Spinning Indie

Radio Station Field Trip 28 - Belfield FM at University College Dublin

2012-01-25T15:31:00.000-08:00

When I was out of the country during the past few weeks, I couldn't resist the opportunity to resume my Spinning Indie radio station field trip series by visiting a few student radio stations in Ireland. First up was Belfield FM, the student radio station at University College Dublin (UCD). Located just outside of Dublin in the town of Belfield, the station itself is hidden away on a corridor just off a tunnel adjacent to the James Joyce Library. During the 2011-2012 academic year the station is broadcasting on 107.8 FM and online.

Belfield FM Office

An interesting thing about many student radio stations in Ireland is that some of them bounce around the FM dial and aren't on the same frequency from year to year. Each year certain stations apply for a frequency and last year Belfield FM was only on FM for a total of 4 weeks. The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) is the regulatory agency that handles radio licensing in Ireland. The BAI allows for temporary radio licensing, which is why a number of stations operate for only a few weeks out of the year. A recent list of temporary sound broadcasting applications (PDF) includes Belfield FM, which is licensed to broadcast Mondays through Fridays. Currently they broadcast from 1pm to 9pm from a transmitter atop their campus building, although most of their listeners tune in online. Some other college radio stations in Ireland, including Spinning Indie field trip stop FlirtFM, are designated community/special interest broadcasters and broadcast on a more permanent basis.

Belfield FM Studio

Student radio has been a staple of UCD since 1990, although the name Belfield FM wasn't introduced until 2006. In the early days, they only broadcast terrestrially for 4 to 6 weeks out of the year and the station shut down for several years before relaunching. Since 2008 the station has been in its current location, but it's scheduled to move to a new Student Center on campus in September. Its new studio in the Student Center has already been built and they should have access to it by April. They will continue to use the current studio as a production studio so that DJs will have the ability to pre-record their shows.

I visited Belfield FM on the afternoon of Monday, January 16, 2011, which was the first day of broadcasts for the new semester. Although I knew the general location of the station, I still had a difficult time finding it since the door to the station only contained a tiny handwritten sign on a ripped scrap of paper reading "Belfield FM." The volunteers who I met with told me that every year the station is a stop of a campus "treasure hunt" and acknowledged that they should probably make a bigger sign.

Belfield FM's small space contains an office with a couch, desk, and broadcasting equipment as well as an adjacent studio. Although the surroundings are spartan, the station has around 80 volunteers including approximately 50 regular participants.

Checking out the lack of signage of the door to Belfield FM

When I visited, 4 DJs were hanging around the office and it was fun hearing their stories about the station. Station Manager Peter Branigan toured me around the station and was joined by the Executive Producer of BeatsanPieces Dylan Gray, Assistant Manager Oisín Boyce, and Assistant Manager Darragh O'Connor. They all pointed out the great sense of community that they've felt at Belfield FM and mentioned that they've met many of their close friends through the station. They also mentioned that many students on campus are interested in coming in to the station and that they frequently have friends asking them about radio.

The station isn't connected to an academic department at UCD, instead existing as a student club that is funded by the Student's Union and student fees. DJs have a lot of freedom and there are a range of shows on-air, from music shows, to talk shows, to sports programs. There aren't too many restrictions other than not swearing (they told me that there are 5 dirty words in Ireland) or defaming anyone over the air. DJs keep track of their playlists on paper, but those lists aren't used for any sort of charting.

Paper Playlist

Although there isn't much in the way of a music library other than a small drawer full of CDs, most of their material has been digitized and Belfield FM has a digital music library containing nearly 16,000 tracks. Most DJs bring their own music and frequently play material and music off of You Tube. CD players are also available for DJs to use, but there are no turntables or tape decks in the studio.

CD Drawer

Live bands also come to play at Belfield FM, particularly on the "Unsigned and Underrated" show. There's also an "International Music Show," on Friday nights at 5:30pm, "School of Heavy Metal Studies" program on Wednesday nights at 5:30pm, and an "Electro Show." Darragh O'Connor also hosts the "Wrestleview International Desk" program which delves into the world of wrestling.

Belfield FM has also produced a number of live broadcasts, including sabbatical debates, which they broadcast from a nearby campus theater by running wires from their studio. They just got funding to purchase an outside broadcast unit, so the station is hopeful that it can air more live events, including sports commentary.

Belfield FM Broadcast Bible

I'm always interested in the nitty gritty details about a station's operations, so I was excited to grab a copy of the Belfield FM Broadcasting Bible from 2009-2010 (a copy of which can also be found on their website, along with other materials for volunteers). According to the Broadcasting Bible, "We want to provide the students of UCD with an accessible forum for information, debate and concerns relevant to all aspects of student life, and to create an awareness of the student community among the wider population of the city."

Thanks to everyone at Belfield FM for showing me around your fine station! Stay tuned, my next stop in the Spinning Indie field trip series will be to another student radio station in Ireland.

Radio Station Field Trip 26 - KSFS at San Francisco State University

Radio Station Field Trip 27 - KEAR and Family Radio in Oakland

Save KUSF Protest Marks One Year Anniversary of KUSF Shutdown

2012-01-17T11:43:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that it's already been a year since KUSF was taken off the air by officials at University of San Francisco. 2011 was marked by a year of protests and actions by KUSF supporters, as well as by the launch of KUSF in Exile in order to keep the spirit of KUSF alive. Tomorrow, in honor of the anniversary of the shutdown, there will be a protest at 10am (the time that KUSF turned to static on January 18, 2011) at Entercom headquarters in San Francisco. The programming now airing over KUSF's 90.3 FM signal (classical station KDFC) is originating from Entercom headquarters. KDFC (now owned by Classical Public Radio Network) used to be a commercial classical station owned by Entercom.

The January 18, 2012 protest will take place from 10 to 11am at 201 Third Street (at Howard). Later that evening, there will be an after-party at WIX Lounge (3169 22nd Street, between Capp and Mission in San Francisco) featuring guest speakers and KUSF in Exile DJs spinning records.

Radio Station Field Trip 27 - KEAR and Family Radio in Oakland, CA

2011-05-16T12:19:00.000-07:00

KEAR offices on May 12, 2011

(All photos by J. Waits)

When I started my radio station field trip series I had intended to focus solely on college radio stations, but I pretty quickly made some exceptions when I ran across interesting commercial and community radio stations. Last week, I took an even greater detour when I decided that I needed to visit Christian radio station KEAR-AM, which is at the helm of the Family Radio network of religious stations. After hearing a Family Radio broadcast I became intrigued by its General Manager's proclamation that May 21, 2011 would be Judgment Day and that October 21, 2011 would mark the end of the world. When I first heard Family Radio General Manager Harold Camping over the airwaves a few weeks ago, I had no idea that his station was based in Oakland, California. When I realized that it was so near by, I knew that I had to tour before the predicted Armageddon.

One of Harold Camping's books in the Family Radio offices on May 12, 2011

(Photo: J. Waits)

So, on Thursday, May 12, 2011, I ventured out to Family Radio headquarters in order to tour the station, interview Harold Camping, and learn more about the inner-workings of the massive Christian radio network (see Radio Survivor for my full report on Camping's take on Judgment Day). I began my visit by attending a taping of a Harold Camping-led "Family Bible Study," which was being recorded for television and radio. As a studio audience and camera crews from Nightline and Univision watched, Camping flipped through Bible passages and talked about the nearness of Judgment Day.

Although Family Radio began in 1958 with one radio station (KEAR-FM at the time in San Francisco), it has since expanded to 60+ radio stations across the United States, 50+ translators, a shortwave station in Florida, and television stations in San Francisco and New York. Programming originates out of their Oakland headquarters, with operators in their Network Control department monitoring the patchwork quilt of signals 24 hours a day.

Family Radio President and General Manager Harold Camping in His Office on May 12, 2011

(Photo: J. Waits)

Harold Camping was one of the founders of the network in 1958 when he worked with a group of people to purchase KEAR-FM in San Francisco. When I interviewed him last Thursday, May 12, 2011, he told me that didn't have an interest in radio before that time. He graduated from University of California, Berkeley with a degree in engineering and had a career in the construction business. When I spoke with Camping, he relayed to me the beginnings of Family Radio:

Jennifer Waits: So you were saying you had no interest in radio before?

Harold Camping: Right. That was not my interest. I was interested in dairy cattle and I was interested in math and interested in physics and science, but not radio.

Jennifer: What got you thinking about starting up a radio network?

Mr. Camping: Someone came to my office...and he wanted to find some Christian businessmen to buy a radio station and share the gospel. And, oh, to share the gospel, that's what got my interest. So, I agreed that provided we have a non-profit corporation so that nobody could ever realize any gains for themselves. And so, we formed a non-profit corporation called Family Stations, Incorporated. I became President and he became Vice-President. I had another young man working for me and we made him the third member to be legally a qualified corporation. And I put this man on my payroll...and he found a station here in San Francisco and we bought it and that was the beginning of Family Radio.

Jennifer: And what do you now love about radio?

Mr. Camping: I've been enmeshed in it for 52 years. I've been able to supervise the construction of radio and supervise the construction of TV. We built a 350 kilowatt station in Taiwan and a 600 kilowatt station in Taiwan to carry our programming to China and to the Philippines and so on.

Jennifer: So, you've been doing Open Forum for 50 years. How did that show start?

Mr. Camping: That started because at that time we were not getting any help from any churches and although we had paid very little to whatever employees we had, we were running out of money. So we had the idea that if I would be behind the mic as President and answer questions about finances or about music policy, that might encourage people to begin to give. So, we opened the telephone lines and I did my first program and they didn't ask any questions about finances or music, but they asked counseling questions and Bible questions. And I found that I enjoyed that very much and I was somewhat qualified because I had been doing quite a bit of study in the Bible and doing some private counseling. And so that began Open Forum.

It's clear when walking through Family Radio headquarters that the company is much more than a network of radio stations. They have their own print shop, which produces books and literature related to their beliefs. The Internet department maintains the website and creates Family Radio ads for placement on Facebook, Google and Microsoft websites.

KEAR-AM Studio in Oakland on May 12, 2011

(Photo: J. Waits)

Family Radio airs a mix of programming, including the popular live call-in show "Open Forum" (which has been on the air for 50 years) hosted by Camping 7 nights a week (it was 5 nights a week until a few weeks ago), children's programming, programs on "Positive Parenting," shows about Creationism and intelligent design, religious music shows, and the other live show, "Prayer Time," which broadcasts prayer requests from listeners (ranging from someone's desire for "a new transmission" to requests for prayers for cancer-stricken relatives). Most programmers and producers at Family Radio craft their shows remotely, so when I visited I didn't get the opportunity to see any live programming in action. I did see a producer working in one of the 8 control rooms and got the opportunity to check out the set up.

A portion of the vinyl library at Family Radio

(Photo: J. Waits)

The walls outside the production studios were filled with long-forgotten vinyl LPs that are no longer played. Although I saw numerous turntables, apparently vinyl records are now a relic at Family Radio after an archiving project a decade ago paved the way for the digital library of about 8000 pieces of music that is currently in use today. Beyond the vinyl LPs that I spotted outside the studios, in a Music Department office, and in a packed-to-the-gills closet, there's apparently more music housed in an off-site storage facility. In addition to the music shows that air today, Family Radio used to have a classical show on Sundays.

The music in Family Radio's digital archive is categorized across a number of different types of music, including organ, piano, orchestra, instrumental, male solo, female solo, choirs, male chorus, duets, trios, and quartets. I was told by a member of the Music Department that all music is carefully screened by several different reviewers on staff. In addition to screening music for its lyrical content to verify its take on the gospel and theology, the staff also ensure that music adheres to Family Radio's overall air sound, which was described to me as being "traditional" and "more of the hymn type" style of sacred music. A Family Radio staff member told me, "we don't have drums" or "anything with a beat," although she acknowledged that "it can be a little upbeat...but not loud percussion." And, as I listened to the station today, I did hear a slightly upbeat song with male harmonizing vocals that reminded me of the Beach Boys. So, it's true that they do mix it up a bit musically.

Closet at Family Radio Chock Full of Vinyl and CDs

(Photo: J. Waits)

Although listeners often call the network to ask about music that's been played, it's not Family Radio's policy to announce artist names over the airwaves. They will gladly provide that information to callers, but I was told that as a rule, "we don't promote people" over the air, which means that they don't do on-air back announces of the pieces that have been played. For the most part the music that they play is old, as evidenced by some of the titles that I spotted in their vinyl library. The old-fashioned music that I heard while listening to Family Radio on several occasions was actually kind of alluring in that it was so vintage. In that respect, it did sound like nothing else on radio and brought to mind my own memories of my grandparents glued to broadcasts of the Lawrence Welk show. Oddly enough, one of the albums that I saw on my visit featured Norma Zimmer, the "Champagne Lady" from the Lawrence Welk show. Stranger still, unbeknownst to me, Norma Zimmer died 2 days before my visit and her album happened to catch my attention while I was scanning through the record library at Family Radio. I hope that's not a sign...

Norma Zimmer LP at Family Radio

When I took this photo I had no idea that she had died 2 days before!

(Photo: J. Waits)

To learn more about Family Radio's take on Judgment Day, see my article on Radio Survivor, which also includes more from my interview with Family Radio's General Manager Harold Camping.

Equipment in Network Control at Family Radio

(Photo: J. Waits)

Radio Station Field Trip 25 - WZBC at Boston College

Radio Station Field Trip 26 - KSFS at San Francisco State University

2011-05-13T16:13:00.000-07:00

View from KSFS Production Studio into Station Lobby

(Photo by J. Waits)

After the events of January 18, I kind of went into an obsessive spiral, fixating on every last detail of the unfortunate situation at University of San Francisco's college radio station KUSF. I find it tragic that the only terrestrial college radio station in San Francisco's city limits was yanked from the air by the university in order to beef up its cash reserves. Yet, I also tried to remind people that KUSF was actually not the ONLY college radio station in San Francisco. San Francisco State University has a long tradition of college radio, which continues to this day with its online-only station KSFS.

On November 19, 2010, I accepted an invitation to sit it on a friend's show at KSFS and was excited to get a chance to check out the station. A few weeks later I sat down with KSFS advisor Jeff Jacoby to learn more about the station and also chatted by phone with former KSFS advisor Rick Houlberg. After touring the station and attempting to research its history, I became frustrated by the lack of information about the 50+ year old station and then got distracted by reporting on the KUSF saga.

So, here is my much belated field trip report from KSFS, along with a plea for an interested broadcasting historian to take up the challenge to compile a proper history of the station, as I'm sure it's fascinating.

KSFS DJ Nick Carpenter

Before visiting KSFS, all that I really knew of the station was that music journalist and radio fan Ben Fong-Torres had been a DJ there back in the 1960s and that Real World Seattle alum Irene McGee got some attention for her radio show there around 2005. But the station's history goes back much further. From what I've been able to ascertain from my limited research, the Radio Department was founded at San Francisco State College around 1946 and it's possible that a campus radio station began in the late 1940s or early 1950s. According to Rick Houlberg (who joined the station as its advisor in 1982), in the early days of the station, then known as KRTG (for "radio television guild"), broadcasts were from a pre-fab Quonset hut structure utilizing 2 loudspeakers. By the early 1960s the Creative Arts building was constructed on campus and the Radio Department and station were given a permanent home.

