College Radio Watch: 80s College Radio on Film, Anarchy Radio, and More News

By Jennifer Waits on August 3, 2018 in College Radio, College Radio Survivor

Today, it’s not uncommon for mobile phone-wielding college radio participants to document every bit of minutiae from their stations and shows, leading to countless photos and videos across social media channels, from Instagram to YouTube. But back in the 1980s and 1990s, photos and videos was taken more sparingly because most people didn’t carry cameras with them on a daily basis. In the pre-digital world, we were also more judicious about the photos and videos that we captured due to the cost of film, tape, and processing. Not surprisingly, there’s scant photographic evidence (and no film or video) of my time in college radio from the 1980s and mid-1990s.

This topic is top of mind after a filmmaker/archival film researcher reached out to ask if I knew of footage taken inside college radio stations in the 1980s and 1990s. The gems that I’m aware of include some even older footage from KFJC, the station where I currently host a show and volunteer. DJ Boris shot film of the college radio station back in 1979 and then in 1983, there was quite a bit of local news coverage of KFJC’s Maximum Louie Louie marathon. These are amazing time capsules and also point to a period when even big city television stations in places like San Francisco devoted considerable airtime to quirky local stories about college radio.

Over on the WPRB History website, there’s a collection of videos documenting hip hop music shows at the Princeton University station circa 1992.

Others have pointed to some other great film footage, including:

“Bottom of the Dial” about KALX in 1994

WHRW studio footage from 1991

WXCI in 1987

I’d be curious to know how much film is out there from decades ago, so do let me know if you are aware of vintage college radio film and video.