More than a month into serious social-distancing measures across the United States, college radio continues to readjust to broadcasting during a pandemic. I shared a flurry of posts during that first week of shelter-in-place in my neck of the woods here in San Francisco as many stations moved to automated programming and also brainstormed creative approaches to continue doing live radio.
The bulk of our recent Radio Survivor coronavirus reporting has been taking place on the radio show/podcast. In a 4-week series of episodes, we checked in with college and community broadcasters from Alaska to New Jersey as restrictions grew more intense for both the country and for stations generally. It worth listening back to episodes 237 (How Community and College Radio Can Deal with COVID-19), 238 (Social Distancing, Going Remote and Automation During Global Pandemic), 239 (Hunkering Down with Raven Radio in Sitka, Alaska), and 240 (WFMU is Still on the Air During the Pandemic).
CMJ Brand’s New Owner Revealed
We also covered a bit of college radio-related news in episode 242, in which out guest James Cridland chimed in about the news that the CMJ brand’s purchaser is a European broadcasting company, Amazing Radio. While details are still sparse, this puts an end to speculation about who has been working behind the scenes to resurrect CMJ’s independent-music focused charts, live music events, and editorial content.
WNUW’s Coronacasts & College Radio during COVID-19
In the past few weeks, college radio stations have been expanding their programming and I’m happy to see that some stations that had shut down broadcasts have put plans in place so that they are able to stay on the air. WNUW at Neumann University (see my tour) even started a new project, Coronacasts, to share personal experiences of its DJs and listeners over the radio and social media. Take a listen to some of these stories by visiting Neumann Media’s YouTube channel.
This week, Billboard covered some of the challenges that college radio is facing, pointing out that emptied out campuses pose a problem, yet student radio staffers are finding new ways to broadcast. “Resourceful student programmers have figured out ways to build playlists while isolating in their homes far from campus,” according to the piece.
WMHD Relaunches
I was super impressed to hear that one university has relaunched its college radio station during the pandemic. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre-Haute, Indiana has spent close to a year working on the new version of its radio station WMHD and aired a virtual launch event on April 16 and 19. According to WMHD, “The launch event culminates 8 months of work from the Officer team to grow and reestablish the presence of WMHD both on campus and online.” The special broadcast included both student and alumni DJs and can be heard on the station’s Mixcloud. WHMD’s Faculty Advisor Kevin Lanke reached out, telling Radio Survivor, “We had dozens of alumni interact with us and listeners from 8 nations during Launch Weekend. So the event was a huge success.”
Linfield College Station Goes Classical
I was surprised to hear that Linfield College’s student radio station KSLC FM has given its airwaves over to a classical music station. Oregon Arts Watch reports, “All Classical Portland is integrating Linfield College’s campus radio station into its network, meaning the signal of 24-hour classical music and arts programming will be much clearer for the 100,000 people who live in McMinnville and surrounding communities. The donation of Linfield’s KSLC 90.3 FM to All Classical Portland was, according to a press release, initiated by McMinnville college students.” The details are a bit unclear, but All Classical Portland began broadcasting over 90.3 FM on April 2, 2020 according to the Regal Courier. The FM license remains held by Linfield College per a search of FCC records today.
A Facebook announcement from KSLC states, “After more than a year of planning for the future, KSLC 90.3 FM, Linfield College ASLC Leadership, and Linfield JAMS Leadership have decided to move toward the future of digital media by deciding that KSLC will no longer be producing live, traditional radio content and will become the KSLC Podcast Network in the immediate future.” The statement goes on, explaining that “…the spirit of student-radio will remain the same as we move into the podcast era. KSLC and Linfield’s JAMS department are committed to keeping student voices active and heard.”
More College Radio News
College Radio and COVID-19
- I Accidentally Finished my College Radio DJ Career with ‘Yellow’ By Coldplay (City Pages)
- Six Local Online Stations to Keep the Tunes Going During Shelter-in-Place (The Bay Bridged)
- With Empty Campuses, College Radio Stations Face Uphill Battle During Coronavirus (Billboard)
- University of Minnesota Radio Station Hits the Airwaves_From Home (Star Tribune)
- Neumann University Students Document Pandemic Experiences (Delco Times)
- College Radio: After the Shock, Resistance is Now (Radio World)
- Neumann University’s ‘Coronacast Diaries’ (The Dialog)
- What Historians Will See When They Look Back on the Covid-19 Pandemic of 2020 (The New York Times)
- CSU Public Radio Station in Pueblo Carries On (La Junta Tribune)
- Music and Talk Keep Flowing at CSU-Pueblo’s Rev89 (The Pueblo Chieftan)
- Health Crisis Challenges All of Radio (Radio World)
- Loras College Radio Still Broadcasting Through Pandemic (Loras College)
- Students Still on the Air at WQSU Despite COVID-19 (WNEP)
- Student-run Radio Station WQSU at Susquehanna University Stays on the Air During COVID-19 Pandemic (WITF)
- Public Radio Stations Chug on During Pandemic (Bozeman Daily Chronicle)
- 107.7 The Bronc Programming Now Available as Podcasts (Rider University)
- Wilmington College’s Quake Radio ‘Bringing Campus Home’ to Listeners (Wilmington News Journal)
- LLC Students Practice Peer-to-Peer Assistance (Effingham Daily News)
- Music Can Provide Inspiration During this Terrifying Time (Mitchell Advocate)
- Raised on Radio (Durango Telegraph)
- KBGA Plans Future Fundraisers as COVID-19 Cancels ‘EndofThon’ (Montana Kaimin)
- The Music Industry is in for a Change: Look at What Might Happen When the Coronavirus Lockdown Ends (Forbes)
- Greg Golden of Rollins College Radio Station WPRK on Keeping the Music Going (Orlando Weekly)
- Why is this Interesting: The International Radio Edition (Why is this Interesting?)