Lobby of KSFS

(Photo: J. Waits)

Ben Fong-Torres remembers being at KRTG around 1965 or so. He told me that at the time the station switched formats from being a mix of jazz, folk, spoken word, and educational material to a Top 40 music station. He said that there were basically no listeners, although the station was piped in to the dorms. Ben described a phone receiver-like device that was in each dorm room and told me that one had to dial it to 880 to listen to the station over 880 AM.

Radio Sign on Creative Arts Building at San Francisco State University

(Photo: J. Waits)

Today, KSFS is still housed in the basement of the Creative Arts building. Although KSFS was never a licensed station, it did broadcast into dorms and campus buildings through a carrier current system (as described by Ben). Eventually it got hooked into the campus cable system before going online-only. Rick told me that there's a rumor that in the late 1960s or early 1970s KSFS had a chance to obtain an FCC license after a commercial radio station offered to sell its entire station, from microphones to transmitter, to San Francisco State for $1. San Francisco State turned down the offer, apparently fearful of giving the students a larger broadcast platform.

Rick told me that KSFS eventually had a small transmitter (less than 1 watt) and an antenna on top of the library. A line was run from the antenna to KSFS in the Creative Arts Building. The transmission on campus was so weak, that one could only hear it within the line of sight of the antenna at 88.1 FM. Because of fears of complaints about interference from local stations (namely public radio station KQED) and local residents, the station was never able to get more powerful than 1 watt. One of the main ways that students on campus used to listen to KSFS was through the university's television cable system. Additionally, KSFS had its signal broadcast within San Francisco over cable television.

KSFS Studio

(Photo J. Waits)

One of the most interesting stories that I came across was in a history of San Francisco State written by Meredith Eliassen. She recounts a story that took place in 1966 involving Ken Kesey,

"Kesey, flanked with bodyguards from the Hells Angels, performed an 'acid test' in the studios of the campus radio station KRTG. The event aired to listeners in the Commons, in the Redwood Room, outside through speakers, and to the KRTG audience in the dormitories."

Rick told me that he'd never heard this story, but that it was "entirely possible" and said that at the time the university thought the station was "subversive" and that the school "did not want people to know that students had a voice."

Window to KSFS Studio

(Photo J. Waits)

Eventually, due to a number of factors, including construction on campus and lack of listeners, the low power FM broadcasts ceased after the antenna was removed from the library in 2008. A 2004 student newspaper account described the station's lack of a signal:

"The only way you could pick up a clear signal of the station's low broadcasting range is if your radio was no further than the sidewalk surrounding or steps leading up to the library."

Around the same time, though, KSFS was being broadcast in The Depot in the Student Center and was also broadcasting online.

KSFS Studio

(Photo: J. Waits)

Rick said that the station has functioned for more than 60 years as a "laboratory" for students interested in careers in broadcasting. In order to get on the air, one is required to be enrolled in a radio class at San Francisco State or be an alum.Having a live radio show is actually a requirement for the advanced radio class. Typically there are between 75 and 100 people involved with the station in a given semester and KSFS still seems to function as a training ground for radio and music industry hopefuls.

When I stopped by in December 2010, I chatted with the station's General Manager Tiffany Lintner. In addition to doing her show "Special Sundays" at KSFS, she was also working at commercial radio station KMEL as both an on-air host and a member of the promotions department. Her hip hop show at KSFS had over 900 followers on Twitter and she told me that she did have aspirations to be a commercial radio DJ. Last fall the KSFS Music Directors were also involved with commercial radio stations and labels.

Last fall the KSFS schedule featured live DJs from 8am to 11pm on weekdays and from 9am to 5pm on the weekends, with an automated loop of material filling in the slots without a live DJ. I was told that KSFS had just finished a project to digitize all of their CDs and that they were planning to get rid of the CDs. The station planned to hang on to its "large library" of vinyl records, however.

KSFS Vinyl Library

(Photo J. Waits)

Today, KSFS invites listeners to "Embrace the Chaos" as it broadcasts a mix of music and public affairs shows across its schedule. The current mission statement for KSFS reads:

"We provide cutting-edge, free-form radio with varied programming, including music, theater, talk, art, & information. The shows we stream seek to push the boundaries of what radio can be but are always focused on our listeners. KSFS serves as a training laboratory for students and as a radio station for the university, the City of San Francisco, and our worldwide Internet audience. We intend to be an integral part of the ongoing media (r)evolution and the myriad communities we serve and to offer a dynamic educational experience for the students of San Francisco State University."

Thanks to everyone at KSFS for sharing your station with me and for your patience in waiting for this report!

Radio Station Field Trip 25 - WZBC at Boston College

Save KUSF Live Remote Broadcast Brings Together 15 College and Community Radio Stations from across the United States

2011-02-19T02:16:00.000-08:00

Amoeba Music on Haight Street in San Francisco on a Cold February Day

(Photo: J. Waits)

One month ago college radio station KUSF was taken off of its terrestrial signal at 90.3 FM after the administration of University of San Francisco signed paperwork to cede control of the station to Classical Public Radio Network (CPRN). Although the sale needs to still be approved by the FCC, in the meantime, CPRN is airing broadcasts from formerly classical radio station KDFC on KUSF's frequency of 90.3 FM.

As I've extensively documented on Radio Survivor, supporters of KUSF have been fighting the sale ever since it was announced. They have solicited support from politicians, the faculty of USF, and from like-minded radio stations from all over the country.

WFMU Microphone at Amoeba

(Photo: J. Waits)

Yesterday the independent radio community came together to spread the word about the plight of KUSF by taking to the terrestrial airwaves. Orchestrated by DJ Billy Jam, of well-respected New Jersey community radio station WFMU, the Save KUSF live broadcast from Amoeba Music in San Francisco on Friday, February 18 featured six KUSF DJs "in exile" on stage spinning (yes, there was a ton of vinyl trekked in for the event) music from noon to 3pm Pacific time. WFMU did a live broadcast over both the airwaves and over their Internet stream and invited other stations to piggy back on the broadcast by sending out the Internet stream over their respective FM signals.

The "Honor Roll" of Participating Stations (not listed are KXSC and KUSF.org, who also broadcast the event)

(Photo: J. Waits)

Ultimately, 15 stations ended up broadcasting the Save KUSF event, including WFMU (91.1 FM in New Jersey), Stanford University station KZSU (90.1 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area), Loyola Marymount station KXLU (88.9 FM in Los Angeles), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill station WXYC (89.3 FM in Chapel Hill, North Carolina), Foothill College station KFJC (89.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area), Georgia Tech station WREK (91.1 FM in Atlanta), Cazenovia College station WITC (88.9 FM in Cazenovia, NY), University of California at Davis station KDVS 90.3 (90.3 FM in Davis, CA), University of Texas, Austin station KVRX (which broadcast over their webstream), University of California at Berkeley station KALX (90.7 FM in Berkeley, CA), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor station WCBN (88.3 FM in Ann Arbor, MI), community radio station KRFP (Radio Free Moscow at 92.5 FM in Moscow, Idaho), Santa Clara University station KSCU (103.3 FM in Santa Clara, CA), University of Southern California's online-only student radio station KXSC (Los Angeles, CA), and even KUSF.org (which is for the most part separate from the efforts of Save KUSF and still in the process of being conceptualized. It's currently airing a mix of student and cultural shows from the old KUSF studios at University of San Francisco).

DJ Schmeejay, whose show turned to static when the KUSF transmitter was shut down January 18, begins the Live Remote

(Photo: J. Waits)

As DJs and KUSF fans mingled at Amoeba Music on Friday, it was easy to sense both the inspiration and the optimism that everyone was drawing from the event and from the outpouring of support from radio stations from all over the country. It was clear that the fight for independent radio in San Francisco resonated across the United States, as other stations stood in solidarity while giving over their airwaves to the KUSF DJs who had been silenced one month prior.

DJ Carolyn at Amoeba Music

(Photo: J. Waits)

When I started Spinning Indie back in 2008 one of my goals was to try to bring more attention to college radio. Not only was I attempting to get people to listen to college radio, but I was also hoping to expose college radio DJs to other stations that they might not have been aware of. When I've gone to college radio conferences hosted by CMJ, IBS, and the University of California Radio Network (UCRN) I've loved the opportunity to swap stories with DJs from other stations and I've witnessed how hungry other station volunteers have been for building those cross-station connections. When touring stations in my own neck of the woods I've talked to people about bringing back the long-gone Bay Area college radio picnics and have heard rumors about casual sports competitions between stations.

So, for me, yesterday was a dream come true, witnessing the cross-country radio love. A few of us noted that in times of crisis it's incredible to see how people will come together, even stations who might normally feel tinges of competition. Particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area, it was an unprecedented display of radio activism, as KUSF DJs could be heard emanating from 4 different college radio stations up and down the radio dial (KFJC at 89.7 FM, KZSU at 90.1 FM, KALX at 90.7 FM, and KSCU at 103.3FM).

At the same time, it was almost mind-boggling to think about the fact that people in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and Moscow, Idaho were tuning in; perhaps hearing about KUSF for the very first time.

DJ Irwin Cues Up a Record at Amoeba Music

(Photo: J. Waits)

Beyond the community love that I was feeling all day, it was also a great relief to just hear KUSF DJs back on the air again spinning music. For me and for many other people, radio is inextricably linked to musical exploration and to sharing sounds with listeners. Yesterday it was nice to take a break from all of the protests, conversation, and writing in order to get back to music and get back to radio. As I listened to beautiful sets of music by all six KUSF DJs on stage, I was again reminded of why I still care so deeply about the power and art of human DJ's who are musical curators. My ears were tantalized by Rudy Vallee, Yoko Ono, Chin Chin, Felt, Can, Omar Souleyman, Alice Coltrane, Grace Jones, Sylvester, and Dead Moon.

It still remains to be seen what will happen to KUSF, but as a college radio DJ and fan I am really proud to see that they are fighting hard for the future of independent radio and are spreading the word about their plight far and wide.

If you want to relive yesterday's event, there's video documentation on the Yowie website, there is an archived MP3 of the broadcast on WFMU's website, individual MP3s for each DJ's set can be found on the KUSF Archives webite, and the complete playlist (as well as listener comments) are on Billy Jam's page at WFMU. To learn more about Save KUSF's efforts, take a look at their website (where they are also actively seeking donations).

***
You can read my reaction to the KUSF shut down here on Spinning Indie, as well as my article chronicling my KUSF field trip two years ago. And, I'm really proud to say that many of the stations that participated in today's multi-station simulcast have been stops on either my Spinning Indie 50 State Tour (KXSC, which used to be called KSCR) or have been places I've visited for my radio station field trip series (WFMU, KZSU, KUSF, KSCU, KALX, and KFJC). For more on the bigger picture of college radio station sell-offs, see my December 2009 piece “Cash-strapped Schools Turn Their Backs on College Radio.

Save KUSF Merch Table

(Photo: J. Waits)

KUSF Taken off the Air Without Warning and Replaced with Classical Station

2011-01-19T01:20:00.000-08:00

Irwin Swirnoff, a KUSF Music Director, in the KUSF Library Back in 2009

Around 12:00 noon yesterday I got an email titled "Upsetting News about KUSF" from one of my fellow DJs at KFJC. It's the kind of email that you dread seeing in your inbox and after diving into its contents, I was shocked to see what I was reading. I am a KUSF listener, have profiled the station on this blog for my radio station field trip series, and have rhapsodized about one of their shows ("Radiodrome"), calling it one of my favorite radio shows ever. In a weird twist of fate, it turns out that KUSF went off the air during my favorite radio show yesterday and the DJs had no idea what was coming.

Throughout the day more and more details came to light, making me feel even more troubled about the loss of a great college radio station from the San Francisco airwaves.

So, here's what happened:

Tuesday, January 18th, 2011:

9:00 am: The General Manager and Program Director of KUSF were called into the Dean's office and told that KUSF was sold effective 10am

10:00 am: KUSF signal goes to static, as the transmitter is turned off. The on-air KUSF DJ's show is cut short and he has to cancel a scheduled live performance by the band The Pickpocket Ensemble

11:52 am: KUSF tweets: "ATTENTION: USF just sold KUSF! #WTF we're off the air. we need your help. Impromptu demonstration on the USF campus tomorrow at 7"

11:58 am: CarolyntheDJ tweets: "Just showed up @kusf to my show and the doors are locked. USF has sold the station. Management was in on it. They're keeping all our records."

Around the same time, University of San Francisco released a statement that they planned to sell the station to Classical Public Radio Network, a public radio group owned by University of Southern California (apparently replacing the old, now defunct online-only Classical Public Radio Network). The press release stated that KUSF will transition to an online-only station effective immediately and will be able to retain its call letters.

It wasn't until later in the day that the entire picture was revealed. A press release from around 3:30pm announced that commercial classical radio station KDFC was going to be moving to KUSF's 90.3 FM frequency as part of a complicated deal involved both commercial and non-commercial radio stations. According to the release:

"...The University of Southern California (USC) today announced it has entered into an agreement with Entercom Communications to convert KDFC into a non-commercial classical music station based in San Francisco. In keeping with Entercom Communications' commitment to classical radio, the company has entrusted the stewardship of the new, noncommercial KDFC Radio to a new nonprofit company based in San Francisco, commencing on January 18...

The new station will use the call letters KDFC, the area's former commercial classical outlet since 1947, the result of a series of transactions involving several radio owners in the region. The new KDFC will broadcast over the two non-commercial signals, 90.3 and 89.9...USC has purchased the rights to 90.3 KUSF, from the University of San Francisco and 89.9 KNDL from Howell Mountain Broadcasting Company. KUSF will continue online as a webcast station."

When I tuned in to 90.3 FM at 5:15pm yesterday it was already airing programming from KDFC. The DJ announced that the station was excited about their new "commercial-free" status and that they would officially be moving to 90.3 and 89.9 FM on Monday, January 24 at 12 noon. The KDFC website also eagerly announced this move (the station was formerly on the commercial band at 102.1 FM) and encouraged supporters to donate to the new "listener-supported" station.

Since KUSF staffers and DJs were taken by surprise, they are still trying to make sense of the situation. Several of them attempted to get answers from University of San Francisco's Director of Business and Finance Charlie Cross. A video recounts their encounter at his office, as he rebuffs them and asks for security to be called:

KUSF listeners and staff are peeved about this and have already started sending letters to the administration expressing their displeasure. In her tongue-in-cheek letter to USF President Stephen A. Privett, Julia Mazawa writes,

"The University's dedication to service to the community, promotion of critical inquiry, and promotion of cultural diversity is no better exemplified than in its recent sale of KUSF's FM frequency. And it has been the acme of deft public relations to boot!

