While doing research for 35000 Watts, we’ve found a lot of great resources that anyone can use to learn more about college radio history (or maybe just take a walk down memory lane). One of the best is World Radio History (worldradiohistory.com)…
Category: College Radio History
Artists you heard first on college radio
The interviewees from our first shoots in Dallas and Los Angeles give us an excellent list of bands that were heard first on college radio (and yet this still only scratches the surface). From iconic college radio bands like The Replacements, Pixies, Nirvana, Pearl Jam and R.E.M.…
College Radio Alumni: Jason Miller
Name: Jason Miller
College: University of Hawaii
Radio Station: KTUH-FM
Years Active: 1993-96
Position(s): DJ, Promotions Director
Favorite Bands: punk rock by friends around the world like GBH, Rancid, Lower Class Brats, The Forgotten, The Casualties, The Vandals, TSOL, Noi!se……
College Radio Alumni: Peggy La Point, WRST
Name: Peggy La Point
College: University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
Radio Station: WRST
Years Active: 1984-1989
Position(s): DJ (84-89), Program Director (87), Asst. Station Manager (88), Station Manager (88)
Favorite Bands (then): I don’t know where to start here.…
Twenty-Five Debut Albums You Heard on College Radio First
The debut album is tricky. Many great artists have debut albums that show raw potential but not a lot of polish, or that don’t really represent what they would eventually become (Radiohead falls into this category).
Then, there are debut albums that are undeniable masterpieces, like the ones on this list.…
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 Killed Local Radio
Twenty-six years ago, President Bill Clinton signed the “Telecommunications Act of 1996”, a landmark overhaul of telecommunications law that completely changed the landscape of broadcasting in the United States. Billed as a way to allow any business to compete in the communications sphere, some of the most damaging provisions instead drove many small broadcasters out of the market, while allowing large corporations to scoop up broadcast licenses and reduce the number of independent voices in communities across the country.…
College Radio Alumni: Jesse Robinson, WGMU Radio
Name: Jesse Robinson
College: George Mason University
Radio Station: WGMU Radio
Years Active: 2012-2016
Position(s): DJ (12-16) Program Director (13-14), General Manager (15-16)
Favorite bands (either during your time at the college radio station or now, or both!)…
College Radio Alumni: Nathan Moore
Name: Nathan Moore
College: West Virginia University (as a student host); University of Virginia (as a grown-up station manager)
Radio Station: U92 at WVU; WTJU at UVA
Years Active: 1998-2002 at U92; 2011-present at WTJU
Position(s): At U92, I was a rock DJ for four years, jazz DJ for three years, talk show host for three years, and news director for two years.
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CMJ: The “Bible” of College Radio
On March 1, 1979, the first issue of the College Music Journal rolled off the presses, featuring a photo of Elvis Costello on the cover. While the first issue didn’t make a huge splash (Wikipedia quotes staff as calling the first issues “a bunch of photocopies stapled together”), the publication would soon become the most important college radio publication in the country.…
College Radio Alumni: Chrystal Bartlett – WKNC
Name: Chrystal Bartlett
College: North Carolina State University
Station: WKNC-FM 88.1
Active: 1981 – 1985
Positions: Disc Jockey, Librarian, Public Affairs Director, Promotions Director, Station Manager
Favorite bands back then: Black Sabbath, Elvis Costello, Jimi Hendrix, Motorhead
Advice: Learn all positions in case you get canned and need to get in the door elsewhere
Bathroom Break Song: Dazed and Confused (Live)
Memorable Interview: Dixie Dregs with Steve Morse.…