On this week’s Radio Survivor Podcast (#126), Matthew Lasar, Paul Riismandel, Eric Klein and I discuss some of the most frequently asked questions that we get at Radio Survivor, including some focused on college radio. In addition to the most popular question of “How do I start a radio station?,” I’m regularly asked “How many college radio stations are there in the United States” and “Is there a list of college radio stations.” Unfortunately, I don’t have an up-to-date number or list to point to, although I can say that there are more than 600 college radio stations in the U.S. across all categories (FM, AM, online, etc.). For the past few years, in my spare moments, I’ve been slowly compiling my own college radio station list, which may see the light of day soon. In the meantime, I provide some updates and resources on our just-updated About College Radio page for those seeking out more information about college radio.
WBAR Working to Increase Diversity
We’ve shared a number of stories about radio stations and diversity, so I am pleased to hear that WBAR at Barnard College (my 13th radio station tour back in 2009!) is actively working on broadening its membership. The Columbia Daily Spectator reports:
Despite being publicized as a station dedicated to showcasing underrepresented artists, WBAR, Barnard’s alternative college radio and largest student group, has historically been predominantly white in its music and membership.
To combat this, the club’s executive board has begun to make strides this year toward a more equitable and inclusive presence on campus, surveying its DJs, holding listening sessions, and making the e-board more accessible.
Nevertheless, WBAR’s long-standing reputation as a space for white students—albeit those with unconventional music taste—has proven difficult to shake. Although it was founded in the early 1990s as an alternative to Columbia’s student radio, WKCR, WBAR has often been a space dominated by white men from Columbia.
I was surprised to read that a station at a women’s college (Barnard) was populated with mostly white men from Columbia University (although I did mostly meet men at the station when I visited in 2009) and it’s reassuring that student DJs and staff are calling for change and for attempt to make WBAR feel more welcoming and inclusive to people of color.
More College Radio News
Station, Staff, and DJ Profiles
Profiling WXJM General Manager Mike Dolzer (JMU Breeze)
January Music Director of the Month: Miranda Leone, WCVF at SUNY Fredonia (NACC)
Participants Sought at WZIP at University of Akron (The Buchtelite)
Events and Programming
Teesside University Student Radio Station Celebrates 10 Years on Air with Charity Broadcast (Teesside University)
Double Barrel Benefit 15: WKNC to Host Two-Night Diverse Lineup (Technician Online)
Diversity, Space Issues
Attempting to Shed “White” Label, WBAR Takes Steps Toward Improving Diversity (Columbia Spectator)
WBAR Seeks New Space on Campus (Columbia Daily Spectator)
Opinion: The RTVF Building Needs a Serious Upgrade (North Texas Daily)
Awards and Accolades
The Globe Nominated Once Again (The Record)
College Radio Memories, History, Archives
The Birth of the Alternative Grammys and the Commodification of the Underground (Uproxx)
“Floydian Slip” Producer Recounts College Radio Past at Ithaca College Station VIC, including Carrier Current Tales (Seven Days)
Musicians Wax Nostalgic about Hearing their Music in Unexpected Places, including College Radio (The Stranger)
Jenn Misko Reflects on Her College Radio Past at WAKE and Importance of Radio Today (NACC)
Yaeji Discovered Obscure Electronic Music and Found Community While Doing Radio at Carnegie-Mellon (Vogue)