USF clearly demonstrates the need to prioritize service to its amazingly diverse local community, San Francisco, by pulling the plug on the terrestrial signal of the highly-regarded station KUSF. Now, thankfully, there will be no more Chinese Star Radio clogging the airwaves with its foreign chatter, no more Radio Goethe bumming out the lower end of the dial with that bizarre German music, no more In the Soul Kitchen filling the airwaves with the soul classics that were actually interesting, and THANK JESUS there will finally be an end to that intolerable New Music programming that wasted valuable airtime with its nonsensical notions about what exactly constitutes music.

Thank you, USF, for ridding the airwaves of those crazy deejays who challenged the San Francisco community to invest a couple brain cells into actually thinking about the media fed to them. Thank you, you sons of bitches who now find yourselves $3.75 million richer, for replacing this needlessly challenging and frighteningly novel programming with tepid classical swill. Your selfless service to the community awes me...."

Amazingly, USF President Privett responded to Julia's email:

"Dear Ms. Mazzawa(sic),

Thank you for your letter of support. Your understanding that our students’(sic) do not pay their rather high tuition to subsidize providing alternate music for the outside community is not widely shared by ...those who disagree with my decision. I further appreciate your understanding that a university's first responsibility is to its faculty and students, not to the community-at-large. Yours is a conviction that is not shared by those who believe that USF should first and foremost serve those whose contributions have never covered the cost of delivering the service they enjoy at the expense of USF students and their families. Finally, I applaud your support for USF’s primary mission: the education of its students and not serving as an entertainment resource for the outside community, no matter how valuable or important that service may be. Would that more people had your wisdom, insight and appreciation for the role of a university.

Warmest regards,

Stephen A. Privett, SJ
President"

KUSF supporters will be rallying on the University of San Francisco campus on Wednesday night around 7pm at Fromm Hall. Unfortunately Stephen Privett is not expected to show up at the meeting to discuss the future of KUSF. No doubt his inbox will still be flooded.

Although Twitter and Facebook have been buzzing with this news all day and local media outlets (especially indie media) have been doing a great job of covering the situation at KUSF, supporters are just getting a Save KUSF page set up on Facebook and a Save KUSF blog set up online.

Another opportunity to join in the discussion will happen on the San Francisco public radio airwaves on Wednesday morning. One of KUSF's Music Directors, Irwin Swirnoff, will be appearing on the KQED radio call in talk-show Forum to discuss the situation at 9am on Wednesday the 19th.

Radio Station Field Trip 25 - WZBC at Boston College

2011-01-04T15:30:00.000-08:00

When we were gearing up for a family vacation out to Boston last summer I knew that a visit to the Boston College radio station WZBC had to be on the top of my to-do list. It had been 2 years since I'd been to the area and on my last visit I became enamored with WZBC while flipping through the dial in our rental car. I vividly remember sitting in the car late at night on a freezing cold winter evening because I was enjoying the music so much that I wanted to hear the end of a track and catch the DJ's back announce. That's dedication to a station!

Part of what lured me to WZBC was that their air sound reminded me a lot of KFJC, the station where I've been DJing for over a decade. And, the more I dived into WZBC's programming philosophy, the more I realized that the two stations really are kindred spirits. Located at 90.3 FM in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, WZBC prides itself on its devotion to experimental music with "no commercial potential" (aka NCP).

View of WZBC from its lobby

Radio began at Boston College 50 years ago, with the launch of AM carrier current station WVBC in 1960. In 1973 they became the licensed FM radio station WZBC and operated at a mere 9 watts for their first year, moving up to 1000 watts (where the station remains today) the following year. In addition to the FM signal, WZBC also continues to operate the former WVBC as an online-only station (which also airs on a Boston College cable channel) that serves as a training ground for new DJs.

WZBC DJs from Days Gone By

I visited WZBC on the afternoon of Monday, August 30th, 2010 as summer break was drawing to a close at Boston College. Program Director Gavin Frome and Operations Director Megan Pietruszka were my guides and made me feel incredibly welcome at their college radio station

WZBC has inhabited its current location on the Boston College campus for 30 years and the station has the cozy feel of a place that's been well-loved for decades. It's housed in a building with a dining hall, bookstore, and extracurricular offices; so the station is near a hub of activity on campus. Within the station, walls are covered with stickers and posters and every nook and cranny seems to be filled with music. The spacious lobby is covered with pop culture gems (and, of course, a couch) and there's even a skeleton that looks down on new visitors as they enter the station. If you keep an eye out, you might also see a collection of tiny Care Bears perched on ledges in various parts of the station.

The 1980s marked a major shift for WZBC, as the station moved towards a format of "modern rock" and experimental music. Today the station airs rock music on weekdays from 7am to 5pm and is focused on music with "no commercial potential" on weeknights from 7pm until 1am or later. Specialty programming inhabits weekend slots and early evening slots (5-7pm) on weekdays and includes a range of shows including "Sunday Morning Country," "Oscillator Drift" (early electronic, '60s moog, tape experiments, etc.), "Raggamuffin International" (reggae, ska, dance hall), "Industrial Factory" (industrial electronic music), and "Mass Ave and Beyond" (local music).

Cassettes at WZBC

In addition to music, WZBC airs news, public affairs, and sports programming (including broadcasts of live games). Shows include the WZBC-produced "Truth and Justice Radio" and the syndicated "Democracy Now."

I was happy to hear that WZBC only utilizes live DJs and doesn't currently play any automated programming. Unfortunately that also means that when there is no live DJ (typically starting between 1am to 3am and ending between 6am and 7am), they shut down the station's transmitter. Gavin told me that there are "ambitious DJs" who will take on graveyard shifts and that quite often the station is on the air all night on weekends.

The station is run entirely by students, but has a mix of community and student DJs, with a 50/50 split between the two during the school year. I was told that most of the "non-commercial potential" shows are hosted by non-students, which is a nice indication of the experimental-leaning tendencies of their community DJs. According to Gavin, it's many of the community DJs who "push us musically."

And, in fact, I was told that the non-commercial potential format is actually a bit challenging for some students with its range of sounds (Gavin described some of the sounds as "drone, ambient, pigeon calls, etc."), so WZBC works with them to help pass along the station tradition of more experimental music. To that end, all students joining the station begin with an internship in order to get oriented to station rules and the music philosophy.

Community DJs are expected to come in with prior music knowledge and are able to submit proposals for air shifts in the Fall and Spring semesters. One long-time community DJ at WZBC is Victor Robert Venckus, host of "Expanding Awareness" for 35 years. I remember catching his Saturday morning show on a drive in Boston a few years ago and being mesmerized by the mix of music, spiritualism, and spoken word.

DJs at WZBC have a lot of freedom on their shows and don't have any requirements in terms of percentage of new music that they have to play. There is a "new music" bin in the studio containing material added in the past 3 months, but it's just there to encourage DJs to play some recent material. Additionally, genre rules aren't hard and fast, so DJs often play music outside of the stated genre of their program. For example, "rock" DJs are free to play music from the "non-commercial potential" library.

Some of the "No Commercial Potential" (NCP) Vinyl at WZBC

WZBC continues to add vinyl to their large music library. DJs are able to play vinyl, tapes, and CDs over the air. Apparently it wasn't until recently that WZBC got rid of their 8-track player. Despite the vast library, I was told that most younger DJs at WZBC prefer to play music off of CDs, iPods or a computer and are less likely to explore the vinyl stacks.

Although WZBC is focused on physical music and don't really add anything digitally (they will occasionally burn a digital release to a CD to add it to the station), Gavin and Megan admitted that space is a big issue at WZBC. They are running out of space for music and are researching ways to start digitizing their library. Music does get removed from the library when artists get too big, but I was told that those decisions about what should be removed are often controversial amongst DJs

WZBC Program Director Gavin Frome

College Radio Goings-On at the 2010 CMJ Music Marathon

2010-10-18T15:39:00.000-07:00

The annual CMJ Music Marathon is in New York City this week, with all of the affiliated panels, shows, films, and for the first time a separate gaming seminar. I won't be in attendance this year (but if you want to see highlights of the 2009 and 2008 festivals, take a look at my extensive recaps), but am excited to see that college radio is still a vital part of the 2010 CMJ Music Marathon.

On Radio Survivor I outlined some of the college radio stations who have been nominated for College Radio Awards. If you're attending CMJ, make sure to cast your vote for your favorite stations. Winners will be announced at CMJ's College Day, taking place this Thursday, October 21st. Other college radio events include a College Radio Mixer on Tuesday, October 19 from 4-6pm and mentor sessions for college radio DJs on Friday, October 22.

I'm also pleased to see that a few college radio stations, KXSC (University of Southern California), KVRX (University of Texas, Austin), and CHUO (University of Ottawa), have teamed up to co-present an unofficial (and free) CMJ showcase "Manifest Airwaves" on Friday, October 22 from noon to 7pm at Bruar Falls in Brooklyn.

I spoke with a few of the organizers about Manifest Airwaves in order to learn more about this awesome college radio collaboration. According to CHUO's Music Director Joni Sadler, she was initially contacted by KXSC's Maura Klosterman over the summer. She said, "It initially started out as the idea to just throw a show/party for bands from our areas, and it grew from there when other stations got involved as well."

Each station is helping to book bands, promote the event, and they are all sharing in the costs. KVRX is also planning to film the event. According to KVRX Promotions Director Brittany Campbell, "We plan on filming most of the performances for our YouTube page which has other KVRX performances, interviews, and DJ trivia." Brittany mentioned that KVRX will also be setting up a photo shoot at the event for attendees.

According to Joni and Brittany, all of the stations have benefited from this collaboration. Joni said, "We have a diverse little group of stations working together for this, so that's made for some good brainstorming and diversity with the artists involved." Brittany added, "I think it's a great opportunity for future shows, events and long-lasting relationships for student radio stations. We have to stick together."

Since the participating stations are in California, Texas and Ottawa, Canada, much of the organizing has happened over email. A few staff members have met in person previously, which, according to Joni, "I've met Maura [KXSC] and Nichole from KVRX in person. Our stations definitely have some similarities, and having met them face-to-face before made it easy to know that we'd work well together on this kind of project."

The participating stations aren't necessarily bringing big crews to CMJ, with Joni being the sole CHUO attendee. Joni explained that she pays her own way and that, "From what I know, CHUO has never officially 'sent' anyone to CMJ. It's always awesome to get to hang with friends from all over the US and Canada that you only get to see once a year, and it's a great opportunity to share ideas with people from other campus and community stations. I find the panel discussions valuable, but even casual discussions of how different stations function has been helpful for me in the past. Plus, the WFMU record fair is going on during CMJ - and that ALWAYS totally rules." Brittany said that 3 folks from KVRX would be in attendance and said, "We are looking forward to the big city, east coast music, meeting all walks of life, and being able to stay at a bar till 4am. I am personally not looking forward to the cold... it's 86 in Austin and 54 in NYC."

Sounds like a great time! Sorry to miss all of the festivities, but I am hoping to get the full report from those of you who attend.

College Radio (Good) News Round-Up: From New Transmitters to a College Radio Hall of Fame

2010-10-01T16:05:00.000-07:00

The Scenery at WZBC at Boston College

Photo: Jennifer Waits

With all of the gloom and doom surrounding college radio stations getting sold off or being told they can't broadcast terrestrially, I was happy to see that there's actually been some good news in the college radio world this week. Here are a bunch of stories about stations launching, reinventing themselves, or simply welcoming in the new school year.

Georgetown University station WGBT's Storied Past and Impending Renaissance
On Radio Survivor I wrote about some highlights from a great piece about WGBT. Be sure to delve into the fascinating history of the station, which includes battles with the Georgetown administration over their radical on-air content in the 1970s.

Wellesley's WZLY Profiled in The Wellesley News
Apparently Wellesley College was the home of the first all-female college radio station when it launched in 1942 as WBS. According to a piece in the Wellesley News, "Broadcasting seven days a week at 91.5 FM, WZLY has been supplying students with music and entertainment since 1942. WZLY focuses on allowing members to broadcast their own two-hour radio show every week, making it a unique experience from other organizations on campus. The system allows for DJs to experience an environment as close as one could find to a professional radio system."

Bristol Community College Launches Online-Only Radio Station
Although they also have dreams of someday having a terrestrial radio station, for the moment Bristol Community College in Massachusetts is happy to be streaming online as BristolCC Radio.

Syracuse University Station WERW Holds Launch Week Events and Party
Celebrating a new school year of broadcasts, Syracuse University station WERW held special events this week leading up to a launch party tonight. The station broadcasts at 1570 AM in Central New York and online.

Northern Michigan University station Radio X to Boost its Broadcast Power with New Transmitter
Radio X (aka WUPX) at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan just got FCC approval for a new transmitter so that the station can up its power from 360 to 1700 watts. Cool news for a relatively new FM station (they started out as an AM station in 1970, then went cable-only, and got their FM license in 1993).

Hofstra University Station WRHU Hosts its 2nd Hall of Fame
WRHU at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York prides itself on its radio broadcasting program, with many alumni going on to careers in radio. They recently inducted 5 more members into the station's Hall of Fame. Still an extremely popular activity on campus, WRHU's current staff is 184 people, with 47 students in DJ training (culled from 327 applications). According to an article in the Hofstra Chronicle:

"WRHU general manager Bruce Avery encouraged others [applicants] by informing them that radio is far from diminishing, and that the industry and the interest in radio continue to grow. 'I had a goal ever since I came here, to reunite the past with the present and the future,' said Avery. "At a time where they say radio is dying, radio is evolving- it's thriving and it's passionate.'"

Vanderbilt Student Radio Station WRVU May Lose Its FM Signal

2010-09-17T17:04:00.000-07:00

Oh man. The bad news about college radio just keeps coming. Today I got word that Vanderbilt University radio station WRVU may be in danger of losing its 10,000 watt FM terrestrial signal. This is even more disappointing to me personally since WRVU was the most recent stop on my Spinning Indie 50 State Tour of college radio stations

In a statement on its website, Vanderbilt Student Communications (VSC) announced:

"In response to changing student habits and evolving economic challenges, Vanderbilt Student Communications Inc. is exploring the migration of radio station WRVU to exclusively online programming and the sale of its broadcast license. If the license were to be sold, the proceeds would be used to create an endowment to support innovative student media experiences, facilities and operations at Vanderbilt in perpetuity...'Our surveys indicate that each year fewer Vanderbilt students are listening to over-the-air radio,' [Vanderbilt Student Communications Board Chair Mark] Wollaeger said."

The owner of WRVU is the non-profit Vanderbilt Student Communications, which oversees all student media at Vanderbilt, including several publications, the yearbook, TV and radio stations, and the student newspaper. They haven't made any decisions yet and are actively seeking out comments about the proposed sale. You can use their electronic comment form online or send snail mail letters to the Board.

I'm saddened to see the same language being used by the VSC board as we've seen in the rhetoric being used by those in favor of selling off the Rice University radio station KTRU. In both instances they claim that online listenership is the wave of the future and that terrestrial radio is increasingly irrelevant. This argument is short-sighted in that it ignores the many community members and students who listen to the station over FM. In the quote above from the VSC Board Chair, there's a fixation on WRVU's student listeners, who are said to be less and less likely to listen terrestrially. I would imagine that the WRVU audience is much broader than the community of Vanderbilt students and that many of those listeners would be dismayed to have their station go online-only.

