On a drizzly Columbus Day morning, I arrived at the Day Theater in Portland, Oregon to visit community radio station Portland Radio Project. The welcoming message on the marquee read: “PORTLAND RADIO PROJECT 99,1 A LOCAL BAND EVERY 15 MINUTES,” proudly proclaiming the presence of the low power FM radio station that was housed within. The […]
The stereotypical college radio station that I conjure up in my mind looks a lot like KDVS 90.3 FM at University of California, Davis. Its spacious digs are full of musical ephemera, from posters of bands that I’ve loved over the years to packed shelves housing recorded material on every format imaginable (even carts). Rumored […]
Fireflies, letters from prisoners, and a dolphin shower radio are just a few highlights from my visit to Vassar College radio station WVKR 91.3 FM in Poughkeepsie, New York. While summer can be a bit sleepy at college radio stations, it’s often a fun time for me to visit, as campus parking is plentiful and […]
Tucked behind the gymnasium at Mendocino High School is the most magical building full of audio-visual delights. Home to high school radio station KAKX 89.3 FM; the warehouse-like space is a hub for all media arts at the high school. Just blocks away from the quaint seaside village of Mendocino, California, the school and its […]
With the rental car radio tuned to community radio station WGXC at 90.7FM, this intrepid radio reporter took a scenic drive through the lush countryside of Hudson Valley, spying vintage diners, farms, and picturesque barns. Tucked away in the basement of the First Presbyterian Church, the Hudson outpost of Wave Farm’s WGXC serves as one […]
Radios in the woods, a pond station, and a Theremin are just a few of the goodies to be seen and heard at Wave Farm in Acra, New York. A non-profit arts organization, Wave Farm runs community radio station WGXC-FM and offers grants and residencies in transmission arts. For a radio nerd like me, a […]
It was with great anticipation that I arrived at VCS Radio at Vacaville Christian Schools in Vacaville, California for a full day of immersion into the highly unusual middle school/high school radio station. Having spoken with energetic station manager Ralph Martin previously for the Radio Survivor podcast, I expected that it would be a visit […]
Kanye West and Common had an epic freestyle rap battle on WHPK. That’s just one reason why the University of Chicago’s station is interesting and historic. Jennifer Waits takes us on a virtual tour of the studios, located in an actual working bell tower. Jennifer, Eric and Paul also discuss how college radio has played […]
I’ve been wanting to see University of Chicago’s college radio station WHPK for quite some time and even had a thwarted trip a few years back when a scheduled tour was canceled due to illness. So, it was with great anticipation that I stopped by on Friday, December 1st for my long-awaited visit. Particularly in […]
Jennifer Waits takes us on tours of two storied college stations, with deep roots in their communities. WIIT-FM is the student station at the Illinois Institute of Technology, housed in the modern Rem Koolhaas designed McCormick Tribune Campus Center situated at the intersection of Chicago’s Bronzeville and Bridgeport neighborhoods. WKCR is Columbia University’s station, with […]
