More Perspective on the Demise of Indie 103

A former Program Director for recently departed Los Angeles commercial station Indie 103 adds some perspective on the evolution of the station and why its eclectic format ultimately failed in the ratings. In Max Tolkoff's piece in the Huffington Post, he explains that the goals of the station were always commercial:

"...It's pretty much business as usual for radio as practiced in the United States of America today. It boils down to: formats that make money stay; formats that lose money go away.

Let me tell you what INDIE was not. INDIE did not spring from the fever dream of some enlightened station manger who woke up one morning convinced that L.A. needed another alternative station...

INDIE wasn't even independent. There was no pirate ship of swashbuckling programmers and music heads beholden' to no one, ravaging the high seas and singing Vampire Weekend songs while drunk on grog. INDIE 103.1 was the creation of Clear Channel..."

He points out that part of the station's downfall was its broad programming:

"By this time there were now 18, yes, eighteen specialty shows on the station. The music was, to say the least, eclectic. It was hard to believe this was an actual commercial station and not NPR, or college radio...It was just too much for the average listener. A plethora of riches that appealed to the very few, and the very hip. After the initial check-out people went away and did not come back. The station was too difficult to listen to for long periods of time. Too unfamiliar. At times even difficult to pin down what the station actually was due to too many specialty shows clogging up the format."

We've heard this before, that commercial radio is all about narrow playlists and familiar sounds. According to former PD Max, as "Indie 103" started programming more like a college station, with a variety of specialty shows, its ratings began to suffer. And, bad ratings mean the death of commercial stations. He writes:

"If your content can't get ratings, and sales can't sell it, you disappear from the airwaves. Even though you know, because listeners swarm to your events, clog your blogs, and buy the music, that you have a viable audience. But if Arbitron can't track them they clearly don't exist. And that's the shame of American radio today."

I guess college radio is lucky that we're not beholden to ratings. And, my assumption is that college radio listeners are very different from commercial radio audiences. Fans of college radio often "ride it out" through unfamiliar sounds because of the adventure and the joy of discovering new musical treats.

What do you think? Is it easier to listen to commercial radio or college radio? And why is unfamiliar music seen as so scary?

College Radio Tidbits - Cost Cutting at Miami University and Middle Tennessee State Stations, While Madison Station Expands

A few college-radio related items to report, as 2 public-radio affiliated college stations face budget crises, while the University of Wisconsin-Madison station moves to a shiny, new space:


Control of Campus Station WMUB to Transfer to Public Radio Group
According to a press release, Miami University (Ohio) may transfer control of their public radio-affiliated station WMUB to Cincinnati Public Radio in order to cut costs. The press release states:

"...the financial obligation of WMUB can no longer be borne by the university with the economic challenges we face," said Miami President David Hodge.

The university chose not to sell the station, as it would have likely meant losing the public radio programming that it now provides to the Miami Valley.

This decision follows a two-year process of exploring options for the future of WMUB, which did not result in an economically viable way to continue WMUB as a stand-alone station. Under this operating agreement, WMUB would join public radio stations WGUC FM and WVXU FM, which are owned and operated by Cincinnati Public Radio. WVXU and WMUB currently offer similar programming. With this alliance, WMUB will maintain its emphasis on news and information offerings on 88.5 FM as well as offer opportunities for student development."

Although this news is not the same as a campus losing a radio station completely, it is a sad move in terms of the increasing homogenization of radio and loss of local programming---even among public radio stations.


WSUM's New Digs
An opinion piece in The Isthmus discusses Madison Wisconsin station WSUM (Stop 2 on the "Spinning Indie 50 State Tour") and its new studios. The author talks about a $400,000 grant for the station move and writes, "The question is, what will WSUM do with its newfound wealth? Will its programming grow to reflect the quality of its facility? Or will it squander this amazing opportunity?"

Although the author praises WSUM programming, saying, "when WSUM shines, it can be brilliant," he also critiques the station for being "...notoriously uneven, and not something a new studio can fix."

Do you think shiny new studios and mounds of cash should lead to a more professional-sounding station? I'm not sure...But, I do think that DJs and staff should feel very very thankful and should work their hardest to do great programming.

My greater reaction to this story, though, is that especially in these economic times, it's fantastic to hear about a college radio station that's getting such strong support from the administration. Clearly they understand the importance of student radio.