However, in VSC's list of Frequency Asked Questions, it's clear that student involvement at the station is also a big concern. Here's an excerpt from their FAQs:

Why is VSC exploring this sale?

Data indicates that fewer Vanderbilt students are listening to broadcast radio, and on average there has been declining interest among students in recent years to volunteer as DJs. Student staffs with other VSC traditional media outlets have been among the most innovative and progressive nationally in transitioning to new media models. VSC's responsibility to students obliges it to explore how WRVU could be transformed to secure opportunities well into the future.

From my interview with WRVU's Station Manager a few months back, it was clear that there has been concern about student involvement at the station and that was part of the reason why they enacted new rules that limited the number of non-student DJs at WRVU.

If they do sell off their 10,000 watt FM signal (wow...I bet they are salivating over how much they can get for that from eager buyers in the public and religious radio realm), proceeds will be used for all student media groups at Vanderbilt.

I'd encourage you to write in to the Board to explain why you think terrestrial radio is still important and relevant for college radio. This case is a bit different in that the VSC Board of Directors contains some Vanderbilt students and the students actually maintain the majority voting interest on the board. VSC points on on their website that, "This exploration process was authorized by students."

Since this news just came out, there isn't much in the way of an organized campaign in place by WRVU staff or listeners beyond a post on their website and a Save WRVU Facebook page. Hopefully they will learn from the experiences of other beleagered college radio stations who have put up the good fight to keep broadcasting the way they want.

Here are some recent examples:

Save KTRU (Still fighting the proposed sale of the Rice University station's FM signal to a public radio station-owning university)

The Resistance against the sale of 89.1 WNAZ (Facebook group protesting the proposed sale of the Trevecca Nazarene University student radio station)

Rice University Angers KTRU with Plans to Sell off FM License

2010-08-18T13:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was another sad day for college radio, with the news that Rice University plans to sell of the FM license and tower for their 50,000 watt radio station KTRU. The 40+ year old station will continue on, but will be downsized to an Internet-only station after being over the FM airwaves since the early 1970s. The suitor, University of Houston, has offered to pay 9.5 million dollars and is enthusiastic about the new opportunities that they will have to spread public radio programming over the 2 FM signals that they will now own. Currently operating KUHF, by adding KTRU's spot on the dial they will be able to segment their news, talk, NPR, and classical programming across the two stations.

Radio industry business-types seem to be in favor of this purchase; but for those who cherish locally-produced radio, this is a huge blow for the Houston airwaves. By losing its student radio station (even though it will continue on as an Internet-only station), Rice is giving up a valuable asset for both students and the community of Houston.

Supporters of KTRU are fighting back, having quickly set up the Save KTRU website, Facebook page, Twitter account, and online petition in order to gather support and inform the administration about the importance of FM for KTRU.

To understand a bit more of how this decision came about and to learn what other college radio advocates can do to help save KTRU, I spoke with KTRU's Student Manager Kelsey Yule (Rice '12) by email. In our conversation, she confirmed my belief that the announcement of the sale happened during summer vacation at Rice, which has made it even more difficult for students to organize and voice their discontent. This means that it is vital for all supporters of college radio to speak out and reflect on why it's an institution worth saving.

Spinning Indie: Could you tell me how you found out about the university's plans to sell the FM signal?

KTRU Student Manager Kelsey Yule: I found out a during an informal meeting about ten minutes before the Houston Chronicle's article outlining the deal was published online. Apparently, the station was put on the market over a year ago by the administration without student or community input or even notification.

Spinning Indie: Does it seem like there's any chance they will change their mind?

Kelsey: This is a good deal for KUHF, assuming that they really need two FM signals (the last classical radio station in Houston, KRTS, failed). In my opinion, Rice has not been supportive of KTRU over the last couple of decades. The only real hope here is to make KUHF think the deal is bad PR or to make Rice fear a pain in their wallets. Please angry donors, let these two institutions know how you feel.

Spinning Indie: Were you at KTRU in 2000 when the station was shut down? Just curious for some background on that and how that compares with the situation right now.

Kelsey: No, I wasn't. I'm hearing a lot from people who were though. Both instances were about the administration asserting power over students. The big difference is that it feels as though the 2000 incident was about gaining some ground and making a point, and now it’s about 9.5 million dollars and shoving things under the rug.

Spinning Indie: Is Rice is session for the year yet?

Kelsey: No. Fittingly, the deal is being made public at the exact time when students are least able to react. Most students aren't in Houston yet. Others are ensconced in the responsibilities of Orientation Week. It makes student djs of KTRU look uninterested because we’ve had one day to react to all of this and get our thoughts together, while many of us are hundreds of miles away from the action and scrambling to get into town. Administrators on the other hand are sitting calmly in their offices reading over their cold and calculated statements.

Spinning Indie: When is the sale anticipated to go through and how will this affect the day-to-day operations of the station?

Kelsey: No one has been keen to talk to me about the details of the sale timeline. I suspect it's just some paperwork to be done. Then, there will be a thirty day period for comments. For now, we're trying to do business as usual, but better. Once, all of our FCC rights and such change hands, we'll definitely be online and there are other options to explore.

Spinning Indie: Do you have any idea what percentage of listeners tune in over FM vs. the Internet?

Kelsey: These are really difficult questions. I honestly know very little about our Internet listenership, except that it is difficult to gauge. As far as over the FM, we haven't had a detailed Arbitron report in a number of years. The most recent information that we have with confidence is that we had more than the minimum reporting standard of 24,000 listeners per week on average in 2009. How much more is unknown.

Spinning Indie: What percentage of DJs are students, community members, etc.?

Kelsey: As of spring 2010, we have 112 active djs, 52 of those were community members. The other 60 djs are students, alumni, faculty and staff.

Spinning Indie: I've read talk about the amount of automated programming that runs on KTRU. Can you set the record straight about how much of the weekly scheduled is automated programming vs. live DJs?

Kelsey: During the summer, automated programming makes up about half of what goes on air (47% for 8/9-8/15). When the students come back for the year, automated programming comprises easily less than 20% of the time. This is another great reason for the administration to make its claims during the summer.

Spinning Indie: What can people do to help keep the station on FM?

Kelsey: You can find out what to do by visiting ktru.org and our shiny one day old website, savektru.org.

Spinning Indie: Anything else you want to add?

Kelsey: To all those listeners out there who are devastated to hear that their morning commute or their work day won't have the same KTRU spirit, please support us in our efforts to convince these administrations that trading a cultural institution for a few million dollars isn’t something that Houston will take lightly.

Good luck to Kelsey and everyone at KTRU. And, I second her suggestion that fans of college and independent radio let their voices be heard before it's too late.

Room-Share Opportunity During CMJ Music Marathon

2010-08-18T11:53:00.000-07:00

CMJ College Radio Awards Ceremony 2009

The first time that I attended the CMJ Music Marathon I traveled by train from Philadelphia to New York City with several of my friends and college radio cohorts. We all crammed into a hotel room at the Roosevelt Hotel where the conference was being held, with several unlucky folks having to sleep on the floor or on cots in order to save money. The next year I went solo, as nobody from my station was interested in going. With no money to spend on an expensive hotel room for myself, I ended up asking a high school friend's sister if I could crash on the floor in her shared apartment in Soho.

I'm sure that many people are in the same situation and have dreams of attending CMJ, but are scared off by the high prices of hotel rooms in New York City (where $300 a night is a "special" deal).

So, as a public service to some college radio folks who are itching to go the CMJ Music Marathon, here's a room-share opportunity for those of you who are interested in minimizing your travel costs. Even if this deal doesn't work out for you, feel free to post your own offers to share accomodations in the comments section of this post:

CMJ Room Share Opportunity:

Osprey Radio, the University of North Florida student run radio station is trying to attend the CMJ Music Marathon in NYC this October. We need your help! If anyone is interested in potentially sharing a hotel room to help us cut down on costs, please contact us at ospreyradio@unf.edu if you are interested. Feel free to check us out at ospreyradio.com

Radio Station Field Trip 24 - Radio Valencia in San Francisco

2010-08-12T15:37:00.000-07:00

Entrance to Chez Poulet, home of Radio Valencia in San Francisco

Yesterday, brand new community radio station Radio Valencia began broadcasting online from their studio in San Francisco. I've been following their behind-the-scenes story for a few months now and checked out their digs back in June before things were up and running. On Tuesday I made a return trip to Radio Valencia to see the progress that they'd made and was excited to be on the premises when they had their first successful test of their webstream. Several of us ran back and forth between the studio and an adjacent kitchen (where a laptop tuned to the station's webstream URL was located) so that we could see if the music and voices from the studio were being transmitted to the web. We were all jubilant when voice and music finally came through and in that moment the inherent magic of radio could not be disputed.

TradeMark Gunderson and John Hell

First live webcast of Radio Valencia on August 10, 2010

After Tuesday's successful testing of the webstream, live DJs began swarming into the studio yesterday afternoon. The inaugural live broadcast started at 5pm with DJ Dirty Needles. Ronnie James Coltrane followed at 8pm (with a mix of jazz and metal) and the night of live DJs ended with DJ Fiasco and Karen Carpenter from 10pm to midnight. Tonight there will be live shows starting at 8pm and tomorrow live programming begins at noon and continues mostly uninterrupted until midnight.

The first component of an community arts project dreamed up by San Francisco artist/performer/activist and former mayoral candidate Chicken John, Radio Valencia is located in Chicken John's Mission District warehouse (dubbed Chez Poulet). It's ultimately expected to be a broader-scale community resource and there are hopes that it will become a full-fledged non-profit arts entity.

Radio Valencia Studio

Chicken John approached some of his friends from the underground arts scene in San Francisco to see if they'd be interested in creating a new community radio station in his warehouse space. The crew that ultimately got Radio Valencia up and running all cut their teeth in creative DIY movements like Burning Man and have also graced the airwaves at college radio stations, pirate operations, and at various LPFM stations operated during the annual Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert.

One of the lead co-conspirators (and my tour guide) is John Hell, who was initially approached by Chicken John with the idea of building a station. John Hell, who was also instrumental in getting FCCFREE Radio off the ground last year, jumped at the idea and Radio Valencia was on its way. I debriefed a bit with John Hell today as he was basking in the glow of the station's successful launch less than 24 hours ago. John Hell said,

"I'm pretty frickin' excited. It was getting to the point a few days ago, after taking over three months putting this together, that I felt like a chef that enjoys making the meals, but isn't so hungry when the meal is ready; excited his meal would be enjoyed by the dinner guests. But when I was there in the studio, yesterday, I felt really excited. Beyond words. It's got to be how Dr. Frankenstein felt. Really. I just hope this monster only crushes corporate competition."

In the coming weeks Radio Valencia will be adding more shows (24 weekly shows are scheduled so far), making tweaks to their set-up (a turntable is already out for repairs), and is planning an official launch party in the style of a baby shower (after Burning Man, of course).

Nakamichi Cassette Deck (with pitch control!) at Radio Valencia

I was impressed (as were a few DJs who stopped by) that the small studio is already outfitted with turntables, CD players, a cassette deck, studio monitors, a computer, and a modest library of donated CDs, LPs and cassettes. Of course DJs will also be able to hook up laptops and other devices to the board, but it was awesome to see that Radio Valencia is encouraging DJs to use physical music as well. John Hell said that he's hoping that the library will grow with donations from DJs, record labels and bands. He acknowledged, "Most shows will have to bring their own music," but is hoping that many DJs will utilize non-digital music. According to John, "There was no way I was going to have a radio station without turntables and cassettes. I love vinyl! Everyone is totally in agreement with that, I'm hoping. I'm guessing. I'm assuming. What's a radio station without record players? What? I can't believe anyone would even consider such a sin."

DJs at Radio Valencia will have the option of doing their shows live from the station or from a remote location. The hope is that they will also be able to air shows and live events from the adjacent warehouse space as well.

Cassette and Vinyl Library at Radio Valencia

When there is no live DJ, automated programming kicks in. TradeMark Gunderson of the band Evolution Control Committee hand-selected all of the music and customized the automation system. As he worked in the studio on Tuesday, dusting playa dust from Burning Man's past off of cables, he told me that he has 24,000 pieces of music, 4 promos, and 1 station ID loaded into automation. He organized the music by genre, including (but not limited to) electronica, dub, weird/outsider, and soundtracks. The system is set up to play 2 pieces in a row of the same genre, making for a more natural-sounding music mix for listeners.

View of the Street from Radio Valencia Studio

As a big "consumer" and "manipulator" of music, TradeMark said that the material he included in the station's automation gives a sense of the type of material that he collects for his craft. It's truly a fascinating mixture of music. While tuning in to Radio Valencia I heard Japanese psychedelic band Acid Mothers Temple, rock from Billy Childish, edgy electronic sounds, international music, a strange promo for the movie Dr. Jeckle & Sister Hyde, and a really weird song hyping the merits of Ernst and Young. TradeMark G will be doing his own show on Radio Valencia on Tuesday nights from 8 to 10pm and will be broadcasting it remotely from his home studio so that he can have access to his massive library of physical music as well.

Congratulations to Radio Valencia on the launch of their station. Now if I only had time to spare, I might be tempted to join in the fun. If you have the urge to help out at the station, drop a note to mrjohnhell@yahoo.com to find out about how to become a DJ.

Princeton Review's 2011 List of "Most Popular" College Radio Stations

2010-08-05T12:09:00.000-07:00

I'm always getting asked for lists of the best college radio stations, my favorite college radio stations, and radio stations that excel in specific areas like musical diversity, risk-taking or public affairs. Unfortunately most of the college radio rankings that are out there are based on questionable methodologies. For the past few years I've been documenting one such college radio survey from the Princeton Review. Released this week, their listing of "Most Popular College Radio Stations" (registration required) is based on responses on surveys of college students who are asked "How Popular Is the Radio Station" on campus.

So...when you see stations celebrating the fact that they have the "best" radio station according to Princeton Review, just remember that this listing has more to do with the awareness of the existence of radio stations on the campuses that are included in Princeton Review. In fact, it doesn't even ask about specific radio stations, so schools with multiple radio stations will have to battle it out to decide which station is "most popular." Additionally, this 2011 survey only covers 373 colleges, surveying approximately 122,000 students, so stations located at schools not surveyed by Princeton Review will never be in the rankings.

Over the past few years, the list of "Most Popular College Radio Stations" has remained fairly consistent, with many of the same stations simply moving up or down the list. This year two schools dropped off the list (Bates College and Skidmore College), making room for two new stations at Siena College and Sacred Heart University. Neither of the these schools has been on the list for at least the past 3 years. To see how this year's list compares, here are the listings from 2010, 2009, and 2008.

