College Radio Watch: College Radio’s Virtual Meet-up, Creative Responses to Social Distancing and More News

By Jennifer Waits on March 20, 2020 in College Radio, College Radio Survivor

On Thursday, March 19, more than 100 college radio participants and friends gathered virtually for a video meeting: “College Radio and Coronavirus: A National Zoom Meeting.”

Organized by the College Radio Foundation, with assistance from College Broadcasters Inc. (CBI), the one-hour session was a forum for college radio stations seeking advice amid campus closures. College Radio Day Founder Rob Quicke opened the meeting with an official statement (later shared on Radio World), pointing out the important role that college radio can play during a crisis. Quicke says in part,

So, I believe that during this time, college radio stations do not need to disappear. There are things that can be done, even when students are not on campus. There is even a possibility that college radio stations could play an important role in providing information to the campus community and the local communities in which they reside and serve. Even with the transmitters shut down, college radio stations, and those that operate them (faculty, staff, students and community volunteers) can still create community and content that can be shared with a wider audience.
College radio can also continue to serve as an important outlet for student expression and creativity, it’s just that we perhaps need to use different tools to do so. There is no reason why college radio needs to be silent during this time. We just need to adapt to these current circumstances and work together to ensure that the medium continues its important work of providing voices not heard anywhere else, and music and programming that no one else will play on the air. Yes, this is a challenging time, but now, more than ever, college radio is up to the task.

This statement, and Thursday’s call in general, provided calm reassurance in the midst of a week that saw more college radio stations ceasing broadcasts due to campus closures. I was very pleased to hear pragmatic advice during the meeting, from FCC concerns to logistics surrounding remote broadcasts. But perhaps more importantly, I was happy to hear creative ideas to help college radio stations and college radio participants remain engaged even if away from a station physically.

Neumann University’s WNUW-FM in Aston, Pennsylvania has been asking its participants to send in pre-recorded content remotely in order to liven up the airsound. Additionally, the station has aired question and answer sessions with administrators related to changes on campus amid COVID-19. At University of Kentucky’s WRFL-FM in Lexington, they’ve been experimenting with broadcasting live performances from artists’ homes. If you know of other interesting approaches to programming, drop me a note.