A few years back I was lucky to get a glimpse into the world of student radio in Ireland. After visiting few stations there and learning a bit about the country’s college radio culture, I am happy to hear that student broadcasters will be convening in Ireland this week. The National Student Radio Conference will take place in Galway, Ireland today and tomorrow. Ireland’s first national student radio conference is being hosted by National University Ireland (NUI) Galway’s RadioSoc along with NUI Galway student radio station FlirtFM. Sessions and talks will focus on student radio and radio more broadly, including theoretical, practical and more general topics.
In other college radio news:
Glasgow Clyde College Launches Student Radio Station
In other UK news, this week Glasgow Clyde College launched student radio station GCR (Glasgow Clyde Radio). According to All Media Scotland, the online station will “feature a variety of student-produced programmes covering news, current affairs, music and entertainment.”
Stations Rally in Final Day of mtvU College Radio Woodie Voting
The college radio station finalists for this year’s mtvU College Radio Woodie Award are the subject of episode 41 of the Radio Stuff Podcast. Tune in to hear snippets from the competing stations and commentary about the contest. As you can imagine, many of the college radio stations up for this year’s College Radio Woodie award are rallying listeners and students in order to achieve the most votes. WESS at East Stroudsburg University planned to hold a vote-a-thon yesterday and also installed voting booths on campus. WCRD at Ball State University is also hoping to win the contest and made use of social media in order to make it to the finals. Yesterday was the last day to vote and the winning station will be announced at SXSW on March 16.
University of Maryland to Host College Radio Symposium on April 11
I’m excited to be presenting at the all-day “Saving College Radio” symposium at University of Maryland on Friday, April 11th. The event is open to the public and is being held in conjunction with the Saving College Radio: WMUC Past, Present, and Future exhibit celebrating the long history of WMUC and student radio at the College Park, Maryland campus. Hosted by the University of Maryland Libraries’ Special Collections, the symposium will feature presentations by academics, archivists and college radio participants. “Presenters will highlight the vital contributions of college radio to campus, local and online communities, and emphasize the value of college radio archival materials in history and scholarship.”
Dodge City Community College Station May Partner with Public Radio Group
The Dodge City Daily Globe reports that “High Plains Public Radio may be acquiring a stronger signal for its programming in Dodge City through a partnership with Dodge City Community College” in Dodge City, Kansas. The deal is in “exploratory stages.” Dodge City Community College operates KONQ 91.9 FM and KDCC 1550 AM and also has a broadcasting program. High Plains Public Radio broadcasts across 21 radio stations in Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas. Rumors about public radio interest in KONQ have been circulating for at least 7 years, with speculation about High Plains Public Radio’s designs on the station mentioned in an online forum in 2007.
Student Radio Documentary Earns Gracie Award
An already award-winning radio documentary about heroin abuse has picked up a coveted American Women in Radio and Television Gracie Award. Produced by Rowan University graduate Allie Volpe, the 30-minute radio documentary first aired on WGLS-FM Rowan Radio in 2012.
WHUS Revamps Schedule to Attract Student Listeners
Acknowledging the changing radio landscape, University of Connecticut’s student radio station WHUS has made changes to its schedule, beefed up its web offerings, and has launched a show focused on new music. According to the Courant, “Last fall, the student-led Operations Board of WHUS decided to reorganize its programming generally in a ‘block scheduling’ format that provides more consistency throughout the listening day by grouping similar genres of music and news-information shows during specific hours of the day.”
University of Toledo Jazz DJ to Host Local Series
WXUT DJ Hugh Ross hosts “The H-Factor” on the University of Toledo radio station. The Toledo Free Press reports that he “…is hoping to help revitalize Toledo’s once-thriving jazz community” by “…working to line up more public appearances to expose jazz to people of all ages” with a weekly DJ event at a local venue.
Tyler Commercial College’s Pioneering Role in Radio Training
This week a historical marker was placed on the former site of Tyler Commercial College in Tyler, Texas. Although the school offered coursework in many fields of study, it’s notable that it began teaching radio telegraphy and radio telephony courses in the 1920s.
Wichita State’s Public Radio Station Courts College Student Donors
Named after 19th century inventor Nathan B. Stubblefield, the Stubblefield Society is a fundraising arm of Wichita State University’s public radio station KMUW. Geared towards students, the nearly 300-member society provides benefits like free admission to local museums as well as promotional materials from the station. Although the Wichita State station isn’t a student-run radio station, it’s interesting to see how it is engaging students through its fundraising efforts.
University of Massachusetts Radio Station Seeks Funds to Cover NCAA Basketball Tournament
University of Massachusetts, Amherst radio station WMUA-FM is hoping to cover the upcoming NCAA basketball tournament, but needs additional funding in order to do the live broadcasts. According to its Indie GoGo fundraising page, “In just a few weeks the UMass Men’s Basketball team will be playing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nearly 20 years. Covering this event would be a great opportunity for not just us as students, but for our station and its listeners as a whole.” In the campaign, WMUA is seeking at least $1000 to offset travel costs.
We cover the culture of college radio every Friday in our College Radio Survivor feature. If you have college radio news to share, please drop us a note at EDITORS at RADIOSURVIVOR dot COM.