Princeton Review's
Most Popular College Radio Stations-2011 Edition
(note: I've added station names as the Princeton Review only lists school names)

1. DePauw University (WGRE 91.5 FM, Greencastle, Indiana)
2. Ithaca College (WICB 91.7 FM and VIC Radio, Ithaca, New York)
3. Emerson College (WERS 88.9FM and WECB, Boston, Massachusetts)
4. St. Bonaventure University (WSBU-88.3 FM, St. Bonaventure, New York)
5. Brown University (BSR 88.1 FM and WBRU 95.5 FM, Providence, RI)
6. Stanford University (KZSU 90.1 FM, Stanford, CA)
7. Knox College (WVKC 90.7 FM, Galesburg, Illinois)
8. Howard University (WHUR 96.3 FM & WHBC 830 AM, Washington D.C.)
9. University of Puget Sound (KUPS 90.1 FM Tacoma, Washington)
10. Carleton College (KRLX 88.1 FM, Northfield, Minnesota)
11. Guilford College (WQFS 90.9 FM, Greensboro, North Carolina)
12. Alfred University (WALF 89.7 FM, Alfred, New York)
13. Siena College (WVCR 88.3 FM, Loudonville, NY) (New to list this year)
14. Swarthmore College (WSRN 91.5 FM, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania)
15. Reed College (KRRC 97.9 FM, Portland, Oregon)
16. Seton Hall University (WSOU 89.5 FM, South Orange, New Jersey)
17. Whitman College (KWCW 90.5 FM, Walla Walla, Washington)
18. Sacred Heart University (WHRT and public radio station WSHU-FM, Fairfield, Connecticut) (New to list this year)
19. Westminster College (WWNW 88.9 FM, New Wilmington, PA)
20. Manhattanville College (WMVL 88.1 FM, Purchase, New York)

New Campus and Community Radio Policy in Canada

2010-07-30T12:37:00.000-07:00

Last week the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission issued a revised policy for campus and community radio stations. One big change is that they have decided to no longer have separate regulatory policies for campus and community radio. Additionally, in the past distinctions were made between various types of community radio stations and between campus stations. These sub-categories (type A and type B for community radio and campus instructional and campus-community for college radio) are also being eliminated:

"The Commission will not licence campus instructional stations in the future and will instead licence all such stations as campus stations in accordance with this policy. All campus radio stations provide training to volunteers. The Commission notes the specific role that stations currently licensed as campus instructional play in training broadcasters who will work for commercial radio stations. The Commission encourages these stations to pursue this goal within the new campus station framework, or through alternative means of broadcasting (e.g. the Internet, closed circuit or carrier current). At their next licence renewal, existing campus instructional stations will have the opportunity to request conditions of licence specific to their circumstances within the campus radio licensing structure."

Other tidbits from this policy include the fact that the Commission doesn't license elementary and high school-based AM and FM radio stations. The policy did state, however, that community radio stations could be housed on their campuses. In their determination they stated:

"The Commission is not convinced that a station associated with a high school or elementary school could provide consistent high quality programming as required under the Act, especially in the summer months when school is not in session. The Commission further notes that the number of frequencies available for radio stations is limited in many markets. The Commission therefore considers that broadcasting by high school or elementary school students would be more appropriate using the Internet."

An interesting part of Canadian broadcast policy is that it requires a certain percentage of "spoken word" programming every week. In the past, campus radio stations were asked to devote 25% of their weekly broadcast hours to spoken word programming. The new policy acknowledges the challenges that stations faced meeting that requirement and has reduced it to 15% of weekly broadcast hours for both campus and community radio stations. Additionally, this spoken word programming must be locally produced.

One of the most confusing aspects of the Canadian policy to me is that they place minimum requirements on the percentages of various categories of music that are played on campus and community radio stations. In order to promote diverse sounds and showcase Canadian artists, stations are required to adhere to a number of genre-based minimums. Categories explained in the policy include popular music ("category 2"), specialty music ("category 3"), pop/rock/dance ("sub-category 21") and experimental music ("sub-category 36").

I'd be curious to hear how radio stations in Canada keep track of all of the genres and sub-genres and ensure that they are meeting the minimum requirements. This is a very different system from the United States, in which radio stations are given much more control over the music that is played over their airwaves. As we've seen in the U.S., commercial stations in particular have been increasingly shortening their playlists and radio has become less and less diverse. To some extent college stations have also followed this model, using it as an assumed pathway to more listeners and a more standardized sound.

If you work in Canadian campus radio, I'd love to hear more from you about the CRTC's policies and if you think they make for better, more diverse stations.

Radio Station Field Trip 10.5 - KSCU's New Digs at Santa Clara University

2010-07-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

KSCU's New Location in Benson Hall

All photos by J. Waits

Earlier this summer when I heard that KSCU at Santa Clara University was unloading thousands of records because of a station move, I was concerned about what that meant for the decades-old station. I knew that the former station location wasn't ideal, but any time there's talk of selling off records, I get worried. So, in the interest of getting the real scoop, I stopped by one of their record sales and made a plan to visit the new station.

Back when I visited KSCU for the first time in February, 2009, they were housed in a dorm basement, in an off-the-beaten path location which they had called home for around 25 years. During that visit there was some discussion about how the station's location may have been one of the reasons why they had difficulty attracting student DJs, so I wasn't necessarily surprised to hear that the station was moving.

KSCU DJ Innalect Cueing up Vinyl on His Own Gear

On June 17th, I headed over to see KSCU's new studios and to chat with outgoing General Manager (and incoming Program Director) Sam Duarte and outgoing Music Director (and incoming General Manager) Lauren Duffy. In our conversation they shared details about the move and explained why it was necessarily to purge so much music.

Although the idea of the move had been floating around for at least 5 years, Sam told me that the decision to move came only 2 months before KSCU departed its old location in the basement of Swig Hall. The move took place in early March and the station was off the air for a little over a month during the transition. The station's former home is in the center of a construction zone, with its basement digs being gutted in order to make way for a rumored rec room.

When they realized that the new radio station location would be smaller, it became clear to KSCU management that they needed to clear out a lot of the music, as there wouldn't be room for it. Sam told me that ultimately they probably got rid of about half of the music library (they took 5,000 CDs and 6,000 pieces of vinyl to a local store and offered them to customers for 25 cents a piece).

Sam said that initially it was "really hard to see that as beneficial," but that after carefully looking through the record library they found out that "there was a lot of stuff that we really needed to get rid of." The Music Director and specialty music directors all went through the library to determine what should be purged from various genres. Some of the criteria that they employed included retaining local music and asking themselves, "would this actually get played today?" Collectively, the staff going through the music had diverse music backgrounds, deep music knowledge, and several had been Music Directors in the past.

KSCU General Manager Lauren Duffy in front of a Portion of the KSCU Record Library

Lauren told me that at first the staff seemed "frustrated and disheartened" by the process, but that ultimately everyone seemed to understand the reasoning behind it. Sam said that she was "really surprised" that people weren't angrier and added that "a lot of them saw the benefits of it." Part of this was likely due to the fact that the KSCU managers were open about the process and held meetings in which DJs had the opportunity to look through CDs and vinyl in order to decide if they wanted to take anything. Lauren said that it was really important that the purge was a "group effort" and said that they made sure it was "open to all of the DJs."

As they went through the library they ultimately found a lot of items that perhaps should have been taken out of the library years ago (or should never have been added). Sam said that typically the library was supposed to have been gone through every 5 years, but that at KSCU it had been 20 years since anyone had filtered through the collection. In addition to music that didn't stand the test of time, they also got rid of CDs that skipped and singles (in cases where the station already owned the album).

KSCU Music Sale in May 2010

I attended one of the KSCU "garage sales" back in May and although it was chilling to see piles and piles of music with radio station reviews affixed to the packaging up for sale, once I dug into some of the stacks I relaxed a bit. Many of the CDs were from mainstream acts and quite a few of the releases actually had negative reviews written on them. I did pick up a few potential gems for myself (Tarnation, Ramsted, Julee Cruise and Flossie & the Unicorns) and suggested to a station manager that a few other CDs that I spotted be retained for the station.

Sam pointed out that only about 50% of the DJs actually use the KSCU record library, with many bringing in their own music and laptops full of digital files. However, she emphasized that the DJs who do use the library often dig deep, playing both vinyl and sub-genres.

Beyond the music library, DJs are also increasingly turning to You Tube, often playing videos over the air because, as Lauren pointed out, "It's easier to find video on You Tube" than to find a track on an album or CD. Lauren quickly added that she still prefers playing CDs, especially since material at the station always includes a profanity guide. Sam concurred and pointed out that the sound quality of You Tube videos is inferior and said, "computers will always fail." She said that she thinks that DJs should know how to play CDs and that they also need to be trained to check for swears on any material that they play over the radio.

Local '80s Vinyl in KSCU's Studio Library

(Note the scrawled reference to rival college radio station KFJC!)

KSCU does add digital music and Sam said that it's particularly important when people at the station are itching to play brand new material that hasn't arrived at the station on CD yet. Sam said, "You wanna get bands out there."

Part of the goal of KSCU is to expose listeners to new music and DJs are supposed to play 5 new adds (called "clocks" at KSCU) each hour. Sam said that if DJs are just bringing in their own music to play, then they are "bound to have the same show from week to week" and said that that isn't "helping your listeners."

Sam and Lauren told me that they are really excited about the station's new location for a number of reasons. First of all, they are in the basement of The Benson Center on campus (in the former Housing Office for Santa Clara University), adjacent to the offices of other student organizations and the campus bookstore. Upstairs from the station is the main eating area for campus dorm-dwellers, so there's a lot of foot traffic in and out of the building.

The KSCU Studio (formerly a Law Library study area) has a large window facing a hallway, so people walking by can actually see DJs doing their shows. Sam said that this makes the station seem "way more friendly" for both DJs and prospective DJs. Lauren said that when she was a new DJ it was an "adventure" trying to get into the old station and that often she had to sneak in because access was so regulated. Being in the Student Center, KSCU is a lot more visible to students and this new location may be part of the reason why they received more applications from potential managers for Fall 2010.

Mailboxes Retained from Old Station Add a Bit of Funk to the New KSCU

The large office for all of the station managers is also a plus to them because it makes for a more collaborative environment. Lauren said, "it provides a sense of community" and is a "bigger space for music meetings." When I asked them what they missed about the old location, Sam said, "The Studio door" and "the posters" and Lauren mentioned all of the "stickers...the history." They actually hung onto the old sticker-covered Studio door and are hoping to use it at the new station, perhaps crafting it into a table.

Old KSCU Studio Door, February 2009

KSCU's Music Library is now housed in a hallway outside of the station offices (jazz and blues) and in the Studio itself. The collection contains CDs, vinyl LPs, and 7" vinyl and includes separate libraries for blues, jazz, soundtracks, compilations, and reggae. The main CD library includes rock, electronic, hip hop, blues, and heavy metal.

KSCU's New Couch

One downside of the new station location is that they have to abide by the operating hours of the Benson Center. During the summer, they can be in the studio from 7am to 7pm on weekdays and from 9am to 6pm on weekends. This means that KSCU can't have live DJs at night and can't physically be in the building for meetings during those hours. In the fall those hours get extended, so they will be able to be in the building until 1 or 2am. So, for late night programming they will be either be using automation (which they did during overnight shifts in the past), KSCU-crafted compilation CDs containing legal IDs, or pre-recorded shows.

Vinyl at KSCU

Radio Station Field Trip 23 - San Francisco's Pirate Cat Radio

2010-07-15T15:03:00.000-07:00

Pirate Cat Radio in San Francisco

All photos: J. Waits

On a beautiful, sunny Saturday morning I headed out to San Francisco's Mission District to finally visit Pirate Cat Radio. The online-only community radio station began as a pirate station way back when station founder Daniel Roberts was a 14-year-old living in suburban Los Gatos. Eventually he took his operation to San Francisco, where until recently he has been broadcasting over the FM airwaves at 87.9 FM. Last year, however, after yet another notice from the FCC (this time, a fine for $10,000), Pirate Cat opted to focus on being an Internet-only station. According to Daniel, he hasn't actually broken the law in at least 7 years, as he has not been responsible for transmitting the station over FM (although his fans might be).

The Pirate Cat Radio website explains this history further, stating:

"Pirate Cat Radio from time to time has been downloaded from the web and transmitted over the air as an extra-legal (unlicensed) service in Los Angeles, in Vancouver B.C., in Berlin, and in San Francisco using 87.9 fm and possibly other frequencies.

The Federal Communications Commission is charged with promoting 'the larger and more effective use of radio in the public interest.' Pirate Cat Radio believes that the FCC has failed in that mission by not creating a practical means for local and neighborhood program services like ours to gain access to the air.

We have sought licensing in the past and been ignored or turned down. The FCC appears to have no path of access to air, except for parties having millions of dollars to invest. This is wrong. We do not try to regulate the use and re-use of our program service, and are not able to do so. Pirate Cat Radio will continue to look for ways to obtain legal broadcast authorizations for our service."

One thing that sets Pirate Cat Radio apart (especially when it was truly a pirate station) from most radio stations is that it operates in public, inside of a cafe run by Pirate Cat Radio DJs. Customers can purchase vegan treats, donuts, and caffeinated drinks from the modest cafe.

When I arrived at Pirate Cat Radio on the morning of June 5, I couldn't resist sampling their signature beverage: The Maple Bacon Cafe Latte. This drink ended up with a cameo on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations TV show (he called the drink "delightful" and "evil and good"), so it's actually been helping to lure customers into the cafe. The guy who made me my $5 latte was a former college radio DJ-turned Pirate Cat Radio punk show intern. He told me that just that week he'd done his first on-air interview at the station and was looking forward to getting more involved.

After getting my caffeine fix, I met up with Pirate Cat's Music Director Katherine (aka DJ Canary Turd). It turns out that Katherine and I both had a shared DJ history at KSPC at Pomona College, which once again reminds me of just how small the college radio world is. She's been at Pirate Cat for nearly 3 years and actually joined the station after noticing the cafe.

Pirate Cat Radio Studio, with View of Pirate Cat Radio Cafe

As Music Director, her role is to provide music options for DJs; although she is the first to admit that most DJs aren't investigating the music that she adds. She told me that they used to require DJs to play a certain percentage of new music, but that it was a challenge to get people to actually do it. In the past, Pirate Cat also asked every DJ to donate an album a month to the station. Music could have been solicited from labels, purchased, or been handed down from an individual's own collection. These days Katherine handles all of the music being added.

Katherine is mostly adding digital music, although she maintains a shelf of "hard copy" CDs in the studio for both new and local music. They don't intend to build a physical music library at the station and instead opt to just digitize any CDs that they want to retain the music from for future use by DJs. She said that it was a "hard choice" to go completely digital, but said, "we just don't have the space for a library," adding, "we're not an archive."

New and Local CD Library at Pirate Cat Radio

Although Pirate Cat has turntables in their studio, Katherine said that aren't in the best location for DJs. Stashed behind the mixing board, they are "out of the way" and frequently get broken. Despite these problems, there are some DJs who play all vinyl and there were a handful of vinyl records on the studio shelves. Katherine said that it's rare for the station to get sent any vinyl from record labels or bands.

Katherine adds a wide range of material to the station's library and it's up to DJs to decide what to play on their shows, as there aren't any format rules at Pirate Cat. Some of the current shows on the air include an all-Spanish language music program, a Greek blues show, a comedy program, news, and shows that play a mix of music from ska to reggae to electronic to punk. The one requirement placed on DJs is that they are supposed to do interviews on their programs or have live guests. Katherine said that by airing interviews, it "really connects the station with the community."