Middle Tennessee State May Close Radio Station
An article about budget cuts at Middle Tennessee State University states that one of the casualties of their financial crisis may be the student radio station. An earlier article states that the radio station in danger of closing is public radio-affiliated jazz station WMOT. In a nice statement of solidarity, student-run radio station WMTS is hosting a benefit to help save their sister station.

Support Needed for KTXT as Texas Tech Plans to Transfer it to Public Station

I'm still keeping the faith for the DJs and staff of Texas Tech student radio station KTXT. The station was shut down without warning in December and its supporters are still rallying, writing, calling, and emailing in order to get the word out about the situation in order to hopefully keep the station alive.

An article in the Lubbock-Avalanche Journal this weekend reveals that Texas Tech still plans to move forward with their decision to merge KTXT with public radio station KOHM. According to the piece,

"Control of KTXT-FM's license has been transferred to Tech-owned KOHM-FM, Tech officials announced Friday.

KOHM, a non-commercial, educational radio station, features classical and jazz music and National Public Radio shows, as well as other programming.

'My goal is to utilize (the KTXT) signal for the training of students, which is what it was originally created for,' said Derrick Ginter, KOHM-FM's general manager...

KTXT-FM, which was broadcasting at 88.1 Mhz, had been a training ground for students since 1961, but officials in the Student Media department abruptly took the station off the air Dec. 10, citing money issues and a changing media industry...

Space and funding issues will prevent KTXT-FM from returning to its old format of little oversight, Ginter said. That format allowed students with little training to get their feet wet on air, playing wide-ranging music of their choice.

The already cramped KOHM studios couldn't support as many student volunteers as KTXT did, Ginter said. Some 70 students were volunteering at the station at the time of its closure, student volunteers have said...

Initially, broadcasting on the 88.1 frequency will probably be automated, he said.

KOHM - the first station in Lubbock to offer digital radio signals - wants to air music and programs on 88.1 with broader commercial appeal than the music played at KTXT, Ginter said. That's necessary to obtain the kind of financial support the station needs to run the frequency, he said.

'We are largely supported by our listeners through public donations,' Ginter said."

It's sad to me that all of the work and diversity of the old station seems to be discounted and discredited as a format of "little oversight." Additionally, it sounds like there will be a lot less room for volunteers at the new station; and a lot less room for creative sounds. An editorial in the Daily Toreador expresses dismay at this, saying:

"...KTXT was diverse. There was a sports show, a heavy metal show, a hip-hop show, a world music show, a current events talk show and even a comic book show. The music on KTXT was often different from mainstream radio. But in a town in which so little is different, KTXT was - and you hear this word used a lot - an oasis. For 47 years KTXT brought together a close-knit group of independent-minded individuals. Their views were myriad, their backgrounds dissimilar, and in many cases, they would never have met if it weren't for the ossifying nature of working for the same radio station. The Tech administration increasingly seems to think our school should be run purely as if it were a business, with efficiency valued more highly than intellectual rigor. With this cynical mindset, a non-mainstream radio station might appear superfluous."

If you are so inclined, visit the Save KTXT Facebook group and consider helping them with their latest (work-in-progress) proposal to the university. In particular, they need help from other college radio stations and fans to express why college radio is still relevant and important. You can also donate funds to help with the cause as well.

Spinning Indie Radio Station Field Trip 8 - Stanford's KZSU

KZSU Entrance in the Basement of Memorial Hall at Stanford University

I finally decided that it was time to start visiting some radio stations in my own backyard in the San Francisco Bay Area. So, for my 8th radio station field trip I journey down the road to Stanford University in Palo Alto to visit KZSU.

I'd actually been to the station before, way back in 1986 when I was home from college for the summer. At the time I was a DJ at my college's AM carrier current station, so I decided that it would fun to go through training at KZSU in order to get on a "real" FM radio station. I barely remember the experience, other than that I trained with a guy named "Yo" (short for Johann) and gave him a ride to a Cure concert. I also remember playing an amazing "This Mortal Coil" track during my solo stint and also feeling so thrilled that my parents got to actually hear me live on the radio.

Studio at KZSU

23 years later it was fun to step back into KZSU. Thanks to outgoing (2008) General Manager Samuel Franco for touring me around the station's basement digs last Monday, January 12th on a gorgeous 70+ degree day.

KZSU's 2008 General Manager Samuel Franco

KZSU began as an AM carrier current station in 1947 (originally called KSU) and received their FM license in 1964. To celebrate their 60th anniversary in 2007 they had a 60-hour music marathon, featured alumni DJs, and broadcast old airchecks.

