizing, with references to a yellow Schwinn bicycle, Bob Seger, and acid.

Kurt Vile at WNYU
October 24, 2008

He talked about an upcoming vinyl release of his (which thrilled me!) and it was particularly enchanting to hear that he was going to be playing that night in Brooklyn at a venue called the Meat Wallet. To hear Kurt Vile's set, you can listen to the archive of the "New Afternoon Show" from October 24th, 2008.

Thanks again to my hosts at WNYU for a fun visit.

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 5 - East Village Radio in NYC

East Village Radio in New York City
October 24, 2008

When I was at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City a few weeks ago, I learned about East Village Radio during one of the panel discussions that I attended. Co-founder/Creative Director of East Village Radio, Jorge doCouto piqued my interest when he talked about some of the interesting programming on the station and when he mentioned the recent festival that they put on in New York City. I was so intrigued, that I decided that it merited a field trip over to the East Village in order to check out the station.

So, on Friday, October 24, 2008 I finished up my day of panels at CMJ in order to spend the afternoon visiting radio stations.


East Village Radio is an Internet-only station in New York City's East Village. They occupy a tiny storefront, wedged between their pizzeria benefactor Lil' Frankie's and a tattoo shop. The space is so small that there's only room for the studio equipment and a tiny bit of storage. I was told by the on-air DJ that there's no record library and that DJs bring in their own music to play. Offices are located upstairs. They've been around since summer 2003 and are increasingly popular with listeners from all over the world who listen online and to the station's podcasts.

DJ Hallogallo at East Village Radio, NYC
October 24, 2008

Since the station is located right on the street, it has an interesting relationship with local residents. When I was there, a number of passersby of all walks of life stopped to watch the DJ and see what was happening at the station. According to their website, "The station's street level studio helps maintain its independent artistic sensibility. According to an MTA (Metropolitan Transit Authority) study of pedestrian traffic in New York City, almost 1,800 (1,000 during off-peak travel times) pedestrians pass by the sound booth per hour."

Passersby Watching the Happenings at East Village Radio

East Village Radio aspires to be both innovative and a resource to the community. Their website states, "It is first and foremost a station that exemplifies a communitarian spirit, nonconformity, and a dedication to providing a platform for innovative music. EVR provides a voice for local DJs and personalities who might otherwise have been drowned out by the deafening presence of rapid gentrification."

East Village Radio's Storefront Studio
October 24, 2008

When I stopped by on a Friday afternoon, DJ Hallogallo was playing underground sounds on his show "Infinite Eargasm," while waiting for the band Motel Motel to set up for a live in-studio performance. My timing couldn't have been better, as it was fascinating to see how they orchestrated setting up a band to play in such a tiny space. Band members were consulted about whether or not anyone was left-handed, so that they could figure out how to squeeze all of the people and instruments in most efficiently.

Motel Motel Preparing for their Performance on East Village Radio
October 24, 2008

After all four musicians got situated into the studio, I was able to watch the entire set by Brooklyn band Motel Motel. They did a beautiful set of acoustic, Americana music.

Motel Motel at East Village Radio
October 24, 2008

Since there was a bit of a crowd watching the performance, the DJ left the studio door open so that we could all see and hear. Adding to the whole urban experience, during the set, at least 4 rounds of ambulances and emergency vehicles drove by with sirens blaring, no doubt giving Internet listeners a true appreciation for the studio's NYC store-front digs.

Motel Motel at East Village Radio
October 24, 2008

Thanks so much to East Village Radio for allowing me to stop by and visit and thanks to Motel Motel for a great set of music! If you want to hear the Motel Motel set that I got the pleasure to experience in person, you can do so on the East Village Radio website.

CMJ Music Marathon Day 4 Recap Part Two - Small Stations, Big Obstacles Panel

"Small Stations - Big Obstacles" Panel at CMJ Music Marathon
October 24, 2008

The final panel that I attended at the CMJ Music Marathon was "Small Stations - Big Obstacles" on Friday, October 24, 2008. Moderated by Steve Gardner of Yep Roc Records, the panel also included Jerry Steller, the CEO and Radio Rep from Vitriol Promotion, KCRW's Music Publicity Director Rachel Reynolds, WIDR's Music Director Jessica Kizer, and co-founder of East Village Radio Jorge doCouto.