Pretty Swank for a Radio Station Couch!

Often there are live events at the station/cafe, including the Mission Underground Film Festival, various station benefits, and live music. Katherine agreed that, "people mostly come to try the latte..." Some locals are regulars at the cafe, including firefighters from a nearby station. She said that the neighborhood has been changing a lot recently, with a new art gallery and restaurants cropping up nearby.

Although DJs at Pirate Cat have a lot of freedom over the air, they do still have to abide by a number of station rules. Everyone has to volunteer for a station department, known at Pirate Cat as "ministries." Ministries include departments like Music, Public Service Announcements, PR and Marketing, News, and Interviews (to name a few). DJs are required to donate around 2 hours worth of work to the station every week and interns have to work in the cafe. In addition to that, there are station dues (which can be swapped for hours spent working in the cafe) and mandatory monthly staff meetings.

Pirate Cat Radio Doesn't Have the Band-Sticker-Covered Cabinet that Most Stations Have,

But Look at Their Trash Can!

During my visit I was surprised to see Pirate Cat founder Daniel Roberts hanging out at the station. Just a month before he had launched KPDO in Pescadero and I knew that he was just getting that station off the ground. He told me that he's been splitting his time between the two stations and said that he'd actually been at Pirate Cat four days that week. There are days when he'll spend a part of the day at each station, no small feat given the fact that it's more than an hour's drive between Pescadero and San Francisco.

Daniel said that he was pleased with how things were going at KPDO and when we spoke he had nearly 30 DJs working towards getting shows. As with Pirate Cat, he plans to have monthly staff meetings. One difference, however, is that KPDO DJs are asked to contribute 8 volunteer hours a week to the station. He said that there is so much that has to get accomplished there, that he has to delegate the work. One of his goals was to get the schedule filled with local DJs by the end of summer. At the time we spoke he was rebroadcasting Pirate Cat Radio programs on KPDO when there wasn't a scheduled DJ.

Daniel Roberts and Pirate Cat Radio DJ La Pirata Margarita

As I wrapped up my visit, Katherine, Daniel and I looped back to a discussion about music and talked about the challenges of being a Music Director and trying to convince DJs to expand their musical horizons. Daniel said that at KPDO he's having the same struggles, made even more difficult since the station hasn't built up a library of music. While we spoke he began hauling the modest collection of the rarely-played vinyl out of Pirate Cat's studio, with the intention of bringing it down to KPDO.

In the weeks since my visit, Pirate Cat Radio has gotten a new coat of paint and a jazzed up menu (coconut curry mocha, anyone?) and KPDO has been fundraising (they want to boost the station's broadcast power and range) and connecting with the community through a summer film festival. I'm glad to see the passion for radio at Pirate Cat and to have witnessed the birth of KPDO. Thanks again to the DJs and staff of Pirate Cat Radio for taking the time to show me around their San Francisco digs.

View of 21st Street from Pirate Cat Radio Studio

Goodbye to FCC's Indecency Policy?

2010-07-13T15:54:00.000-07:00

What Words CAN you Say on the Radio and Did that Change Today?

There was huge news today about the future of the FCC's indecency policy. The United States Court of Appeals Struck down the policy in a decision that may have a huge impact on broadcasters. On Radio Survivor I went into greater detail about this news, but for now, radio stations would be wise to wait and see before opening up the floodgates of swear words and raunchy material.

The good news, as I see it, is that the appeals court found that the FCC's vague descriptions of indecency have proven to be a threat to First Amendment rights and have had the potential to harm both artists and broadcasters. I recommend reading the entire decision, as it gives a lot of background into how the indecency rules have evolved and provides specific examples of recent rulings that are now called into question.

Ypulse Mashup 2010 Recap: Day One- Radio's Role in HIV Prevention, MTV's Digital Bill of Rights, Metal, and Mobile

2010-06-15T12:48:00.000-07:00

Ypulse Mashup 2010

Although my main focus these days is on the worlds of radio and music, I've always had a strong affinity for teen culture. I did my college thesis on adolescent diaries, worked at an ad agency tracking youth trends on accounts like Levi's, spent most of grad school writing about youth-oriented TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Real World, and Parker Lewis Can't Lose, and even worked for a dot com that helped teenagers to shop online without a credit card.

When I ran across Ypulse back in 2004 I thought that I had found a youth culture soul mate in its author, Anastasia Goodstein. She'd spent many years writing about young people and devoted her blog to chronicling the goings on in youth media and technology.

For the past three years Ypulse has hosted Mashup events, in which youth enthusiasts come together to learn about the latest in youth technology and media. These events draw marketers from both non-profit and for-profit companies, educators, journalists, and youth experts.

This year's event took place on May 24th and May 25th in San Francisco at the Hotel Nikko. As I did last year, I will focus my Spinning Indie coverage on the music and radio-related tidbits that I gleaned.

Youth, Health & Social Media Marketing Session: Radio is Still Relevant, But Mobile is Huge

A really cool theme throughout the entire conference was the importance of social causes and giving back. The first session that I attended featured several panelists talking about how their organizations reach out to youth in order to address various health-related issues.

Tina Hoff from the Kaiser Family Foundation shared some factoids (PDF) from their 2010 study, "Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds." It's an awesome study that reveals how much the media landscape has changed in the past decade. In terms of music and audio, she pointed out that according to their study, 76% of youth own an iPod/mp3 player, 66% own cell phones, and 29% own laptops.

Young people spend more than 2 and a half hours each day listening to music/audio, with 23% of that listening time through radio and 23% through computers. Twenty-nine percent of the time young people are choosing to listen to music through an iPod, 12% of the time listening is through a cell phone, and 12% of listening is via CDs. She also mentioned that in a typical day, young people are spending 17 minutes listening to music via their cell phone. Although her presentation just scratched the surface of the study, earlier this year I took a close look at the report and pulled out all of the radio and music-themed findings.

Trina DasGupta shared the case study "Mobile Matters: Youth Empowerment and HIV Prevention in South Africa" (PDF). She spoke about the project loveLife and how it's working to educate youth in South Africa about HIV prevention. And, interestingly, loveLife is making a significant use of both traditional radio and mobile to reach young people. In South Africa, the Internet is not the best way to communicate information, with only 10% of the country having Internet access.

Radio is still a significant form of communication and loveLife not only utilizes public service announcements, but also airs weekly programs on 11 stations and has an entire program called "Radio Ys" in which young people are getting trained in radio production and are hosting radio shows related to HIV Prevention. At the same time, loveLife has created a mobile social network since 75% of South African youth own mobile phones. It's a fascinating approach, using both new and traditional media.

MTV also shared some of the projects (PDF) that they are doing in order to advance social causes. Jason Rzebka talked about their latest project, A Thin Line, in which they are helping to raise awareness of digital abuse, as well as "It's Your (Sex) Life's" GYT (Get Yourself Tested) campaign and mtvU's attempt to address mental health issues (and erase the stigma of mental illness) on campus with "Half of Us."

In each campaign they've provided opportunities for MTV viewers to create content, submit stories, or write lyrics in response to various questions or challenges. One of the latest projects is an app called "Over the Line," which Jason described as a "digital morality meter." Through the app, people can submit and rate stories related to digital abuse, judging whether certain behaviors are over the line or not (for example, demanding access to a boyfriend's emails or texts). The day of the conference, MTV also launched a "A THIN LINE's Digital Bill of Rights", inviting youth to craft their own rules about how they want to be treated online (or via mobile devices), from protecting one's privacy to being safe from bullying.

As is always the case with MTV, social causes are incorporated within their programming, from "The Real World" to "16 and Pregnant" and music and musicians are often the message-bearers. (By the way, later in the day Jason also did a separate presentation (PDF) focused exclusively on the "A Thin Line" campaign).

Action Sports and Music: Vans Warped Tour as Rite of Passage

Next I dashed into a session about action sports because there was a presentation about the Vans Warped Tour, dealing with the intersections between music and sports. Kathleen Gasperini from Label Networks talked about how influential music and musicians are to young people. She said that the Vans Warped Tour (coming up in a few weeks) has become a "quintessential rite of passage for North American youth culture" and that music helps to forge connections between kids across both gender and ethnicity. She also talked a bit about music subcultures, from NuRave and Synth Punk to Metal. My favorite quote of the day came from her, when she said that metal never really went away, "it just went to Europe for awhile."

Radio, Music and Global Youth

I missed the session about Global Youth, but Ypulse has kindly posted many of the presentations on their website. One thing that caught my eye in the presentation about youth culture in China, was a slide on the "vintage trend" featuring a picture of a young person holding a boombox and sitting next to a dial telephone. I wonder what that means for terrestrial radio?

Ypulse's Dan Coates shared some figures about U.S. youth from Ypulse's research division. According to Dan, 17 to 26-year-old non-college students listen to radio (overall) an average of 7 hours a week compared with 4 hours a week for college students in the same age group. Non-college students listen to traditional radio an average of 5.1 hours a week (vs. 2.6 hours for college students), listen to online radio 1.3 hours a week (vs. 1.1 hours for college students), and listen to satellite radio 1 hour a week (vs. 0.45 hours for college students).

Archeological Dig of Student Backpacks: Condoms, Tampons, and Flash Drives

I love it when researchers do projects in which they delve into the lives of people in real-world settings. It's just WAY more interesting to talk to teenagers in their bedrooms, on shopping trips, or at their schools than to chat with them inside a sterile focus group facility. For the next presentation, Dan Coates presented findings from an audit of the contents of the backpacks (PDF) of more than one thousand high school and college students in the United States. He pointed out that for young people, a backpack is a "library, a workplace, a financial center, a medicine cabinet, a cosmetic counter, a communications hub, a safe deposit box, and a stash."

It was fascinating to hear about the range of items found in backpacks, from underwear to a "beat up apple," a "marginal banana," and a crucifix/knife. As you might guess, young people carry a lot of technology in their backpacks, including items to facilitate listening to music, such as MP3 players (57% of girls, 52% of boys) and headphones (42% girls, 41% boys).

Genevieve Bell at the Ypulse Mashup

Genevieve Bell's Keynote Presentation: An Anthropologist's Take on Product Innovation

In the afternoon we heard a keynote presentation from anthropologist Genevieve Bell. As the Director of the User Experience Group at Intel's Digital Home Group, she is fixated on "consumer-centric product innovation" and global research. I was very interested in her comments about "stubborn devices" like television, as many future tech-oriented folks seem to discount their ongoing relevance. She said that home TV viewing in the United States has actually gone up in the past 10 years to 4 to 6 hours a day on average, even though that viewing may be in the background while using other devices like laptops. She added that the fastest growing group of TV watchers is young people (aka millenials), with their viewing increasing by 18% in the past 6 years. [I'm super curious to know what Genevieve would say about radio, as it seems to be another stubborn device, being used by most, despite popular perceptions to the contrary]

Genevieve also argued that there may be a backlash against the "always on, always connected" lifestyle of mobile devices and social networks. She is seeing evidence of people turning off their phones in order to manage their relationship to mobile and has found that some people are turning away from online social networks. She said that when a technology ceases to be "new" or "sexy," then people may end up using it less.

In terms of privacy fears, Genevieve argued that people now assume that all of their information is already out there and are in fact more afraid of certain pieces of information damaging their image or reputation. She said that people are afraid of others knowing "what we're really watching on television," because that could make them look uncool.

I was happy to see that Genevieve also emphasized that, "a globally located world doesn't end localness" and that there is "no single arc of technology adoption." In terms of radio, I've found that to be true, in that its power lies in its localness and in the fact that how it is used around the world can vary tremendously, depending on the other available forms of communication technology and media.

DJs from The DJ Project

Happy Hour with the DJ Project: Digital Turntables

The first day of the Mashup ended with a reception that featured young DJs from The DJ Project "spinning" music for the attendees. I was fascinated to see that the slabs of vinyl being manipulated and scratched on the 2 turntables were seemingly "blank" DJ records that were used to interact with digital music files on a computer. I chatted a bit with the DJs about this and they commented that it's a lot easier than lugging around a bunch of vinyl. It's the perfect reflection of the seemingly contradictory trends of music's digital future and the renewed interest in vinyl records.

It was awesome to see The DJ Project at Ypulse, as it's an amazing youth empowerment program in San Francisco that uses "music to engage young adults" and provides classes in audio production, DJing, and break dancing.

Radio Station Field Trip 22 - KZYX in Philo, California

2010-05-27T15:10:00.000-07:00

For over a decade I've been intrigued by community/public radio station KZYX in the small town of Philo, California. As I drove through the area during weekend get-aways to Mendocino and Anderson Valley I listened to the station and became a huge fan of their weekend show "Trading Time." After citing the show as one of my favorite radio shows of all time on Radio Survivor, I got a nice email back from KZYX's General Manager John Coate. So, with another trip planned to Anderson Valley, I decided to stop by the station on May 13th to learn more about what they are up to.

Philo is a small town located in Anderson Valley, which is about a 2 1/2 hour drive north of San Francisco on scenic highway 128. Known for its wines, Anderson Valley was a hub of activity when I visited KZYX two weeks ago, as it was the weekend of the annual Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Festival.

Back Deck of KZYX

Photo by Jennifer Waits

When I arrived at KZYX on a Thursday afternoon, I was directed out to the station's outdoor deck area to find General Manager John Coate. Situated in a rented house just off the highway, but nestled in the woods, KZYX's physical location couldn't be more idyllic for a small town community radio station. As we began to chat in the afternoon sun, it was hard to miss the mellow, country, hippie vibe emanating from both the speakers and from the surroundings. I was delighted by the sight of a lizard darting out from under a rock while we spoke and by the presence of a radio station dog.

KZYX in Philo

Photo by Jennifer Waits

Moments later the calm was disrupted by the buzz of a helicopter directly over our heads. As it continued to circle the station at a very low altitude, John and other staffers were both surprised and perplexed by its presence. We speculated that it was scoping out the woods for marijuana plants, as that's not uncommon in Mendocino County. But then the in-the-know locals quickly added that it was actually the wrong season for pot plant surveillance. After getting no response from the local airport, the collective theory changed and we were told that it was probably a rich tourist joy riding in advance of the Pinot Noir Festival.

After the excitement subsided, we continued our conversation and tour of KZYX. The FM station (at 90.7 in Philo) began in 1989 and has additional studios in Willits (KZYZ) and Mendocino, allowing the station to broadcast on a few FM frequencies in different parts of the country (as well as online). John has been the General Manager of the station since August 2008, after working for many years in new media. A pioneer in online social networking, he was employee #2 at "The Well," arriving there in 1986, becoming part of a very influential online community. He went on to found SF Gate, one of the first websites devoted to bringing newspaper content online.

KZYX Studio in Philo

Photo by Jennifer Waits

It was interesting talking to John about both new and traditional media, as much of what I love about KZYX hearkens back to an earlier time. Their call-in "swap" show "Trading Time" is truly a slice of small town life, as its hosts read off a laundry list of items that neighbors are offering up for sale or trade. Old refrigerators and pick-up trucks are proffered, along with requests for rides or for help hauling. John told me that it may be the most popular show on KZYX as it "speaks to commonalities" among listeners as opposed to a niche audience.