KZSU Hallway with Clippings about the Station

As you might imagine, since radio has had such a lengthy history at Stanford, KZSU has a massive music library, reportedly over 80,000 CDs and also a huge amount of vinyl. I saw a lot of it first-hand, but some of it is stored away underground. You can also scan through the library by searching their online Zookeeper database. One part of the collection that is lovingly displayed and quite accessible in the station hallway is the 7" single library. KZSU actually has a Music Director devoted entirely to 7"s who oversees that section. I was happy to hear that KZSU still actively adds vinyl, although according to Samuel it comprises about 5 to 10 percent of the new additions to the library.

Samuel shows me the 7" vinyl collection at KZSU

Other things that KZSU is known for include a long-running (apparently the longest continuously airing), well-regarded hip hop show "The Drum." Host Kevvy Kev has been on the air since 1984, but "The Drum" has been on KZSU much longer, with different hosts and formats. In 1988 Kevvy Kev helped organize the Bay Area Hip Hop Coalition with college and community radio DJs from KALX and KPOO. For more on the Kevvy Kev and the history of "The Drum," see the recent interview on the Amoeba blog and the lengthy 2004 profile in Metroactive.

DJ Byrd of Paradise on KZSU

An interesting thing about KZSU is that the majority of its current DJ staff are not students at Stanford, but instead music and radio enthusiasts from all of the SF Bay Area. Many of these community DJs have been on the air for decades or more, including the Blues Director "Byrd of Paradise," who has been at the station since 1991 and the Chief Engineer who's been at the station since the 1960s. Samuel also told me that "The Big Love Show" has been on for years (since 1997) playing house music and that the DJs behind it were "original ravers" at Stanford in the early 1990s and still throw parties. Their live music show "Wednesday Night Live" also has a long history of bringing a wide range of performers to the station every week.

"Wednesday Night Live" Schedule of Live Performances at KZSU

I asked Samuel (a Stanford senior) how it felt to be at a station with so few students and he told me that it was actually refreshing because it's a way to "break out of the bubble" of Stanford University. He acknowledged that most students have no idea where the station is on campus and that part of the challenge is that KZSU is not played in any of the common areas at Stanford (bookstore, coffee shops, dining halls, etc.). Although in many ways the station seems distanced from the university, it is also a major part of it, airing sports programming and featuring public affairs shows with regular guests from Stanford. Samuel told me that live sports broadcasts get tons of listeners and that their all-time record for number of webstream listeners was for a baseball world series.

KZSU's "Zero Tolerance" Graffiti Policy

Another challenge that we talked about was funding, as KZSU recently lost a major funding source from Stanford. According to Samuel, "We lost special funding from the school via an election last year where we did not win the support of the graduate students." He told me that they are hoping to again get funding from the university, but that there will be some hurdles to get there. In the meantime, the station is surviving on existing funds. Samuel said, "We've been drawing from capital reserves to get through this year, as well as going harder for money from the athletic department, alumni donations and underwriting, but so far none of these have provided a sustainable solution." Like many college radio stations, KZSU is run entirely by volunteers, except for the one paid position of Chief Engineer.


Samuel has been a fan of college radio for years, even volunteering at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City when he was in high school. He's been at KZSU since his freshman year and spoke highly of the station's focus on obscure music. He told me, "We get the best experimental music here...[from]...classical....[to]...noise." He added, "It's a testament to the last two music directors." Throughout our visit he pointed out interesting pieces of vinyl and hard-to-find CDs to me, including music on a small Croatian label Slusaj Najglasnije that has attracted a cult following at KZSU.

He also mentioned various shows at KZSU that play edgy sounds, including "out there free jazz," "heavy stuff," and "brutal metal." In fact, Samuel said his favorite show name at KZSU was the metal show "Bloodstains Across Atherton" (which has also been on the air for at least a decade). He pointed out, however, that programming overall is diverse, including the above-mentioned genres as well as psych, "sugary indie pop" and hip hop.

Music Awaiting DJ Review on the "Review Shelf"

When I asked how music selections were made, Samuel told me that it was a combination of the music directors and the DJs. He said that everyone is part of the review process and showed me the shelf where new, ready-to-be-reviewed music is placed for DJs after it's been screened by the Music Director or genre directors. DJs can then check the music out from the station and write a review for it before it gets added to the station library.