Steve started off the discussion by talking about his own tenure in college radio. He's been involved with college radio for 20 years, at KCPR (Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo), KSCU (Santa Clara University), and currently at WXDU (Duke University). He opened the conversation by saying that in his job at Yep Roc he talks to a lot of stations and has learned that every station has similar issues. He asked the panel members to talk about how they manage their mostly volunteer staffs.

Managing Volunteer Staff

Jessica, of Western Michigan University station WIDR, said that at her station they have 80 volunteer DJs and that DJs are not required to be students. They utilize an application process and require potential DJs to work on street teams and work at radio station events in order to prove that they are committed to the station. She added that it's competitive and a "highly coveted position" to be a DJ at WIDR. If staff members screw up, they have a "three strikes you're out system" and have a formal warning process for penalizing and ultimately firing DJs who break station rules like having in-studio guests and committing FCC violations. She said that it really works at their station to treat DJs professionally and to have a formal process. She added, "stay professional...and so will they."

Jorge from East Village Radio, a 5-year-old for-profit Internet-only station, contrasted his station's approach, saying, "We're a little bit sloppier than that" and added, "We don't have that big of a staff." He said that they don't tell their DJs what to play, but that the rules at their station keep changing and that they have "a lot of growing pains."

Steve added that, "no matter how big your station... [a] rigorous application process...builds in this feeling [that] this is important." He mentioned that at his former station KCPR (the location of my 2nd radio station field trip in September) had a number of requirements including a written application and essay, a quarter-long class, a mentor program, and a "trial by fire" on the air. He said that it was "kind of like boot camp" and that if you made it through that process it instills a greater sense of commitment.

Jessica mentioned that a few staff members at their station actually get paid, but that they all have to rely on volunteer staff to get all of the work done. In particular she needs help reviewing all of the genre music that comes in. In order to keep volunteers happy she will often give out incentives like free T-shirts and tickets to shows. Steve agreed, saying that it's important to let volunteers know that they're appreciated.

Humble Beginnings...

Rachel from KCRW talked about how her station began in a junior high school basement 30 years ago and that they "worked our way up" to where they are today (a huge public radio station affiliated with Santa Monica College). She said that every former Music Director is still at the station and that there is "immense loyalty" amongst the staff. She said one of their main goals has always been to "play what you love." As an example of that, she talked about how they started to play world music at KCRW when public radio was playing only classical.

In contrast to that, Jorge talked about how East Village Radio started as a "pirate thingy...[so] people got used to that system." He said that it's "tough...trying to switch that model...they've gotten used to...loosy-goosy."

Jerry then suggested, "don't act like you're a small station...when contacting promoters." He said that it's important for even small stations to act professional, have regular office hours for their Music Directors, and report to CMJ. He also said that he's more likely to send music to stations where the top albums get more than a handful of spins (as they might on freeform stations).

"Small Stations - Big Obstacles" Panel at CMJ Music Marathon
October 24, 2008

Airplay Requirements

Jessica said that at WIDR DJs have to play a certain number of songs from heavy (5), medium (4) and light (3) rotation categories during their shows. She said these are "strict rules" for DJs to follow during their shows and that she must create rotation categories every week.

Communication with Staff and Promoters/Labels

Steve said that stations should give DJs opportunities to talk to each other. At his station they email their music reviews to a staff email list and he said that he thinks that helps with staff communication.

In terms of communication with labels and promoters, Steve said that a lot of stations don't do office hours or don't show up for them. When this happens, he said that promoters just assume that the station is "a shambles." Jerry agreed, saying that he crosses people off his list for promos if they don't answer the phone or report their charts. Jessica said that if nothing else, be sure that you know the status of music that's been sent to you. Jerry added that it's frustrating for him if an album is "in review for 12 weeks," saying that it's "nice to have airplay when you're promoting the record."

Things at East Village Radio are a little different. Jorge said that in terms of bringing in new music to the station, "We depend a lot on the DJ." He added, "We're concentrating more on curation."