The programming at KZYX is interesting in that it includes a mix of music, public affairs, local, and syndicated shows. They air shows from NPR, PRI, APM and Pacifica radio, as well as their own locally produced shows. When I visited the station a DJ was doing a world music show and for that particular week she was focusing on music from Asia. John told me that most of the music shows are "specialty shows," playing a specific genre. He mentioned one DJ who only plays acoustic Delta blues music and another who plays Doo Wop on a late night show. KZYX has also broadcast live events, including a reggae festival.

KZYX General Manager John Coate in the Vinyl Library

Photo by Jennifer Waits

Half of the programming schedule is devoted to public affairs shows and John mentioned that they were doing a lot of local election coverage for an upcoming June election, including interviews, debates, and appearances by various candidates for judge, supervisor and district attorney. Archives of their election coverage can be found on their website. John pointed out that the election coverage has been quite lively, adding that "Mendocino...socially...is not that mellow," describing the local community as being quite engaged and "way more Berkeley" than "Haight Street." He said that the mission of the station is "to cover the county" entirely, adding that, "My job is to keep my views out of it." The station's one-person news department is actually run out of a caboose (a left-over train part from a chain restaurant in Japan) out behind the main station building

In talking about the role of KZYX for the community, John said, "We're serving up the whole person...it's a Renaissance approach." He added that since there is no local television station that reaches everyone, it's been important for them to be a community resource. Additionally, one transmitter isn't enough to cover all of Mendocino County, so KZYX invested in a second transmitter in Ukiah and a translator above Ft. Bragg. Local shows can be broadcast from any of their studios using ISDN lines. The combined moniker for all of their studios and frequencies is KZYX and Z.

Part of the International Library at KZYX

Photo by Jennifer Waits

I was happy to see that KZYX has a large music library, full of both vinyl and CDs. John said that vinyl does get played at the station. He also said that the local programming at the station is really good, adding that in particular the jazz and classical music shows are some of the best he's heard anywhere.

John also reflected a bit about the state of radio, arguing that music and culture used to be "propagated" over radio, but that today that seems to happen more "virally" in the online world through "attachments." He agreed that college radio is "still a potent force for developing culture" and said that it has launched music careers. He said that to him it's just important for DJs to focus on being "really good at what you do." Impressed by the devotion of KZYX DJs, John mentioned that one of the new music DJs will spend 6 hours planning for a 2 hour show. A few nights later I caught one of the new music shows, Amplified Mixtape, and enjoyed the DJ's pairings of cover songs and originals and was immediately taken by the fact that she played the first dance song from my wedding (Cat Power's cover of the Velvet Underground song "I Found a Reason").

KZYX General Manager John Coate looks out at the NPR Satellite

Photo by Jennifer Waits

Radio Station Field Trip 21 - KPDO in Pescadero

2010-05-20T16:29:00.000-07:00

It's not every day that a brand new community radio station gets launched, so I couldn't miss the opportunity to make the trek down to Pescadero, California to witness the beginning minutes of KPDO. In honor of their 1st official broadcast day on Saturday, May 8; KPDO 89.3 FM hosted a day-long bash on the lawn outside the offices of their community radio station.

Located in the small, rural town of Pescadero, KPDO is about an hour's drive south of San Francisco. On my drive down to the station I traveled along the scenic Highway 1, passing not only surfers, but also cows and fruit stands. The town of Pescadero is known to city folk for its proximity to the beach and also for the famous fruit pies at the historic (since 1894) eatery Duarte's Tavern. Within spitting distance of "downtown" Pescadero, KPDO is located in a small building next to a grassy field. For the launch party on May 8th, bands set up on the lawn and performed live on the air. During breaks people could mill about, take a look at the station, chat with DJs, grab a beer, or even catch the sound of a nearby rooster.

KPDO Station Manager Daniel Roberts Checks out the Signal at the Launch Party

As I wrote on Radio Survivor, KPDO has actually existed as a licensed station since 2003, but hasn't really had a staff or DJs at the helm until now. Former middle school teacher Celeste Worden applied for the license for the station back in 1994 and had planned to use the community radio station as an educational platform for young people. Unfortunately by the time she got the license from the FCC, she'd already moved out of the area. Fast forward to Fall 2009 when Pirate Cat Radio owner Daniel Roberts (aka Monkey) offered to work to bring the station in Pescadero to life. His other station, Pirate Cat Radio in San Francisco, had recently been levied a hefty FCC fine for broadcasting without a license and Monkey jumped at the opportunity to broadcast over the FM airwaves again in an FCC-authorized way. However, he was quick to point out to me that HE hasn't technically broken the law in at least 7 years since he hasn't been operating an illegal transmitter for Pirate Cat (his fans have).

Music Performances outside KPDO

When I talked to Daniel at the opening party for KPDO, he told me that he submitted a proposal to Celeste and was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to run the station as its Station Manager and Treasurer. In addition to that, he'll be doing the "News Mongers" show every weekday morning as well as a music show on Sunday nights.

I was there when KPDO officially began broadcasting at 11am on May 8th during the launch party. Live DJ shows were slated to begin the following Monday, with gaps in the schedule being filled by rebroadcasts of Pirate Cat Radio shows. The station will stay true to its original educational mission, with plans already in place for interns and teen participation. Daniel said that he "has a massive lesson plan lined up" and that "people are ready" to start training new DJs. Some of the staff, including Daniel, have previous radio experience at both community and college radio stations.

KPDO Studio in Pescadero

KPDO is licensed to broadcast at 300 watts, but is currently only operating at 100 watts. Daniel told me that the station will be heard from Ano Nuevo to San Gregorio and from La Honda to the Foothills. The cramped radio dial and the geography of the hills on this part of the coast conspire against them a bit, as well as potential interference from 43-watt station on the same frequency out of nearby Pacifica. In fact, as I drove down to KPDO (just before they went on the air), I caught bits and pieces of programming from both KLSI (QFM out of Pacifica) and from college station KOHL on 89.3FM.

KPDO Studios

Daniel was dismissive when I asked him about KLSI, saying that the station is run by a guy from out of town and that it's "basically a jukebox from Florida." Daniel said that the owner of KLSI runs a bunch of radio stations and that he's not connected with the local community and added, "Scum of the earth are people who treat radio like real estate." I told Daniel that I'd heard that UC Santa Cruz had been helping out with KPDO about a year ago and asked him what happened. He said that UC Santa Cruz had made an offer to purchase the station, but that the owner of KLSI contested that purchase. Apparently because of the related legal fees, UC Santa Cruz pulled out, leaving the future of KPDO uncertain. I asked Daniel why KLSI wasn't taking issue with his takeover of KPDO and he said that it's because he's just running the station and the license isn't being transferred.

KPDO Couch (a station MUST HAVE item), with a View to the Studio

WFMU's Record Library Gets the Star Treatment

2010-05-20T13:06:00.000-07:00

I talk a lot about my love for both radio stations and physical music. For me, the two go hand in hand. Part of the reason that I do a radio show every week is because I enjoy having access to a record library full of tens of thousands of CDs and records. Just this week I did a music special in which I pretty much relied on the station's archives since I don't personally own the music that I was playing. It's amazing to learn about some awesome band from the past and then find their LPs and 7"s safely nestled amid the other gems at one's college radio station.

Goldmine Magazine just started a new series where they will be visiting various record collections. Up first is their trip to New Jersey community radio station WFMU. This video does a great job of showing why WFMU DJs embrace vinyl and is the perfect companion piece to my recent PopMatters article "Technology and the Soul of College Radio, as it really depicts the magic of doing radio using physical music.

If you want to see more of WFMU, take a look at the post I did after touring the station in 2008.

CBI is Seeking College Radio Entries for Student Media Awards

2010-05-04T16:20:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how fixated your station is on radio competitions, but here's one whose deadline is rapidly approaching on May 21st. College Broadcasters Inc. (CBI) is seeking entrants for its annual National Student Production Awards. Student-produced worked for a campus media outlet is eligible to win in categories including:

Best DJ
Best Station Promo
Best PSA
Best Newscast
Best News Reporting
Best Feature Show or Broadcast
Best Documentary
Best Technical Production
Best Sports Reporting
Best Sports Play-by-Play
Best Entertainment Program (for example, a weekly serial)
Best Station Promotion (including off-air events)
Best Website

You can submit your entries online in MP3 format and there's a $50 entry fee if your station is not a member of CBI (many college radio stations are members, so be sure to double check with your station).

Coming of Age as a Jehovah's Witness and College Radio Lover: An Interview with Tony DuShane

2010-04-29T16:34:00.000-07:00

When I heard word that former college radio DJ Tony DuShane had released a coming-of-age novel, Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk, about growing up in the Jehovah's Witness religion, I was very interested to hear more about his personal story. The novel is based on his own experiences growing up in the religion and in places it touches upon the conflict that he must have felt between being part of a very restrictive religion and his burgeoning interest in music, radio and indie culture.

In his interview with me, Tony touches upon the similarities between his own upbringing and that of the novel's protagonist and goes into detail about radio has helped to save his soul. These days he continues to DJ at Pirate Cat Radio in San Francisco, doing his long-running show "Drinks with Tony," in which he interviews writers, artists, and musicians.

Spinning Indie: How closely does your novel "Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk" model your own youth?

Tony DuShane: I was that Jehovah's Witness kid, knocking on your door with my elder dad from four years old forward. I thought God was going to kill me at Armageddon because I masturbated or I watched an R-rated movie. I was deep in the belief system and very earnest, just as Gabe is in the novel. Into my 20s I thought God would expose this darkness inside me when he killed anyone who wasn't a JW at Armageddon and I would be the reproach of my family who would watch me die and not feel sorrow since I turned out to be a wicked man. Looking back, my darkness resembled a cup of whole milk, and the novel is a tribute to how I felt in that repressive environment.

Gabe is his own guy. I put him through some similar situations I was in, but I wish there was more of him in me at the time.

He was a fun character to work with and develop. It took many rewrites to balance his naivety with his strong belief system and ultimately give himself larger and larger dares to challenge the right and wrong in his world. The last rewrites were the hardest because I really fell in love with him, he was no longer a doppelganger of myself and I wanted to pull him out of the situations happening around him. That's when the writing break through really happened, when he spoke for himself and made decisions and I had to just watch and cry and laugh and slap him, yet give him a hug.

Gabe did get help from his step-uncle, Jeff and his cousin, Karen. The help wasn't always beneficial, some of it was purely silly, but it was a perspective he really needed to push him forward that I never had when I was growing up.

Spinning Indie: For someone clearly so into music, it must have been challenging for you to grow up as a Jehovah's Witness since so many music-related things forbidden by the religion (school dances, band posters & T-shirts) are enmeshed with teen culture and identity. Was that a source of conflict for you?

Tony: Personally, even though I hid my music from my parents, I had an odd sense of entitlement about it. There was honesty in it. My parents were so strict, I wished them dead often and when Suicidal Tendencies came out with "I Saw Your Mommy and Your Mommy's Dead", that was sweet bliss for under three minutes. Listening to punk was like a three minute orgasm. It was like I could leave my body and my family and religion for power chords and screaming. My parents found some of my punk rock contraband and made me throw it away. That was more dread, more guilt and more frustration. If it wasn't for music and literature I probably would've killed myself. Suicide runs in my family and I've had a few very dark periods where it was a real possibility.

Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk tows the line between dark comedy and tragedy, and then I start talking about it for interviews and I seem so tragic. I'm funny in real life. Tragically.

Spinning Indie: The title character, Gabe, seems to catch glimpses of the non-Jehovah's Witness world through his interactions with music, mixtapes, and the radio. Can you tell me how your youth was shaped by music and radio?

Tony: I found MaximumRocknRoll on KPFA one night after bible study. I think I was 14. Then, I found college radio and I thought I had made this huge discovery. KFJC was the strongest signal where I lived in
Millbrae, and KZSU came in as well.

I would tape songs off of the radio, then make mix tapes for Jehovah's Witness girls who I thought were cute and wouldn’t tell on me. I'd even talk in between songs, telling my romantic focus of the moment that I loved them "and this next song is about my love for you."Hopefully most of those made it into the trash, but it's kind of cool to think there's still a tape out there, that some girl held onto. If I listened to it, I'd probably have six therapy sessions dealing with listening to my 16 year old self profess his love via cassette.

Oh, and KZSU has those finals weeks shows where the DJs play album sides so they can study while DJing. I used to tape those religiously.

Spinning Indie: There's a scene in the book where one of Gabe's friends (who is grounded) asks him for a transistor radio. This seemed like a telling moment to me and a reminder about how isolated teenagers can feel when they feel cut off from friends and their culture. When you were a teen, what was your connection to radio?

Tony: Connected to my headphones every single night. The JW always told us not to listen to music at night since Satanic music can come in and we wouldn't be able to change the dial. Sometimes I would wake up to a
song that "sounded" demonized, and I'd quickly turn off the radio and pray. I was a spiritual schizophrenic.

Vintage Photo of KFJC DJs Mona Lott and Tony DuShane

Photo courtesy Tony DuShane

Spinning Indie: Tell me a bit about how (and when) you first got involved with college radio.

Tony: I was still a Jehovah's Witness and 19 years old. Within a year my uncle killed himself, my sister attempted suicide, my dad had a nervous breakdown and lost his job and I put my hands on my girlfriend's boobs and fingered her. Since the last part was a sin, I confessed to the elders so I could get my paradise handstamp again and not be killed at Armageddon. I told them about the girl and five of them agreed that God took his spirit away from our family and all the calamities were because I had sinned. Then they were telling me not to go to therapy and trying to disfellowship my dad because he must have a secret sin since he had a nervous breakdown.

My dad spent 18 years as an elder and putting his whole soul into helping others in the religion. To watch these people turn on him, I was at a complete loss. And, crazier, I still believed in the JWs, I just decided to leave and pursue my radio dreams. Ultimately the JW elders caught up with me and offered to help me and I accepted. Again, because I thought I was dead at Armageddon if I stayed away. They made me stop the radio station, so I quit my show, but doubts sprouted up again after observing really bad shit happen to other people in the congregations. I went back to KFJC and did fill-ins without telling anyone and tried to play both sides.

Spinning Indie: How has radio changed your life?

Tony: It's an addiction. I have to DJ. There's a difference when DJing at clubs and bars. When you're DJing to FM airwaves, you're DJing into space. There's no feeling like it. It's like inviting people over and playing records and talking about the records. Except your friends are in range of a transmitter. There could be five. There could be 5,000.

I remember the thing new DJs always do, they always beg for phone calls. Giving out the phone number every five minutes, wanting to play requests, wanting validation of people actually listening. It's embarrassing to listen to, but we've all been there. Now, I never give out the phone number and actually pull the plug on the phone during my radio shows. I do a lot more interviews now and set up since my shows focus on literature, I don't need someone calling in to request The Dwarves.

