There have been radical changes in music distribution and consumption in the past few decades, which has certainly altered the college radio experience. A piece in the Independent Florida Alligator at University of Florida, “From Mixtapes to Algorithms: How Listening to Music on Campus has Changed,” states:
The way students discover music has evolved and would now be unrecognizable to those who once relied on college radio for new music. Students’ options today are limitless, and this has had an effect on the way students listen to and discover music. College radio stations previously maintained the supreme status of the ‘cool’ place to discover new music recommended by in-the-know students.
It points out that the current student-oriented radio station at University of Florida, GHQ, “…aims to be an all-encompassing music listening experience,” adding that, “Unfortunately, even the most popular radio stations on XM cannot introduce to the masses new music in the way a viral meme can. Just ask Denzel Curry or Lil Nas X.”
While I can’t verify if viral memes are the ultimate music discovery tool; it is true that students are learning about music from myriad sources, both on and offline. The piece also notes that “In a world where you can find everything online, the best way to discover new music may still be recommendations from your friends.” Interestingly, that’s also the reason that college radio continues to be an excellent place for music discovery, particularly at stations with DJs who curate their own playlists. Those radio show hosts are similar to trusted friends and help many people learn about intriguing artists, even in 2019.
More College Radio News
New Station, Audio Production Club, and Station Revival
- Wavelengths Brings Student Radio to Fordham’s Lincoln Center Campus (The Observer)
- Student Radio Production Group Creates Explosive Content (The Ithacan)
- UB Alumni Work to Revive WRUB after no plans for Station Revival Set (The Spectrum, University at Buffalo)
College Radio and Music Culture
- From Mixtapes to Algorithms: How Listening to Music on Campus has Changed (The Independent Florida Alligator)
Profiles of Stations
- Georgetown Radio Forges Platform for Creative Students (The Hoya)
- WIXQ Brings Music and Family to Millersville (The Snapper)
Listeners
- Inmate Requests List of all songs Played on College Radio Station (Valdosta Daily Times)
Events
- Philippine College Radio Congress 2019 (University of the Philippines)
Programming
- Breaking Down Northwestern with WNUR’s Kevin Sweeney (247 Sports)
- A News Partnership Between Indiana Daily Student and WIUX (Indiana Daily Student)
- MSU Science Majors Produce Art Exhibit, Podcast and Pale Ale (City Pulse)
- All the Raga: 24-hour Indian Music in Red Hook and Over WKCR (Brooklyn Paper)
- E.T. Echo Shares Campus News, Provides Valuable Experience to Students (Johnson City Press)
- Student Radio Production Group Creates Explosive Content (The Ithacan)
Funding and Infrastructure
- $25K CKLU City Funding Request: Student Radio Station Asks to Exhaust Other Options First (Sudbury.com)
- Support Student Media This Day of Giving (The Daily Athenaeum, West Virginia University)
- San Diego City College’s Spending Scandal (San Diego Reader)
College Radio in Popular Culture
- Interview: Danielle Beverly – Director of Dusty Groove: The Sound of Transition (We are the Movie Geeks)
History and Anniversaries
- APSU’s WAPX-FM Celebrates 35 Years as a Campus Radio Station (Clarksville Now)
- University of Sunderland’s Spark FM Celebrates 10th Birthday and Looks Back on its Successes (Sunderland Echo)
- Radio Survivor Podcast #219 – A College Station’s 60th (Radio Survivor)
Alumni
- Professor Profile: Jeffrey Benedict (The Sentinel)
- Alumna Spotlight: Lindsy Goldberg (The Beacon)
- Former Kendall Park Resident Starts Radio Station (South Brunswick Patch)
- Wilber ‘Ray’ Vincent (Davis Enterprise)
- KPIX Anchor Dennis O’Donnell Returns to SF State to Teach Sports Reporting (San Francisco State College of Liberal and Creative Arts)
Awards and Accolades
- WMSC Radio Wins Big at College Broadcasters Inc. Conference (The Montclarion)
- Cerritos College Radio Named America’s Best 2-Year Station (Cerritos Patch)
- All the Winners from the Student Radio Awards 2019 (RadioToday)
- Student Radio Award Winners to Host BBC Radio 1 Shows (RadioToday)
- Bedfordshire Student Scoops Awards in Community Radio Awards (Luton Today)
- Cat Radio at University of Chester up for String of Awards (Warrington Guardian)
- Silver Success for Radio Graduate (University of Chester)