Role of Station in Community

Rachel talked about KCRW's role in the community in Los Angeles. She said that the best way to get the word out about KCRW is by partnering with other organizations like museums and venues. She also mentioned their "fringe benefits program," in which 900 businesses have agreed to offer discounts to KCRW supporters who've paid $50 to be in the program.

At East Village Radio the community has even easier access to the station. According to Jorge, "We have a booth right on the street." He added that according to one survey, as many as 1800 people walk by the station in an hour. He said, "We're definitely accessible."

Jessica said that even though they are a college radio station, that they've often had trouble attracting student listeners. To help change that, they've tried to be more present on campus by doing things like DJing at events.

Image from Fiddle While You Burn

Festivals/Events

The panel then talked about some of the events that they do. Jessica said that at WIDR they have a long-running (this year was the 24th) annual event called "The Barking Tuna Festival." This year, the 3-day fest featured a variety of bands including hip hop acts and Mates of State. Jorge then talked about East Village Radio's first festival called Free Fest. They flew in artists from all over the world, including Boris, and had acts on 2 stages at the free event in September. He said it was a "huge success." He said that the challenge going forward is deciding if future events should be free (with sponsorship) or if they should require an admission charge (with no branding). Jorge said that East Village Radio was lucky to be funded and that they would "prefer to have a non-branded event."

Rachel from KCRW talked about how with many of their big events, branding is often happening behind the scenes. She said that they've worked to get donated venues and food in order to save money.

Fund Raising

Steve then talked about money and fund raising, mentioning that some college radio stations are completely funded by their universities and do not need to fund raise.

Jessica of WIDR said that for them, "funding...is the number one problem that we have." In order to raise money they do sponsorships and have underwriting. At her station they have one fund raising week a year, called "WIDR Week." She added, "when the university is hurting financially, we are hurting financially." Things at her school are even tougher as the university has had recent debt problems, which has led to a tighter budgeting process. Jessica told the group that she has to go through a complicated sign-off process to even get approval to buy $5 stickers. One thing they've tried is to get donations from alumni. Additionally, they do an "adopt-a-DJ" program where listeners can donate in order to spent an hour on the air. Donors can also give money in order to get passes to 5 shows a year.

At KCRW, there are 10-day pledge drives twice a year. Rachel mentioned that they have a huge number of online listeners, which increases their financial burden. She suggested that stations "never be negative" when fund raising.

Things are pretty different at East Village Radio, which is funded by a pizzeria. Additionally, the station has sponsors.

Q&A

Getting People Interested/Involved with Station

Q: An audience member asked for suggestions on how to get more people interested in your station and how to get them involved?

A: Jessica said that at WIDR there are DJs who've been on the air for 20 years, so they don't really have that problem. Jerry suggested that stations promote themselves by visiting classes on campus (eg communications classes), since a classroom full of students is a captive audience. Jorge said that it's great to do live broadcasts from remote locations. East Village Radio recently broadcast a Gang Gang Dance performance. Rachel said that KCRW has an active presence at CMJ and they are recording songs on their cell phones and posting them on the KCRW website in order to share the CMJ experience with more people.

Dealing with Sports Pre-Empting Music Shows

Q: Someone asked a question about sports programming. At their station sporting events regularly preempt long-running specialty shows. She asked for suggestions on how to handle this.

A: Steve agreed that there's a "long-standing battle...[between] music, sports and news" at college radio stations. He's currently at the Duke radio station, and sports is huge at his school. Jorge's station is online-only, but he suggested that all stations use their Internet streams "to your advantage," pointing out that they could still run the specialty programming online if it's pre-empted by sports over the terrestrial signal.

Summer Break and Limited Staff

Q: A DJ asked about summertime, pointing out that often there are fewer students and radio staff around during summer break. She asked how stations maintain relationships with record labels over the summer.

A: Jerry suggested that stations tell promoters if they will be off the air during breaks. He said that if your station IS on the air, then try to report to CMJ (but don't do it if you aren't on the air as one station did last summer). He also said that many radio station alumni "would kill" to fill in over the summer if your station is in need of DJs. He also said that you can be honest with promoters if you don't want to get music sent in the summer. Steve pointed out that you just don't want to stop all communication because then labels and reps will think that the "music director graduated and now the station sucks."