DJing at Pirate Cat Radio in San Francisco

l to r: Tony DuShane, Johnny Crash, and Bryan Kehoe

Photo courtesy Tony DuShane

Spinning Indie: Are you still doing a show at Pirate Cat Radio? (since when?) How is that experience of DJing at a pirate station similar or different to working in college radio?

Tony: I got back into radio by doing a podcast back in 2000 for Filmjunkie. It was interviews with actors and filmmakers. Then Filmjunkie became a film festival for a few years, so I switched my focus to literature and interviewing writers. Which turned into Drinks with Tony in 2002 since I tended to tape interviews at bars. I joined Pirate Cat in 2004 I believe. So, Drinks with Tony was a podcast as I was focusing on my writing and I got in touch with Monkey who runs Pirate Cat and let him know he could play my interviews if he wanted and he said, "Just do a fucking show already." I’ve taken some time off recently from the station as we were doing final rewrites and getting the publicity wheels rolling for the novel.

As with college radio, pirate radio goes in waves of staff disputes, this fucking sucks, can't I just do my show, to everyone's happy and there's a dysfunctional family love. Pirate radio seems to be more of a dictatorship than a decently run college station, where people can speak up, there are actually program directors and it seems to run a bit better. Then there's the whole FCC paranoia, which is very real, but Monkey was the first person I have seen who has changed they way pirate radio deals with the FCC...he's nothing less of a genius and I know his love for radio and his contribution will turn into something much bigger in the future.

Jehovah's Witness Literature Adjacent to a Gaming Magazine

At a Place of Business in San Francisco, April 2010

Photo by Jennifer Waits

Spinning Indie: What's your connection to the Jehovah's Witnesses today? Are people upset about the book?

Tony: I'm inactive. That means I left and didn't do anything to get disfellowshipped for. They drill you with questions, but I played the mental illness card and they backed off.

That said, a few JWs who wanted to be cool and go see bands with me or get free tickets to films and drink my liquor and eat my food at my house for the past 10 years of my being inactive, they would hang out with me and really pretended to be my friend. When word of the novel came out, when my JW wife cheated on me, they blamed me and my novel. Pure hatred was spewed at me from so-called friends. It hurt like hell. The book was written, so I was in deal and technical edits mode, but I've had nothing but ignorant hatred from people who don't even know that the book comes from a place of love, understanding and truth.

Spinning Indie: Are you willing to share what caused you to leave the religion and if radio (KFJC?) had anything to do with that?

Tony: Radio and literature saved my soul, but they had nothing to do with my leaving the religion. I started seeing how the elders would make people feel like shit from the stage at the Kingdom Hall. I'd been reading literature and psychology books for some years. I was trying to just fade out so my family would still talk to me, so my "friends" would still talk to me. One day, I said, enough. There's something very wrong with elders acting so arrogant, then expecting such pureness from the flock of devotees. When the elders or the leaders at the Watchtower did something wrong, very wrong affecting many people, the answer was, "we're imperfect, God is giving us new light." When someone touches a girl's nipple, you can lose your family. I realized the whole religion was arrogant.

Which is why I wrote a novel and not a memoir. The memoir would have told the story. There would have been a preachiness to it. I despise preaching, I was involved enough with it growing up. The story had to be compelling and throw the reader into the world of Jehovah's Witnesses. To understand that there is good and bad. To understand that some people need religion. To understand that even the people who exploit religion sometimes feel they're doing it for the right reasons.

Beyond religion, as humans, we all justify our actions one way or another. The novel had to dig into the humanity aspect of why people make decisions that others see as odd.

Writing is about getting to the core of the human condition. Comedy is about the same thing. A poop joke is actually an observation of something we all hopefully do at least once a day.

Spinning Indie: Coincidentally, while I was reading the book, Jehovah's Witnesses were making the rounds of my neighborhood. What do you do when they come to your door?

Tony: I live in San Francisco and I've only been approached by Spanish speaking JWs when I lived in the Mission, and they'd just ask if I spoke Spanish, and now I live in a neighborhood where it's hard for anyone to get past the security gate. Oh, short answer, I don't know, hasn't happened, mostly because I live in the inner city and they have a hard time preaching in these neighborhoods.

UCRN College Radio Conference Offers up Tips for DJs, Insights on Commercial Radio, and a Forum to Debate the Digital Future

2010-04-22T13:30:00.000-07:00

On April 10, 2010 I got to spend the entire day fixated on college radio at the University of California Radio Network (UCRN) conference hosted by UC Berkeley station KALX. Held twice a year, these confabs for DJs and staff of University of California-affiliated radio stations are a great opportunity for shop talk and networking, but are also a chance to get a glimpse into the current struggles and debates within the music industry and college radio.

Last year I attended the UCRN event at UC Santa Cruz station KZSC and found it to be an amazing mixture of pragmatic sessions, music-focused panels, and intelligent discussion. This year's conference was similar, with sessions about broadcast law, the community and music, news and public affairs writing, how DJs can improve their on-air presence, and a panel about the future of music and media. Staff members from KALX also toured DJs around their station, the highlight of which is their meticulously organized music library containing more than 95,000 pieces of music.

A mere sliver of the Record Library at KALX

There were around 70 people in attendance at the conference from KALX, KDVS, KCSB, KUCI, KUCR, KZSC, KSDT and upstart UC Merced station Bobcat Radio. And, many of the music industry panelists speaking at the conference had college radio pasts, making for interesting discussions about the college radio world vs. the commercial radio world. Unfortunately some sessions conflicted with each other, so I was only able to attend a selection of panels. Here's my recap of what struck me during the conference:

Community and Music Panel at UCRN

(L to R: Bev Elithorp, Joe Barham, Kathleen Wentz, and George Corona)

The Community and Music: Building Relationships Panel

This panel was fascinating to me, mainly because we got some great insight into the differences between college radio and commercial radio from KSAN (The Bone) DJ/Music Director Joe Barham (aka Joe Rock). Joe has been a DJ since he was in high school (at Mendocino high school radio station KAKX), with stints in both college radio at San Francisco State station KSFS and in commercial radio at a number of different stations. Other panelists worked at music promotions company Terrorbird, for a UC Berkeley concert series, and for local paper The East Bay Express.

Joe argued that with the way the radio and music industry is going, "it's almost an obligation that we pay attention to the local community." He pointed out that with the growth of digital music and services like Pandora, music listening is most likely "going in the direction of on demand [programming]." He said that although "radio's limited to playing something at a specific time," it can excel by continuing to play "original content" and by focusing on "localization." Joe does a Sunday night local music show "Local Licks" on The Bone and told the assembled crowd that that particular program is "the funnest part of my job," arguing that it's important to support one's local music scene.

KALX DJ Doing a Show Amid the UCRN Crowds Milling About

Music promoter George Corona from Terrorbird (who used to be a college radio DJ at KXLU) shared his feeling that the "landscape for radio [is] shifting" and that "charting [on radio]...doesn't mean that [a band is] going to sell records."

Joe encouraged those in college radio to embrace the power and freedom that they have. When asked during the Q&A about the "forces" that he has to "bow to" in commercial radio, he replied, "The number one thing...We have commercials." Although everyone laughed at this reply, Joe argued that the commercials bring with them certain obligations. He talked a bit about the chaos in commercial radio saying that radio has been "kind of creamed" in the past 2 years and that there have been lots of firings and a great deal of flux in commercial radio staff. He said that being in San Francisco (the #4 market) gives him a bit more freedom, but that he has to answer to an out of town corporate Program Director when making certain decisions about programming.

Giving the crowd of college radio DJs a reality check about the commercial radio industry, Joe pointed out that they have to "play 450 songs over and over again" and that song list is a result of twice yearly music research in which potential radio listeners get to hear an 8 second sample of a song "in a hotel lobby." He said, "That's not art. That's robotic" and contrasted that with college radio, which he said is more like finding out about music from a "best friend."

Although all of the panelists offered up advice (start with an internship was the resounding suggestion) to those college radio DJs hoping to get into some aspect of the music business, Joe was pessimistic about the opportunities for music fans in commercial terrestrial radio, saying, "Don't do it." He was more optimistic about syndicated radio programs and about non-commercial radio where he said "music is art." He predicted that terrestrial radio "will die out," but added that there might be a glimmer of hope when stations rise from the ashes. Joe said that with all of the corporate radio bankruptcies (which aren't over yet), there could be a shift back to local, private ownership and that if that happens radio has the chance to change dramatically and for the better.

I was also interested to hear that The Bone is doing some interesting things programming-wise, not only with its local music shows, but also with Sunday night programming (Little Steven's Garage and Joel Selvin's radio show) that hearkens back to the freeform, underground radio days of the original KSAN. Additionally, Joe mentioned that The Bone airs a high rated all-request show in which music not normally in rotation gets played. His saw that as a sign that listeners really are interested in more than just the same short list of songs approved for airplay.

DJ and Programming Panel at UCRN

(L to R: "DJ Dave" Richards, Khris Brown and Shawn Reynoldo)

DJ and Programming Panel

Next, I sat in on a panel discussion about how to be a better DJ. As with the previous panel, one of the most interesting aspects of it was that one of the panelists had experience as both a college radio DJ and a commercial radio DJ. Shawn Reynaldo of XLR8R started at UC Berkeley station KALX six months after he began working at commercial station LIVE 105 (KITS-FM) as a phone operator. Eventually he became Operations Manager at KALX and a DJ and producer at LIVE 105. As we heard throughout the day, he talked about the importance of internships as the path to jobs in the music industry.

Shawn also pointed out that if you are DJing because you love music, then corporate, commercial radio is the wrong industry for you. He said that the music played at commercial stations comes from a "giant list that a middle-age white man" has compiled based on phone surveys and added that on college radio "you can experiment more."

In terms of specific advice that Shawn and others on the panel had for college radio DJs, here are some of the highlights:

1. "Drink water. Eat a green apple. Imagine your audience is your friend." - Khris Brown (KBA Voice Production)

2. "Pull more music than you need ahead of time...it's better to have too much." -Shawn

3. "Make an effort to expand your musical knowledge" and seek out advice from others at the station- Shawn

4. "Playing random things sounds like playing random things," so really think about your set -Shawn

5. When on the air don't apologize for your mistakes because the audience won't even notice them - Khris

6. Write notes before going on mic so that you remember what you need to cover - "DJ Dave" Richards

7. Be prepared for your shift and for mic breaks - Shawn

8. "Personality really makes a difference on the radio." Be yourself. -Shawn

9. Listen to the beginning and end of each track to ensure smooth transitions without dead air -Shawn

10. If you don't know what to say at the beginning or end of a mic break, say the name of the station - Shawn

11. When mixing sounds don't overlap voices or mismatch beats because "it sounds like shoes in a dryer." - Shawn

Panelist Prepare for the Changing Media Landscape Panel at UCRN

(L to R: Jody Colley, Corey Denis, Jillian Putnam-Smith, and Mike Cadoo)

The Changing Media Landscape: What is the Future of the Music and Media Industry?

The final panel of the day brought together everyone from the conference into one room to discuss the future of the music and media industry. As the KALX staff member introducing the panelists pointed out, "everything's transitioning to digital." This digital transition became the focus of the panel, with several of the panelists working almost purely in the online world.

This led to some tensions in the room as radio wasn't always acknowledged as being a part of this digital future. Corey Denis from Not Shocking Digital Strategies proudly said, "I don't deal with any traditional radio," but conceded that artists do still value radio and that college radio is particularly important for local musicians. She added that "unique programming is still going to be the backbone of radio." Mike Cadoo from digital-only label n5MD added that "[radio] charts are pretty valuable to a label" and said that his label services 200 radio stations in North America.

East Bay Express editor Jody Colley chimed in with the role that college radio plays in her job as the editor of a weekly newspaper that works hard to cover local music events, saying that college radio helps local music promoters identify talent because "college radio has always been on the forefront of finding the best bands." The East Bay Express just opened a music venue, so it's even more important for them to be tapped into the music scene.

Talk then turned to digital music and how it is stored and distributed. When discussing the possibility of housing music in "the cloud," located on servers far from one's own physical location there were concerns raised by both panelists and DJs in the audience. Jillian Putnam-Smith of online music company IODA acknowledged that artists seem to make less money from their music if it exists in this virtual space. One DJ said, "When I DJ...I'm being a fan, but I'm also selecting...instead of going to a faceless website and downloading." Another added, "We're a visceral, tangible educational resource" and stated that it's beneficial to have a "physical library [of music] with physical comments on [the material]."

At this point Corey made the claim, "College radio used to break bands. That doesn't happen anymore."

New Release Bin at KALX

Corey asked the assembled DJs in the room if their stations accepted digital submissions and as far as I could tell no hands went up. Jillian (who used to be a KALX DJ) pointed out that for college radio stations it's often a very complex process to handle digital releases and navigate the password-protected systems put in place by promo companies.

A DJ in the audience then said that for college radio stations having libraries of CDs and LPs is important and that "the actual physical thing reminds you that it exists."

Later on in the discussion Corey added that if a college station created a system for accepting digital music submissions it would be "such a story" and encouraged stations to do so and hire grad students to develop this type of tool. Similarly, others in the audience wondered about the possibility of having digital music located in "the cloud" so that stations could access it without having to download it from promoter or label websites.

But, then the discussion turned back to the desires of DJs who want to be able to play physical music on their shows. Jillian agreed, saying that as a college radio DJ "you want to be able to go into your library and smell all the vinyl." Someone in the audience then brought up a concern about the sound quality of digital and the difference in sound between playing vinyl, CDs, or a stream off of MySpace over the radio. Corey's reply was that "audiophiles like us...We're not the general public" and she argued that people are being taught to expect lower and lower sound quality and that music formats have "degraded in sound over time" as vinyl made way for cassettes, CDs and digital files.

On the flip side, Mike agreed that there is a resurgent interest in vinyl, with vinyl-only labels cropping up. Jillian said that at IODA they create digital files from vinyl and that there's an entire online store ThinkIndie devoted to digital music converted from physical music, including vinyl.

Audience for the Final UCRN Panel of the Day

Another DJ then brought up that he couldn't imagine preparing for his radio show without having access to bins of CDs and records and said that he likes that he "can see all the CDs...and the artwork" and that he wouldn't want to plan for his show by just going off of a list of music files. Inexplicably this comment caused Corey to launch into an attack on college radio. She complained about record stores being full of cast-off promo CDs and blamed college radio for selling off material, saying that bands pay $2 for that CD and when it gets sold off they don't make any money.

When I pointed out to her that it should be the responsiblity of labels and promo companies to identify stations that would be most interested in specific CDs, she backed off a bit, but didn't really acknowledge that the financial constraints of labels has a lot more to do with their push for stations to go digital than college radio stations getting rid of free CDs that they don't want. Her argument is quite similar to what I've heard on other panels, in which promoters said that they couldn't send out promo CDs anymore and that music stealing fans were to blame.

It was an interesting discussion to say the least and provided some great fodder for the piece that I was just finishing up for PopMatters about "Technology and the Soul of College Radio," so the timing of this debate couldn't have been better.

Thanks to everyone at KALX for allowing me to again be a fly on the wall at UCRN. It's an amazing event that is so beneficial to everyone who participates.