Obscenity and Indecency Guidelines Posted on KZSU Studio Door

In terms of DJ requirements, staff members go through a 10 week training class. They mainly learn about FCC rules and the course culminates with a 20 question test about the station and with the students sitting in on a DJ's show. DJs then submit demo tapes in order for gain approval to be on the air. To earn preferred time slots, DJs are expected to volunteer at the station, although there are no specific requirements as to the number of hours. During shifts most DJs are asked to play 5 cuts an hour from current rotation, which KZSU calls their "A-file." Alternately, they can play songs from the "Re-Animated" section, which contains "old classics" that the station is featuring again.

Samuel admires some LP Cover Art

Samuel told me that KZSU adds between 20 to 50 CDs a week to the station library. They do add vinyl, mostly 7-inches. As he grabbed an LP from the shelves, Samuel opined, "CDs have no soul, man...You don't have a big giant picture of Grover Washington...staring at you when you play a CD."

CDs at KZSU

KZSU does not add digital releases. Samuel said that material being added needs to be a "tangible" CD or record. When I asked him if they added cassettes, he laughed, but added, "vinyl's still going." He admitted that he's a fan of traditional music media, saying, "I hate the iPod." Although DJs are allowed to play MP3s over the air, Samuel said that he was not a fan of doing radio that way.

When I asked Samuel about other college radio stations, he mentioned some from New York that he likes, including Barnard's WBAR, saying they play some "pretty gritty music." He also mentioned Fordham's public radio station WFUV and public station WBGO in Newark (for its jazz programming and "outstanding radio documentaries"). He said he's also streamed stations like Radio De Paul and the Milwaukee School of Engineering station. In terms of SF Bay Area stations, Samuel also listens to KALX (UC Berkeley) and KUSF (University of San Francisco). He said that he was happy to hear "more guys playing weird noise" during daytime hours on KUSF after some scheduling changes.

Vinyl at KZSU

KZSU has monthly staff meetings and has also done some station get-togethers like a trip to see the San Jose Giants. Samuel said that some of the challenges they face as a station are getting enough money and getting enough volunteer hours from station staff. I'm sure most stations can relate to that.

Thanks so much to Samuel and everyone I met at KZSU for taking the time to tour me around the station and chat about college radio. In the weeks to come I hope to visit more San Francisco Bay Area radio stations.

Classic KZSU Equipment

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

College Radio's Role in '90s SF Music Scene

College radio stations are often inextricably linked the music scenes of their surrounding communities. It's pretty cool to see that acknowledged in a San Francisco Bay Guardian article from 2003. It just got on my radar today, as the blog Squirrel Antics posted a quote from that piece about the SF music scene centered around the Mission District. In the article, author Josh Wilson (as mentioned below, a KUSF DJ) gives credit to San Francisco Bay Area college radio stations for their role in supporting indie music. The Bay Guardian piece states:

"Though the '90s-era Mission was home to a thriving community, it did not occur in a vacuum. Tangential happenings and institutions flourished, part of a confluence of and infrastructure for homegrown, urban, do-it-yourself creativity. KFJC, KALX, KZSU, and KUSF (where this writer DJs) delivered the emerging soundtrack of the era to Bay Area listeners starved for adventurous music. Burning Man was still a lawless punk-pyro and machine-art utopia, and San Francisco Art Institute superheroine Warrior Girl's 24-Hour Community Spacewalk orchestrated a colossal, simultaneous display of interactive, round-the-clock art, music, and performance on dozens of street corners in the Mission and South of Market for two years running. Nowhere, however, were things as concentrated as in the Mission."

For any of you who lived in San Francisco in the 1990s, the Bay Guardian article is a nice bit of nostalgia; with its mentions of seminal bands and classic clubs. I certainly have fond memories of shows at Komotion, Kilowatt, and the Chameleon and a sense of pride for the amazing bands coming out of SF at the time.

College Radio Concerns about Proposal for Stringent Record-Keeping Requirements for Webcasters

You may have missed the news (as I did), since it came out on December 30th, but there's a new proposal by the Copyright Royalty Board that will require webcasters (including college radio stations) to report every single song that they play to SoundExchange. According to PC Magazine:

"CRB wants any entity that pays royalties under sections 112 and 114 of the Copyright Act, including Internet radio, satellite radio, digital cable radio, and any other radio-like services delivered by digital means to report every single song they play on the air to SoundExchange, which governs the music industry's royalty rates. Under current rules established in 2004, they are only required to report their playlists for two weeks every quarter."