Achieving a Consistent Airsound

Q: Someone in the audience asked about ways of homogenizing a station's schedule/sound without getting backlash from DJs.

A: Jessica said that "it's important to have smooth transitions" between shows. Jorge added that it's a good idea to ask DJs to listen to the last song of the last program in order to "make that transition" more seamless. He gave an example of how one can stylishly get from Jazz to Norwegian metal by transitioning with a John Zorn track. Steve shared an example from one of his old stations where the transition between DJs was a bit more questionable, with "Music M" (Music with a Message) followed by "Music D" (Music from the Devil).


So, with that, my coverage of the panels at this year's CMJ Music Marathon is completed. I still have a few more CMJ-related posts in the pipeline, including two more radio station visits (one of which is East Village Radio) and a show review, so stay tuned. In the meantime, here's a list of my complete CMJ coverage:

Previous Posts about 2008 CMJ Music Marathon:

CMJ New Music Marathon Then and Now
CMJ Music Marathon Day One Recap - Is Radio Still Relevant?
International Acts at CMJ and Japan Showcase
CMJ Music Marathon Day Two Recap - Unformatting Radio Formats
Tara Jane O'Neil, No Kids and Mirah at CMJ
Radio Station Field Trip #4 - WFMU in Jersey City
College Day at CMJ Recap Part 1- Miss Li, Juliana Hatfield, and Event Planning Tips
College Day at CMJ Recap Part 2 - Music Directors' Summit and WBGU Siting
College Day at CMJ Recap Part 3 - The Revolution will be Digitized
2008 College Radio Awards at CMJ
CMJ Music Marathon Day 4 Recap Part One - Metal Radio Panel

CMJ Music Marathon Day 4 Recap Part One - Metal Radio Panel

Sign near NYU during CMJ Music Marathon
October 24, 2008

Friday, October 24th was the final day of panels at the CMJ Music Marathon and, in my opinion, it was one of the best days in terms of the presence of fascinating discussions about radio. The "Metal Radio 2008" panel was skillfully moderated by Mark Abramson from Roadrunner Records and featured Music Director Greg Ahrens of WSOU (Seton Hall University, NJ), Music Director and DJ Frank Webb of commercial radio station The Fox (Louisville, Kentucky), Vince Edwards from Metal Blade Records, and Munsey Ricci from Skateboard Marketing.

A consistent theme throughout the panel was expressed by Mark at the very beginning when he stated, "metal is a lifestyle." Everyone talked about the demographic for metal fans and reiterated that they are passionate radio listeners. Frank mentioned that many of the younger fans tape his Saturday night metal show in Louisville, Kentucky.

When the discussion turned to the wide range of styles within metal, Mark asked the panelists, "How extreme do you get?" Frank explained, "My job is to entertain my audience...not to be too cool for school or too avant garde." His show is aimed at the "average metal listeners" and he said that "it's a curse that I'm on a commercial radio station and a blessing...we have to provide ... everything...metal...death metal...black metal...hard core...grind core...in the limited time that I've got."

Frank's been doing his show, "The Attitude Network" for nearly 16 years and said that he tries to portray the show as if it's "taking over the radio station." I really appreciated that Frank talked about the craft of putting together a good radio show. He mapped it out, saying, "The first hour of my show I try not to scare new listeners away...as the show goes on I get a little more adventurous."

Greg's mission is a little bit different since he's at a college station that primarily plays metal music. He said, "I'm fortunate to be a 24 hour a day, 6 day a week metal station..." He also mentioned that since WSOU is at a Catholic university, they do have some restrictions about what they can play and that one of their goals is to present music that is "fair, balanced, and goes with the Catholic mission."

"Metal Radio 2008" at CMJ Music Marathon
October 24, 2008

Like many of the panels throughout the conference, this one also talked about digital distribution. Munsey said he's sent out digital releases, but that "less than 10% of radio stations are really using it." He said there's some backlash against digital, stating, "I'm sure there were vinyl junkies" and also acknowledged that "it's a new system," so it can take time for people to adjust. Vince said, "It's just not cost-effective to send out promos to radio anymore" and gave a glimpse into the future when he told the audience that by next year he will only have 30 copies of CDs to "promo to radio."

