I woke up Saturday morning to bits of news about the devastating fire at the Ghost Ship warehouse in Oakland late Friday night. Friends posted messages on social media, expressing concern for loved ones who were at the music event and who hadn’t been heard from. I clicked on the party invitation for the show […]
Tag Archives | kalx
College Radio Flashback: Covering Campus Disturbances in the 1960s and 70s
I’ve been thumbing through a couple of bound editions of IBS’ The Journal of College Radio from 1970 to 1972 and it’s an incredible look at college radio in that era. Concerns of the day included potential policy changes for carrier-current broadcasters, questions about the FCC’s rules on obscenity (not much has changed!), and excitement […]
College Radio News Round-Up: Radio K turns 100, KALX turns 50, WBNY turns 30
It’s always great to see college radio stations celebrating their lengthy histories and in recent weeks we’ve seen events commemorating college stations turning 30, 50, and 100! Additionally, I’m happy to share some other good news on the college radio front, culled from a number of recent articles. College Radio is Alive and Innovating In […]
R.E.M. Breaks Up, College Radio Nostalgia Ensues
The web is buzzing today with the news that R.E.M. has broken up. Once a staple of college radio, R.E.M. eventually crossed over into the mainstream. A BBC News headline today declared, “R.E.M.: The band that defined, then eclipsed college rock.” In fact, R.E.M. was one of the bands that epitomized the “college rock” or […]
Activating the Medium Festival explores Radio as Source Material for Sound Art
Radio doesn’t always begin and end with a broadcast over the airwaves. Sometimes radio transmissions are used by artists as another tool for creative expression. This year the arts organization 23five is curating the Activating the Medium XIV festival in San Francisco and will present several performances and radio broadcasts focused on the theme of […]
KFJC’s “Return of the Invasion of Maximum Louie Louie”
Back in 1983 college radio station KFJC (where I currently DJ) embarked on an ambitious project to do a radio marathon featuring hundreds of different versions of the song “Louie Louie.” Soliciting help from both musicians and listeners (one of my close friends fondly recalls heading up to KFJC to drop off the cassette tape […]
FCC Dismisses University of San Francisco’s Request to Move KUSF Transmitter
About a month ago, University of San Francisco filed a request with the FCC (PDF), asking for permission to move KUSF’s transmitter and antenna to a site north of San Francisco in Sausalito. As stated in their “minor change to a licensed facility” application to the FCC, this request from USF regarding 90.3 FM was […]
WFMU and Amoeba Music to Host Multi-Station Live Remote Broadcast in Support of KUSF
Although the shutdown of beloved college radio station KUSF has been devastating for radio and independent media fans in the San Francisco Bay Area; the outpouring of support for the station has been amazing to watch. This Friday, February 18th from 12noon to 3pm Pacific time, KUSF DJs will be on the stage at Amoeba […]
Top 5 Things Found at every College Radio Station
I LOVE college radio and have been a DJ at four different stations over the years (and I also went through DJ training at a 5th station). In addition to that, in the past two years I’ve visited 20 radio stations all over the country. When doing my tours, I’m often struck by the artifacts […]