- WXAV on Pause due to Coronavirus (SXU Student Media)
Profiles of Stations, Staff, DJs
- On the Radio – KDVS (UC Davis Magazine)
- Still Rockin’: RSU Radio Celebrates 40 Years (Claremore Progress)
- Stuck at Home? Here are our Favorite Internet Radio Stations (TNW)
- April Music Director of the Month: Hayley Muir CJSW Calgary (NACC Charts)
- Seniors Solidify Post-Graduation Plans (NC Clinked)
- Need a Self Isolation Playlist? (The Toronto Star)
Events
- Vinylthon 2020 – a Week Away – and Still On (CollegeRadio.org)
Programming/Podcasts
- Get a Little Information with Your Music from Chicago-area Podcasts (Daily Herald)
- Student Radio Association Launches Mental Health Campaign (RadioToday)
Infrastructure, Budget
- Budget Expected to Take Substantial Hit (Humboldt State/The Lumberjack)
- Portland’s All Classical Teams with Linfield College (Oregon Arts Watch)
- WCSR Owner Splits Signal Formats, Adds Local Country Station (Hillsdale Collegian)
College Radio History
- NMSU’s Goddard Hall Has Rich Architectural History, Famed Namesake (New Mexico State University)
- Blast from the Past KUSC (Radio Ink)
Alumni
- No Sleeping in the Trophy Room (Revolt)
- How the Football Ramble Evolved from Outsiders to Podcast Favorites (Metro News)
- Stop Talking about ‘SHE-E-Os’ Says Havas NY CEO Laura Maness (Forbes)
- Women in Radio: Ally Bear on 96.1 KISS (Pittsburgh City Paper)
- Women in Radio: Michele Michaels on WDVE (Pittsburgh City Paper)
- High Road Owners Face Pandemic with Detailed Plan for Survival (Atlanta Journal Constitution)
- Former Dana College Professor Dies of COVID-19 Complications (Baker City Herald)
- How Fordham Has Produced a Generation of Sports Media Stars (New York Post)
- Liyna Anwar, 30, Dies, Publicized Inequities in Stem Cell Registry (New York Times)
- LoveSick Podcast will Air Matchmaking Episodes to Help People Date During COVID-19 (303 Magazine)
- Town Residents Behind Therapy Site for Covid-19 Workers (Your Arlington)
- RIP Roger Clark Johnsen, WHRB Alumnus (Sioux City Journal)
- RIP William Foster (Bismarck Tribune)
- Longtime KWQC Reporter/Anchor Fran Riley Has Passed Away (TV 6)
Popular Culture
- Pick of the Plots: April 21: (ATV Today)
- Pick of the Plots: April 22 (ATV Today)
Awards and Accolades
- A Free Weekly Contest for Student Journalists (Society of Professional Journalists)
- National Radio Station Awards for WBWC (The Exponent/Baldwin Wallace University)
- Winners Announced in Louisiana -Mississippi AP Contest (Stamford Advocate)
- Poe Places First in Hearst Journalism Competition (Gaston Gazette)
- Marshall’s WMUL-FM Takes Home Awards from National Competitions (Huntington News)
- SUNY Oswego Students Win 8 Broadcasting Awards (Oswego County Today)
- Lavell Harris Earns Iowa College Media Association Award (Valley News)
- WJMU Wins IBS Golden Microphone Trophy (Millikin University)
- Winners Announced in Kentucky AP Broadcasters Contest (Fox 19)
- The Globe Wins 6th State Title (Goshen News)
- WIUX Named Best College Radio Station (Indiana Daily Student)
Music and Industry Connections
- Amazing US Launch and Revival of CMJ (Amazing Radio)
- Before Jimmy Fallon, The Roots were Hip-Hop Legends (Cheat Sheet)
- Lake Land College Broadcasting Students Earn Broadcast Sales Certification (Journal-Gazette Times Courier)
