I can’t believe how many radio stations I visited in the last month. Thanks to the confluence of Spring Break, radio conferences, and other random business trips, I managed to see stations in Virginia, New York, and California in the past 30 days. And, yes, I’m tired. Unfortunately, it also means that my back log […]
It’s been a busy few weeks of travel for me and I was happy to be able to squeeze in a bunch of college radio station visits in Virginia and New York. I just posted recaps of my trips to WMWC at University of Mary Washington and to WXJM at James Madison University. Also, on […]
I had a wonderful time in Virginia last week and was able to see eight college radio stations. The reason for my trip, however, was a speaking engagement at the WTJU-hosted “College Radio: Then, Now, and Next” symposium at University of Virginia last Friday. I gave an overview of the history of college radio and […]
We learned this week that Brown University’s long-time commercial radio station WBRU may be up for sale. According to the Providence Journal: In a letter sent to WBRU alumni [March 2]…, general manager and Brown University student Kishanee Haththotuwegama said the station’s nine-member board of directors had passed a resolution to begin seeking a buyer. […]
On March 17, I’ll be speaking at the WTJU/WXTJ-hosted symposium “College Radio: Then, Now, and Next” at the University of Virginia. Specifically, I’ll touch on the history of college radio as well as the state of college radio today. I’m excited to connect with friends, colleagues, and representatives from other college radio stations and am […]
On the podcast this week, we talked about the uncertainty at CMJ and pontificated on why charts can be useful to radio stations and the music industry, including record labels, promoters and bands. I was thinking about those connections as I read musician Mike Ness’ statements about the importance of college radio in a Boulder […]
For at least the past year there have been more regular grumblings about the status of CMJ and this week Pitchfork is reporting that, “For the second week in a row, CMJ has not published its weekly college radio charts, calling into question the fate of an institution that has tracked the music played by college stations around […]
Earlier this week, Pitchfork published a long-form piece with the provocative title, Does College Radio Even Matter Anymore? The sub-head continues the theme, adding, “How left-of-the-dial stalwarts are fighting to stay alive.” Click-bait for college radio fans and practitioners, the article is actually more nuanced than its alarmist descriptors suggest. (more…)
I was disappointed to hear that University of Washington, Bothell’s college radio station UWave (see my 2014 tour here) is facing opposition to its planned move to a low power FM (LPFM) channel. Although the station has a construction permit from the FCC for the new LPFM station, University of Washington officials told students that […]
Happy Lunar New Year! It feels like the semester is just getting started and there’s already some interesting news on the college radio front. On Radio Survivor Podcast #77, I give an update about college radio station KUNV, which is remaining under university control after a proposal for a public radio takeover fizzled. Meanwhile, folks […]