Yesterday CBI (College Broadcasters, Inc.) and Harvard station WHRB issued a press release expressing concern about the Copyright Royalty Board's (CRB) timing in releasing proposed changes to webcasting record-keeping and reporting requirements. CBI and WHRB are asking the CRB for additional time "to collect data and submit comments" about the proposed changes, which will have a big impact on college radio stations.

According to the CBI/WHRB press release:

"Without warning, on December 30, 2008, while most college students were on break, the CRB issued a proposal to change the current rules that apply to all webcasters that use copyrighted recordings. While the proceedings have been underway for six years, the officials only allowed 30 days for the submission of comments from interested parties before making a final ruling which could stand for several decades.

Furthermore, for many of the student stations most affected by the new rules, students would be away on break for most of the 30 day comment window.Warren Kozireski, president of CBI and general manager of WBSU 89.1 The Point, at SUNY Brockport, said 'The proposal contains rule changes that would adversely affect hundreds of student stations across the nation, yet the CRB issued the proposal during winter break and provided us with only 30 days to respond. That is simply not enough time to gather information from stations and provide the CRB with ample information to make informed decisions.'"

The nature of college radio programming (huge playlists, vinyl catalogs, obscure recordings, DJ controlled playlists) will no doubt make record-keeping and tracking even more cumbersome. In quoting Michael Papish, legal and policy advisor for WHRB, the press release states:

"'For many stations like WHRB which have deep catalogs and feature programming by DJs that still rely heavily on vinyl media, these new regulations could prove extremely difficult...'"

An article on CBI's website provides more information about these proposed changes. According to the piece:

"...The proposed rules would require stations to submit reports of every song played (that is not exempt) for each day of the year. This is known as 'census reporting'. The current requirement is to keep data for only 14 days per calendar quarter.

...The proposed rules would require reports of use be submitted on or before the 45th day following the close of each calendar month...the current rules do not include a deadline for the submission of a report of use.

...The proposed rules would require stations to report 'actual performances' of each song instead of ATH [aggregate tuning hours]. In other words, for each song played, stations would need to report the total number of devices connected to the server for each and every song played, regardless of duration..."

Well, my head is certainly swimming as I try to figure out how college radio stations will tally this information. CBI is encouraging college radio station to take a close look at these proposed regulations. They are hoping that the Copyright Review Board will extend the comment period beyond January 30th, so that stations have more time to digest all of this information and respond accordingly. Additionally, CBI encourages college radio stations to submit feedback and comments for the Copyright Review Board through CBI in order to create a stronger, more unified case. CBI writes:

"...we encourage stations to submit comments before the CRB, but we are asking stations to hold off on sending rash responses that would either hurt our position or be legally impermissable. In order to aid stations in making legally permissable responses to the request for comments, CBI will work with stations in crafting comments. In addition, CBI will likely include station submissions in their own comments. This offer of assistance is available to all college stations, whether or not they are currently members of CBI or currently webcasting. We are particularly interested in helping stations that are not webcasting due to the recordkeeping obligations."

Stations planning to send comments to the Copyright Review Board, can get assistance from CBI by emailing copyright@askcbi.org.

College Radio Tidbits - WRVU Profile, WTBU Honors Old Radio Tower, Budget Cuts for Conference Travel

Here are a few recent tidbits about college radio in the news:

Vanderbilt Station WRVU Profile (Nashville Scene Blog)
There's a nice piece, "College Radio is Better: How to Listen to WRVU," about Vanderbilt University station WRVU on the Nashville Scene blog. In the article, Emily Bartlett Hines talks a bit about the station's history (around since the 1950s), recent scandals (porn on a station computer), but more importantly about the range of programming on the station. She writes:

"If you're going to listen to any radio, I will opine that this is the station to be paying attention to. The DJs include some of Nashville's most interesting and dedicated music fans (many of them are community members, not undergraduates), so it's a great way to learn about different genres of music...the weekly schedule includes a total of 96 different shows, playing everything from Persian music to political chat..."

Boston University Station WTBU Debuts New Logo and WebsiteIn November, Boston University tore down an old, non-functioning radio tower, inspiring sadness by some folks. Well, according to an article in BU Today, now the tower lives on in the new logo for campus (and online) station WTBU.

Mt. Hood Community College Radio Station's Possible Budget Cuts
There's a blurb in the Mt. Hood Community College Advocate about funding cuts for various student organizations, including the student radio station The Quarry. The line item in question is related to the travel budget for a conference in New York (CMJ perhaps?). Especially in this economy, I'm sure similar budget discussions are taking place at college radio stations all over the country.