COLLEGE RADIO RANT
NateBizzo
2,328 Posts
So I've had a college radio show since 1997. Fully commited DJ, I've volunteered countless hours, brought in thousands of dollars of underwriting, helped make our website what it is today and generally exposed people to new music over the years. Without tooting my own horn I have had one of the most popular shows on WRUV for better part of a decade. I've been a consistant contributor as a student and non-student DJ.The downside is that it is run by students who basically turn over their positions each semester. As a student, it's not a big deal, but now, being a busy non student you have to kiss the ass of every unorganized, unknowledgable little prick each semester. Not really my bag. This new program director has really cracked the whip this year. Changing the rules of how you get a show and alienating the non-students who keep the station afloat. I'm very busy making real world moves. But guess what; I was still able to volunteer 5 hours this semester and bring in $1000. But that's not good enough.This semester I did not get a show. R.I.P. Nate B's Sure Shot 1997-2006. 
Comments
Which, frankly, is as it should be. Because in the summers, over breaks, etc. the kids aren't the ones keeping the airwaves running.
Hopefully, the natural attrition of students will restore the station to some sense of sanity. Sorry to hear about taht.
1. Don't play any music that the average listener could possibly enjoy
2. Eliminate all traces of professionalism from your on-air persona
As a result, both stations suffer from playlists chock full of Vietnamese gong field recordings, amateur-hour indie rock and terminally annoying glitch-hop, with mumbling stoners perpetrating about 5 minutes of dead air before pathetically offering radio patter along the lines of:
"Ok...you just hear...uh...wait... um... I can't read the other DJ's writing...oh well. Anyway, let me read you this PSA. (rustles paper) The Carrboro Town Center is having a recycling drive on January 7th.. oh that already happened. Sorry. Ok here's the Magnolia Klezmer Band from their album Live at Duke Gardens, June 2004. Enjoy."
granted, i couldn't really stand most of the people who ran my college's station, so when it came time for me to graduate, i was more than willing to give my show up. but at the same time, there are only so many hours in a day/week, so to have several blocks of time used for non-students would make it more difficult for a college student to have a show. and if it is really a "college station" part of the experience for students should be to have the opportunity to have a show while in college (and not get cock blocked by some dude who graduated a year ago). in my experience, ex-students had so much control over most of my college (be it sports/academics/etc.), it was nice to have an organization that kept things mostly at a student level.
and not to belittle your contributions, but most people who have long standing shows in college contribute a lot to the station (time,energy,$$$,etc). but in the end, the cycle has to continue. which is not to say that upcoming freshman dudes didn't learn from your show, but at some time you have to kiss that bitch goodbye. either that, or you'll end up being that "old dude" at the station.
in short, your should feel good about what you have done for the station/commmunity. you'll probably have a lot of folks missing your show, and you should take that as a complement too. but don't begrudge the station for having to move on. college has to end someday...
This is a "College/Community" Radio Station. But it's about a 50/50 split for non-student/students.
If it was all student we would have dead for half the day. If it was all students the station would be no where near what it is today organizationally. WRUV is quite different than most college stations.
There are maybe 3 shows that I can actually listen to.
Anyway. I guess I'm the only one who get's to listen to my records now.
It's really the loss of the community that I don't have a show (no ego).
And as far as being the grumpy old guy at the station, that's not me as that role is fully filled. I could pass for an 18 year old. I just want to play music on the radio. Fuck the bullshit.
I have community membership at a college station (MIT) and they require
that for every hour you are on the air, you must complete an hour of
qualified "volunteer work." Of course, there is nowhere near enough work to
go around, and everyone gets all cut-throat about their tasks and
getting work.
I have put hours of work in just trying to FIND volunteer work to DO.
Of course, most frustrating, as you have pointed out, is the fact that I spend
countless hours of my own time and a decent amount of my own $$$ just to
put together every show, which I am NOT paid for, and is completely volunteer.
Despite all the work I put in, all the $$$ raised, all the promotion for the
station I do on my own time (including creating a blog for an entire show
of 7 DJ's to list playlists, for which I received 0 volunteer credit), I am
still made to feel as if I don't pull my weight if I can't find some alumnus
to grant me a 4 hour shift cleaning the CD shelves...
Your frustration is heard and understood.
Their loss.
I see your point, and a college radio station should be just that- a college station. But in our case, it was a 80/20 Student/Community ratio, which was perfect for us. The 20% provided consistency that we could not get with students, who have a 4 year max, and are gone for parts of the year as well. Also, to be frank, the community members took it more seriously, and were far less likely to pull a no-show, or get drunk in the station, or any of the other attendant problems that come with college students (myself among the problems, at times...).
Also, there are certain rules that the FCC has about how many hours you are required to broadcast, etc (I'm not as up on those as I once was), and that becomes a real problem at times when college is not in session and all the students are gone. By maintaining ties to the community, you can keep the station running through the summer, winter break, spring break, etc.
We had one guy who did a polka show for 48 hours on Christmas. People loved the annual polka marathon, and we loved that it solved our scheduling problem.
Seriously, tell me who to write to and I'll send off an officious, condescending, "you don't know your head from your ass" letter. Maybe we can get a soulstrut letter writing campaign started. This is as good a cause as any.
triple cosine!
Sorry about the show, Nate. Fuck'em, they don't deserve you.
Anyways, I'm going to be doing an online radio station pretty soon, but the real idea. Was too figure out a way to broadcast. Pirating was an idea, but then I found out how inexpensive it is to broadcast to a small radius. So, now I'm going to go to the NAB convention here, and figure out how much it would be to get my own station, and be able to broadcast here. I know an Antenna is mad expensive, and all the equipment, but I wonder really how expensive it would be now that computers are pretty much running things. Cause an Internet station is only the hosting fees.
If I find some valuable information then I'll let you all know. The FM takeover should have happened a long time ago.
- spidey
At Vassar's station, I believe that the polka shows are the most popular, and their listeners give up the most cash during their fundraising drives. Polka fans know how to make those real world moves. And nothing beat the segue from the Polka Rascal show right into Dave O's Vicious Metal on Monday nights...imagine "Roll Out the Barrel" right into Slayer's "Angel of Death".
I've been listening the WVKR for close to 20 years, and I'd have to say my favorite shows were done predomiantly by community members. Nothing against the student shows, because there were some good ones, like when Ben Velez was on air in the 90s. But it seems that the community folks just had their shit tighter in general, no matter what music they were playing, and they gave the station some continuity.
SG
The variety is part of the fun...My Friday night 10-12 hip hop/soul/breaks show used to be followed by George and the "Full Metal Racket".
And yeah, the Polka shows raised more money for the station than anything else. Is there are polkastrut board that anyone posts on?