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 the Radio Survivor Podcast, I shared college radio news in episode #84. Although not a college radio story, I also hope you caught podcast #86, which features our interview with one of the creators of the mysterious and wonderful Resistance Radio.
Today, a first-person piece on Noisey digs into the benefits of college radio for its participants. Author Drew Millard opines,
By far, the most rewarding thing I did while attending UNC-Chapel Hill was playing weekly radio shows at its station, WXYC. For one, the station provided me with a musical education that I’d later rely on in my career as a music writer. But more than that, it allowed me to join a scene of similarly music-obsessed folks from a host of backgrounds whose unique tastes and perspectives helped open up my own. In a sense, my time at WXYC was a microcosm of the best that college could offer.”
When I talk for former college radio participants, I often hear similar sentiments. People look back fondly on their time in college radio and many will say that it was the highlight of their college experience. Some of us have continued doing college radio well past our undergraduate days – a sure sign of college radio’s allure for the music obsessed in particular.
Medium Rotation to Cease Publishing Spinitron Charts; NACC to Add Subscription Service for Labels & Promoters
In other news, it looks like Medium Rotation will no longer be publishing Spinitron charts or chart commentary. You might recall that a few sites have cropped up to try to fill the void after CMJ’s college radio-themed editorial content (and now its radio charts) dropped off. A post by Douglas Blake on the site’s homepage states,
There is no CMJ, swallowed in a sea of lawsuits over the years, and College Radio is going through quite a few changes. We now have the NACC chart, a work in progress, but the closest thing we have to a CMJ style chart. And Spinitron,who started a spin based chart not as their core business but as an extension of it. Together they have filled the void left by CMJ of course with growing pains on every side.
At Medium Rotation we saw an opportunity to help College Radio and expand what Spinitron was doing beyond the single chart and I think for the betterment of College Radio we need both NACC and Spinitron to fill the void left by CMJ. But as with every new idea there are many obstacles to overcome and some of the ones we encountered made it not possible for us to bridge that gap, and unfortunately Medium Rotation will no longer be publishing the Spinitron Chart.”
It’s not clear to me if Medium Rotation will continue to publish periodic blog content about the culture of college radio. I hope they do, as it’s still slim pickings out there for anyone looking to keep up on the college radio scene.
In related news, charting service NACC continues to publish charts based on radio station submissions and starting next week, they will have a new website with some additional features, including genre charts. Additionally, NACC will begin charging promoters and record labels for access to station-specific charts. This “paid tier” will cost $100 a month or $1,000 a year. Stations will still be able to submit their charts for free.
WSOU Looking for Alumni
Did you do college radio at WSOU at Seton Hall University? Jack Kelly, a station alumnus, writes, “I am in the process of attempting to identify all the staff, management and talent who have been on the air, or behind the scenes at WSOU- FM from its start in 1948 until the present. WSOU- FM is still broadcasting from the campus of Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey. Multiple hundreds, if not over a thousand, of the students who participated have gone on to careers in the Broadcasting and Media industry and are spread across the United States.”
If you participated at WSOU, please contact Jack Kelly at nebizmgr AT gmail DOT com.
More College Radio News
Belmont Abbey College Relaunches Campus Radio with LPFM Station (Gaston Gazette)
Vincennes University Takes Back Control of WFML (Radio Insight)
Mississippi College Selling Campus Christian Radio Station (Mississippi College)
KTRU to Celebrate 50th Anniversary – Take a Look at What’s in their Archives (What’s in Woodson/Rice University)
Aggie Radio Takes its Logan City Limits Fest Off-Campus this Weekend (The Herald Journal)
VIC Radio to Host 31st Annual 50-Hour Marathon (IC News, Ithaca College)
Red Bulls Deal Brings College Radio into the Mix (Inside Radio)
College Radio Station to Give Away Car, Cruise (Rider University)
Emory & Henry’s Radio Station to Receive Race Money to Support Future Operations (Herald Courier)
Lake Land College Broadcasting Students Earn Radio Marketing Certificate (My Radio Link)
Opinion: Support Student Radio, Discover New Music and Tune In (The Daily Tar Heel)
Former Crescent City Radio DJ Takes Show Online (Loyola University/the Maroon)
Oregon’s Charlie Noebel Hosts Late Night College Radio Show as DJ Upchuck (For the Win)
KXUA Forms Statewide Radio Organization in Arkansas (The Arkansas Traveler)
Has Spotify Killed the Student Radio DJ? (Study Breaks)
Music Director of the Month: Franco Miranda of KSJS (NACC)
Rebel Radio Recognized at Associated Press Conference (The Daily Mississippian)
Campus Media Outlets Take Home Broadcast Awards (The Oakland Post)
University of Tennessee Martin Wins at IBS (KFVS 12)
Broadcasting Week Raises Awareness for RAQ Radio (The Racquet)
Ravenshwar Radio Coming Back on the Air in Cuttack, India (Radio and Music)
“Best” Internet Radio Stations, Including a Few College Stations (Digital Trends)
Elton Jim and Mick Kayler Riff about Their College Radio Past at WRSE (WGN Radio)
Profiling “The College Circuit” Show on WOLF Radio (The West Georgian)
Huge Industry Names Confirmed for Student Radio Conference (De Montfort University)
Fake College Radio News (April Fools!)
Parody: Howard Stern to Take Over WBCR at Brooklyn College (The Excelsior)
