College radio stations are generally very welcoming spaces, so much so that I often have to tear myself away at the end of a visit. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s WRPI 91.5 FM in Troy, New York had that effect on me. It had it all: comfy couches, the requisite Leo Blais sign, shelves of vinyl records, […]
I hope you had a fantastic College Radio Day last Friday. I spent the day at the Grassroots Radio Conference in Portland, Oregon. While mostly community radio stations were in attendance, I shared “Happy College Radio Day” greetings with colleagues from University of California, Santa Cruz station KZSC (see my tour) and Portland State University […]
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 […]
My inbox and social media feeds were buzzing today, with the release of another best college radio stations list. In the post, “10 of the Most Influential College Radio Stations in the US,” Soundfly lists off ten radio stations: WERS, WFUV (see my tour), KALX (see my tour), WRSU, KCRW, KUTX, KUSF 90.3 FM (see […]
When I was planning my trip to Virginia, I had hoped that I would be able to see college radio station WXJM-FM, as I’d long been interested in its association with the MACROCK music festival. Now in its 20th year, the event was launched by WXJM in 1996 and at the time was called the […]
Are you ready? Drum roll… It’s time for my 100th radio station field trip post. Eight years after my first radio station field trip, I’ve traveled to various pockets of the United States (covering 14 states, plus District of Columbia) and Ireland in order to feast my eyes on a wide range of radio stations, […]
Radio Survivor’s podcast resumed this week after a break for the winter holidays. In this brand new episode, I give an overview of the state of college radio in 2015. It’s worth a listen, particularly if you missed my 2015 college radio year-in-review article. My segment starts at about the 60 minute mark. Also this […]
Although I’d been to Portland, Oregon-based community radio station KBOO back in 2013 (when I did a crazy, jam-packed day of touring four radio stations), it was an unplanned, drop-in visit and didn’t warrant an official post. For that reason, I was glad to be able to schedule an proper visit when I was in […]
Why will we hear more Rush and Hannity on the FM Dial? Prof. John Anderson of Brooklyn College explains the FCC’s AM Revitalization Order, why it happened, and what will result. Then we discuss why Cumulus Media, the nation’s 2nd largest commercial radio owner, is in trouble, with its stock tanking big time.. Jennifer Waits […]
NPR Headquarters. Photo: J. Waits While visiting the Washington, D.C. area in April, I took the opportunity to visit NPR‘s new headquarters. Although NPR isn’t technically a radio station, I made an exception for this series, since it is in the business of producing public radio programming. (more…)
