Studio at college radio station WIIT. Photo: J. Waits

College Radio Watch: 2017 Year in Review and More News

By Jennifer Waits on January 12, 2018 in College Radio, College Radio Survivor

At the start of another new year, I’m reflecting back on all that has transpired in 2017, including the state of college radio. I was grateful to have been able to visit more radio stations (in Virginia, New York, Illinois and California) and have written up 16 of my 2017 visits so far.

The past few weeks have also been busy as far as press attention for Radio Survivor, with mentions in the New York Times (low power FM story) and Haverford Magazine (podcasting article). Additionally, I have two new pieces for Radio World: College Radio Station Flies Overseas for Remote Broadcasts (about my home radio station KFJC’s recent travels to Iceland and Liverpool) and Radio Preservation from the Archive to the Classroom (about the November, 2017 Radio Preservation Task Force conference).

Radio Survivor in New York Times Piece about Low Power FM

Although not a college radio story, the New York Times coverage of low power FM in this week’s Sunday paper was exciting news for low power FM (LPFM) advocates, stations, and fans. Three of us at Radio Survivor were interviewed for the piece and some of my commentary made it into the story. While community radio stations get the bulk of the attention in articles about LPFM, it’s important to mention that college radio has certainly embraced the LPFM opportunity. As I’ve noted before, around 75 college radio groups received LPFM construction permits as a result of the 2013 application window.

Radio Survivor in “Podcasting on the Rise” in Haverford Magazine

I was also interviewed for the Podcasting on the Rise story in Haverford Magazine. Drawing connections between college radio and podcasting, the article also outlines how some of that history has played out at my alma mater radio station, WHRC.

2017 College Radio Year in Review

In last week’s podcast (Radio Survivor Podcast #123), all four Radio Survivors come together to discuss the year in review, including my thoughts on some notable college radio stories. College radio news that caught my eye in 2017 included:

Commercial College Radio License Sales at WUVA and WBRU

A very small number of licensed commercial radio stations are run by students and WUVA and WBRU were a few of those rare commercial college radio stations. Facing economic pressures, students and alumni opted to sell these FM licenses in 2017. WUVA (loosely affiliated with University of Virginia in Charlottesville) and WBRU (run by Brown University students and alumni out of Providence, Rhode Island) will now focus on online activities, including journalism (WUVA) and streaming radio (WBRU). In a very interesting twist, some former WBRU content may eventually air over a brand new LPFM station (affiliated with Brown Student Radio) with call letters WBRU-LP.

Related coverage:

WBRU Programming Leaves FM in Advance of $5.63 Million License Sale to EMF (9/1/17)

Country Music and a 70-Year Commercial College Radio Legacy: Visiting WUVA at University of Virginia (4/17/17)

College Radio Watch: WUVA Selling FM License (1/27/17)

Free Speech or Hate Speech Debate on College Radio

I really miss Dan Reimold (he passed away in 2015). A staunch advocate for college media (including college radio), Reimold always had interesting things to say about the state of free speech and student media. Others are carrying on his work at College Media Matters, although he was the last to post an article about college radio. I would have loved to have gotten his perspective about the recent turn of events surrounding student radio show “Deplorable Radio” at KUMM at University of Minnesota-Morris. The conservative talk show received a listener complaint in late October, which led to closer monitoring and ultimately its cancellation, by station personnel.

According to Turning Point News, “…on the 30th of October, while KUMM staff were listening in to the show…they were caught on air using the word ‘tranny,’ which sparked an immediate response from the university PD…The station manager stated that they ‘had violated FCC law by saying a word that was never allowed on air,’ and the students were asked to immediately pack their things up and leave the station.”

The student hosts were suspended and told that it was not only due to the language they used on air, but also due to several other violations of station policy. Folks in the radio community have pointed out that the use of the T-word is not an FCC violation. The College Fix reported in late December, “The ‘Deplorable Radio’ show at the University of Minnesota-Morris remains suspended indefinitely from the university’s radio station, prompting the student hosts of the show to argue they were booted because they’re conservative and politically incorrect.”

In a post on Facebook, KUMM’s Executive Staff explained, “…the hosts used the offensive term ‘tranny’ to disparagingly refer to one of the students on our campus. Though the student was not named, other details in the conversation made it plausible for someone to identify who they were referring to, and it was clearly used in a negative, hateful context. This is not a direct violation of FCC guidelines, as some members of our staff initially believed and erroneously told ‘Deplorable Radio.’ Though we clarified in our first meeting with the show’s hosts that it was not, we apologize for any confusion our initial mistake caused. This type of speech, in the context it was used, could be damaging to a member of the Morris community and was a significant concern to the entirety of the executive staff.”

In that post, KUMM also revealed that staff members had received death threats following the removal of the show’s hosts. The post continues, “…the hosts, as well as multiple news articles, have misleadingly described this incident as a matter of free speech, focusing on the language used during the show. KUMM supports constructive debate and the representation of diverse opinions, and would not suspend a show simply for discussing a controversial topic. The suspension of ‘Deplorable Radio’ was a result of a combination of multiple violations made during their shows on the 24th and 31st.”

#MeToo, Sexual Harassment and College Radio

Sexual harassment has received a great deal of media attention in recent months and discussions over alleged improprieties have also been taking place at college radio stations. I was happy to hear college radio DJs speaking up about abuse during a panel at KXLU in Spring, 2017; but I was also sad to hear that on-air hosts had been subject to negativity just because they were female. When I published my own #MeToo piece about harassment, I heard from many other female college radio DJs about their own sad stories. Students at West Virginia University’s college radio station WWVU held an on-air strike this past December, protesting alleged sexual harassment by the station manager.

Related coverage:

#MeToo: Sexual Harassment and Abuse in College Radio (10/19/17)

Radio Survivor Podcast #89 (5/2/17)

College Radio Watch: Is College Radio Welcoming to All? (5/5/17)

Women in American College Radio (The Panoptic, 9/25/17)

Making Regional College Radio Connections

Whenever I visit college radio stations, I encourage station leaders and participants to connect with nearby college radio colleagues. Every time I set foot into another radio station’s studio and offices, I’m not only inspired, but I also learn so much. Making connections can be incredibly valuable, as stations can work together on projects, share tips and resources, and commiserate about common challenges.

In 2017, I participated in a regional college radio gathering in Virginia (thanks, WTJU!), headed to KXLU for the spring UC Radio Network conference, and was pleased to learn of the launch of the Arkansas College Radio Association after having met several of its founders in fall, 2016. I hope that all of these efforts will motivate other college radio stations to meet up with local cohorts, whether for station tours, open houses, bowling matches, or even full-fledged conferences.

Related coverage:

College Radio Forges Regional Bonds (Radio World, 10/18/17)

College Radio Watch: Arkansas Stations Form College Radio Organization (3/24/17)

College Radio: Then, Now and Next Symposium (WTJU, 3/17/17)

College Radio Watch: Arkansas Travels (11/18/16)

College Radio Watch: UCRN Highlights, Audio from WTJU Symposium (5/5/17)

Radio Survivor Podcast #89 (5/2/17)