As we reflect back on 2012, there’s no clear answer about the state of college radio. In a way, college radio may be getting back to normal following a particularly dramatic 2011. Although some stations left the air this year, others continued to thrive and new stations were born. Fall-out from 2011 continued this year, […]
As I was researching a specific tidbit of radio history a few weeks back, I happened upon some intriguing stories about the early days of student radio at Georgia Tech. Today Georgia Tech is home to the 100,000 watt college radio station WREK at 91.1 FM; but back in the 1940s, plans were underway for […]
On my Spinning Indie blog I have an ambitious project in which I’m trying to profile a college radio station from each of the 50 states in the U.S. I started the series in October, 2008, when I took my first virtual trip to KXUA in Arkansas. I managed to get to 15 states total […]
I’ve spent the past through days digging through college radio history artifacts and it’s been inspiring to read about the passion and energy that has gone into building radio stations on campuses across the country since the 1920s. University of Idaho’s free form college radio station, KUOI, started up in 1945 and was a descendent […]
A short film about University of Michigan’s college radio station WCBN was making its way around my social media universe today. The 12-minute documentary, “Just Listen,” by Brittany Burr captures the college radio world perfectly. A variety of DJs describe why the station is important to them (one of my favorite quotes: “WCBN is not […]
As part of KCSB‘s 50th anniversary celebration, the college radio station at University of California, Santa Barbara is digging into their archives and re-broadcasting some vintage material. As it turns out, one of their most notarious alums is conservative talk show host Sean Hannity. Yesterday, KCSB aired the program from 1989 that led to Sean […]
In a familiar-sounding tale, University of Alabama is in talks to purchase public radio station WHIL from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama for $1.1 million. WHIL currently airs a public radio format, mainly comprised of classical music programming and syndicated NPR shows like “Weekend Edition” and “All Things Considered.” It is expected that the […]
I’m a college radio history buff, so whenever I run across someone who has taken the time to document the early history of a college radio station I am beyond impressed. Lew Houston, formerly of WRKU radio at Kutztown University (now known as KUR radio), researched, compiled and wrote, “Finding WRKU: A History of College […]
Although I’ve been fixated on the college radio crises at KTRU and WRVU lately, I am heartened to see the world of student radio isn’t filled entirely with bad news. This week I spotted several stories about new and old radio stations gearing up for the start of the school year. Amid those tales was […]
The early history of college radio has not been documented sufficiently and much of it is sequestered away in the archives of colleges and universities. Last year I was thrilled to see Hugh Slotten’s book, Radio’s Hidden Voice: The Origins of Public Broadcasting in the United States, as it is one of the first publications […]