Frank said that he is utilizing digital releases, arguing that if you want to expose listeners to new music, you have little choice. At the same time he said, "It's selfish...but I still wish that we got CDs," saying that he likes having cover art and liner notes that provide "information that's helpful to give out to listeners."

Both Greg and Frank talked about shows and segments at their stations that feature unsigned and local metal acts. Additionally, they work with venues to bring artists to their towns and help promote metal shows. Frank said, "In Louisville...I have to help the promoter get the bands...we've become a real metal market."

Vince also talked about how radio is still a relevant and powerful medium, saying, "Radio is the most local and immediate...when the power goes out, you listen to radio." He said that in radio you have to entertain and that "nobody's gonna listen just to hear the music."

Some of the events mentioned by panelists included a live broadcast from a tattoo shop, a blood drive hosted by metal fans, and a haunted house. Greg suggested that it's great to "scare some people...have some fun."

During the Q&A, an audience member asked the panelists how they decide what to add to their stations and play on the air and if they will play bands that they don't like. Frank said that he will play bands he's not a fan of, as long as his audience does like them. Greg said that "labels that talk to me have a much better chance of getting...bands played." He added, "There's no reason that Seether should be the heaviest thing...on radio...Find a way to get metal to the masses."

Greg then took a shot at Roadrunner Records saying that they "dumb down" their music by removing screaming, which he believes is "the number one attractor" of metal. Mark from Roadrunner then addressed this critique saying that in the past "Active rock radio and commercial radio [were] scared...to put...on...heavy stuff." He argued that bands like Slipknot were a "tremendous victory" when they got on commercial radio. He agreed that yes, "we make some of these songs...more palatable...so they'll get played." In defending the practice, he said, "We need to...infiltrate...like a virus" and that it's good for the metal genre if more bands make it big.

2008 College Radio Awards at CMJ

CMJ College Radio Awards
October 23, 2008

College Day at the CMJ Music Marathon on Thursday, October 23, 2008 was capped off by the 4th Annual College Radio Awards Ceremony. Throughout the conference attendees were able to vote for their favorites among the listed nominees. I always take awards like this with a grain of salt, as it's impossible for all the attendees to actually know every single one of the nominees. In some cases we met some of them if they were on panels this year. Additionally, some radio stations sent big contingents to CMJ, thus allowing for more votes for their stations. Similarly, other nominated stations had no presence at CMJ and probably suffered in the voting because of it.

Despite all of this, the awards ceremony itself was super fun, with hilarious acceptance speeches and random moments. One winner thanked a fellow DJ for getting drunk the night before and peeing all over their hotel room. Another handed out fake awards of beer, a beard, an a unicorn riding a Narwal. Additionally, the disturbing Chocolate Axe Man made another appearance, helping to hand out the award for "Best Mentor."

The biggest winners were KEXP (Seattle) and CJLO (Montreal), with 5 awards each. It's notable that KEXP had a big presence at CMJ this year, with live broadcasts happening each day of the festival, a table in the exhibition hall, and their Program Manager as a panelist.


To see the list of college radio-related nominees, read my post from early October. The CMJ Staff Blog also has a nice article profiling all of the "Station of the Year" nominees. To see all of the winners, including "industry" awards for best label promoter, etc, read this article on CMJ. On with the winners:

2008 CMJ Radio Station Awards

Station Of The Year
KEXP-FM (University of Washington, Seattle, WA)

Music Director Of The Year
Omar Husain (CJLO)

Specialty Music Director Of The Year
Jesse Novak (WWVU)

Best Student-Run Non-FM Station
CJLO (Montreal)

Biggest Innovator
Tenni Gharakanian (CFRE)

Most Groundbreaking
KEXP (Seattle)

Music Director With The Best Band That Doesn't Suck
Omar Husain (CJLO)

In It For The Music
Cynthia Luna (WBWC)

Best Podcast
KEXP (Seattle)

Best Use Of The Web
WOXY.com (Cincinnati)

Most Likely To Reinvent Radio
KEXP (Seattle)

Biggest Asset To The Community
KEXP (Seattle)

Best Use Of Limited Resources
KSSU (Sacramento)

Most Fun
Omar Husain (CJLO)

Best Team Effort
CJLO (Montreal)