Happy Fall! I’m wrapping up my summertime college radio station tour reports, with new write-ups on my visits to San Diego City College radio station SDS Radio and KCR Radio at San Diego State University. I love checking out stations and it was a treat to get to see four college radio stations in the San Diego area. My remaining tour there will be posted soon.
College Radio’s Commercial Radio Connection Circa 1983
As part of my volunteer work at Foothill College radio station KFJC, I’ve been combing through the archives to learn more about the college radio station’s 60 year history. It’s fascinating to look at how the station has intersected with the broader college radio scene, particularly in the 1980s when college radio was getting so much music industry attention.
In 1983, music writer Gina Arnold wrote a piece for the Peninsula Times-Tribune about how DJs at edgier college radio stations were NOT getting jobs in the mainstream music industry. Counter to the mythology about 1980s college radio being a pipeline to record label and commercial radio jobs, the story highlights possible brewing tensions at the time. Arnold writes:
…forging a career in radio has become increasingly difficult as radio formats get more rigid. Part of the reason for this is the new role that college radio has begun to play in the rock music industry. Instead of serving as a training ground for on-air talent and broadcasting technique, college radio stations have become a viable listening alternative to album-oriented rock and contemporary hit radio. By setting themselves up as a competitive industry, college radio stations have alienated commercial radio stations that previously used them as a resource for training and talent.”
Arnold quotes Sky Daniels, Program Director at rock radio station KFOG in 1983, articulating why commercial radio stations may not want to hire former college radio DJs. Daniels says, “Most college radio stations, especially ones like KFJC, KALX, and KUSF, are so adventurous, they scare program directors.”
The article points out that one station, KQAK (“The Quake”), has brought former college radio DJs into the fold, namely Rick Stuart (KUSF alum) and Rob Francis (KFJC alum). An innovative commercial radio station in San Francisco in the 1980s, “The Quake” played a lot of college radio staples, airing ska music, New Wave, punk, and the like.
I was a big fan of “The Quake” and it opened up a broader world of music choices to me. Although I was sad when “The Quake” went off the air in 1985, it ended up being my gateway to even more underground sounds. As I searched to find similar music on the dial after “The Quake” died, I found a bounty of college radio stations.
Alternative Radio’s Legacy and Role in 2019
This look back at the college radio scene circa 1983 is interesting when viewed in hindsight and in light of so many changes in radio since that time, including the commercialization of “alternative” music sounds in the 1990s. Bands that used to only get airplay on college radio moved into the mainstream and influenced a wide swath of the radio dial. Add to that an increasingly consolidated radio industry and the birth of digital music and the vast online world (including the likes of YouTube and Spotify). Decades later in 2019, where does that leave “alternative” music? Last week, the New York Times examined that question, pointing out that, “
Commercial radio has always been a fundamentally conservative medium, dedicated to avoiding any kind of jolt that would lead a listener to change the channel, but that can sometimes put alternative stations at odds with the ethos of alternative music, especially given the rapidly evolving choices available on streaming services and satellite radio. “
A growing refrain is that music discovery in 2019 is often taking place outside of radio- often online and sometimes algorithm-based. While that may be true, independent radio stations are still providing a space to learn about new and unheard artists, as they have been for decades. That’s a big reason why I love college radio.
More College Radio News
Music Industry and College Radio Culture
- Magic City Hippies Conclude Summer Tour (The Ridgefield Press)
- Bangers and Bops: Confessions of an Uncool Girl (The Tufts Daily)
- The 30 Best Albums of 1999 (Paste)
- What Does Alternative Rock Radio Sound Like in the Age of Spotify? (New York Times)
- “The Devil and Daniel Johnston” Filmmaker Remembers the Musician (IndieWire)
Events
- The Black Keys Announced as Ambassadors for College Radio Day 2019 (AllAccess)
- Live Music this Week: KBGA’s Birthday and Organ Funk (Missoulian)
- Lenox College Radio Theater is Saturday Night (KMCH)
Programming
- Nobody’s Mayoral Interview on WKNH’s “Wake up Call” at Keene State College (Free Keene)
- New York Islanders Could Be Changing Radio Stations Rumor (Eyes on Isles)
- KGRG Broadcasting Prep Football from French Field (Kent Reporter)
- “Project Independence and You” Radio Show Celebrating Eight Years on Air (The Island Now)
- Husson University to Hold Auditions for Halloween Radio Broadcast of Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘MS Found in a Bottle’ (Bangor Daily News)
- Wellness Show “Green is the New Black” to air on Radio Free Hillsdale (The Collegian)
Profiles of Stations and Staff
- Radio Station Visit #161: SDS Radio at San Diego City College (Radio Survivor)
- Radio Station Visit #160: KCR College Radio at San Diego State University (Radio Survivor)
- Students Channel Their Inner RJ through their College Radio Station (Times of India)
- Making Good Calls: The Student-Broadcasters who help Provide a Voice for UNO Athletics (University of Omaha The Gateway)
Infrastructure
- A Critical Juncture for MCLA, Birge (The Berkshire Eagle)
College Radio History
- KCR College Radio Celebrates 50 Years on the Airwaves (Daily Aztec)
Popular Culture
Awards and Accolades
- Husson University’s College Radio Station Wins Five Awards from Maine Association of Broadcasters (EIN News)
College Radio Alumni
- Ben Maller Enjoys the Parallel Universe (Barrett Sports Media)
- ASR Media’s Ashley Russo, WNYU Alum, Mentors the Next Generation (LVB)
- Toohey Takes a Key Finance Role at Cumulus (RBR)
- Celebrity Master Chef’s Rickie Haywood-Williams (Reality Tidbit)
- How Radio 1 DJ Jordan North Brings a Bit of Lancashire Humour to the Nation (Lancashire Evening Post)
