It’s been a decade that I’ve been covering college radio on Radio Survivor, which was one of the topics that we discussed on our 200th episode of the podcast/radio show this week. It was a treat to have another rare episode with all four Radio Survivor principals: Matthew Lasar, Paul Riismandel, Eric Klein and myself. We all dug into our deep histories with this project of covering radio from a participant and fan’s perspective and I specifically reflected back on how I got started writing about college radio culture back in 2008 on my Spinning Indie blog.
Radio Survivor launched in 2009 and our podcast began four years ago in 2015. My original intent with Spinning Indie was to shine a light on every pocket of college radio culture so that participants could get some perspective about what’s happening at stations across the United States. I also worked to remind the general public about the important role that college radio plays in media and hoped that people who weren’t listening to college radio would be prompted to tune in to a station in their community or even one that’s far afield.
Eleven years after doing my first college radio-themed blog post for Spinning Indie, it’s gratifying to still be carrying on my original mission, largely at Radio Survivor. Not only do I attempt to do college radio news wrap-ups weekly (as I’ve been doing since 2013!), but I also regularly do field trip reports from my tours of over 100 college radio stations and share various college radio stories on the podcast. It’s also super exciting that the radio version of the Radio Survivor show now airs on five college radio station affiliates in the United States, Canada and Ireland. Long live college radio!
Donate and Get our Inaugural ‘Zine
We’re trying something new at Radio Survivor and will be launching a ‘zine this summer for our Patreon supporters. If you can pitch in as little as $5/month, you’ll get a copy of our hand-crafted publication, full of quirky and fun radio stories and illustrations by the Radio Survivor team and extended family. As always, thanks to everyone for reading, listening and supporting our efforts.
More College Radio News
New Stations and Station Revivals
- Wilmington College’s First Student Radio Station Launches (Wilmington News Journal)
- Ravenshaw Radio to Resume Operations Soon (Odisha Daily)
Profiles of Stations and Staff
- Celebrating 50 Years of KTUH (Manoa Now)
Programming
- WSOU to Cover NYC Fireworks Show Live (WSOU)
Alumni
- American Routes Shortcuts: Jim Lauderdale (WWNO)
- BHSU Alum Receives Investigative Journalism Award (Black Hills Pioneer)
- Jason Bentley Tells Us Why He’s Stepping Down at KCRW (Los Angeles Magazine)
Awards and Accolades
- FEU Communication Major Named Veritas Best Male Anchor (BusinessMirror)
