Live Blog: “Not Quite College Radio”

I don’t think I have previously mentioned on this blog that, in addition to my college radio work, I am also the assistant producer of a music program on Iowa Public Radio.

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This week, I thought it would be fun to do a little live blog to show you what my job entails.

• 11:00 AM — Piano is delivered to the coffee shop venue we record in every week
• 11:30 AM — I arrive, move around chairs, clear the stage, and attach the station’s banner to the wall
• 12:00 PM — Band arrives
• 12:30 PM — Load in Iowa Public Radio equipment while the university TV station loads in their equipment
• 12:45 PM — Park van in university lot & return to the venue
• 1:00 PM — Set up mics and stands for the band, which, in this week’s case, involved some minor dismantling of the piano
• 1:30 PM — Sound check with band, host arrives
• 1:45 PM — Host goes over the show format with the band members while I buy them coffee and distribute fliers to the audience
• 2:00 PM — Record live promo spots, complete with audience participation! (This week it took two tries to get the 30 second spot just right.)
• 2:05 PM — After a brief intro, this week’s band, the Eddie Piccard Jazz Quartet, starts off by performing “In A Mellow Tone” by Duke Ellington. This song amuses me, as my uncle’s (somewhat legendary) high school band was called The Mellow Tones, a name which was inspired by this composition.
• 2:10 PM — The host takes a few minutes to interview the band. They play each weekend at The Light House in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
• 2:30 PM — Halfway point in the show
• 3:00 PM — Show concludes
• 3:30 PM — Pack up, load out
• 4:00 PM — Return to station, put away equipment, extract audio to the computer syustem, mail CDs to artists of past shows, and go home.

Sounds like fun, right? Though my job does require a lot of heavy lifting (and I am a complete weakling), I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Last week we had a folk singer, this week we had a jazz act, and next week a gypsy music group. The variety of acts always keeps me on my toes.

Are you a listener or supporter of public radio? What are your favorite shows?

Political Communication in College Radio

Mitt Romney in West Des Moines

It’s the eve of December in Iowa and you (may or may not) know what that means: Caucus Time.

Some may disagree with me, but I feel that, as citizens’ Internet use increases, so does their political awareness.

“Trying to assess the political impact of the Internet on the American public involves shooting at a moving target. After rapid expansion during the 1990s, at least half of the American adult population had access to the Internet by the end of the decade, a figure that can only increase with time. As the Internet audience enlarges and as the political usage of the Internet evolves, the effects of the Internet are likely to change.” — Kent Jennings, Professor of Political Science UC-Santa Barbara

College radio stations in Iowa, like the station I work at, are lucky. As the number of folks using the Internet has expanded, so has the radio station’s audience. (Thanks to online streams of the on-air broadcasts, of course.)

We now not only reach local Iowan voters, but listeners across the country and the world. It’s a great tool for politically active listeners to get the real, organic scoop on the candidates and the caucus from the locals covering the race at the radio station.

What are your thoughts on political communication in college radio, or the caucus this year? Let me know in the comments section!

“College Radio – Off the Dial” New York Times Piece

Hello there! I hope you are having a wonderful Wednesday. I just wanted to drop in to share with you this great article, “College Radio – Off the Dial,” that I read this morning.

“Music is what brings people to the radio,” he retorted. “Personalities are what keep them coming back.” Mr. Neves said later, “It’s an ongoing debate between certain people — what drives people to come and why iPods and Pandora are different.”

Happy reading, and enjoy your day!

Expert Interview: Max Johnson

This week, I interviewed Max, the current music director of KRUI 89.7 FM in Iowa City. He shared his insights on why college radio is important and how it’s gotten him “real-life” jobs in the music industry, even as an undergraduate.

I have one more expert interview coming, so keep on the lookout for that.

Health Communication, or, What DJs Mostly Eat

Happy almost-Thanksgiving! I hope you are home and enjoying the holidays. If I were dining with my fellow college radio staffers this week, our meal would probably consist of the following:

1. Papa John’s Pizza — For entirely mysterious, bureaucratic reasons the university will only let student organizations bring Papa John’s pizza into the student union (where our station is housed). Want to sneak in some (far superior) Domino’s? Off with your head! Trying to order your club some Pizza Hut on a university phone? How did you do manage to do that while your head was dismembered?

2. Newman’s O’s Hint ‘O Mint (Organic?) Knock-Off Oreo Cookies — I truly do not understand what could possibly make off-brand Oreo cookies “organic,” but I digress. These are a staple at directorial meetings.

3. Twizzlers — Nothing says “we take our job seriously” like an economy-size container of Twizzlers.

What food is in abundance at your meetings, college radio, student organization, or otherwise?

Guest Post on Then Heather Said

Want to learn about some recommended musical artists to perk up this Thanksgiving?

Head over to Then Heather Said to see my guest playlist, called “Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice: A Mix for Giving Thanks.” She even made a spiffy YouTube video playlist so you can listen and read about the artists at the same time.

Heather runs the coolest healthy living blog around, and even guest lectured to one of my classes this semester. What a sweet lady! Thanks, Heather!

Poison Control Center (Redux)

Did I mention that the Poison Control Center crew is just the nicest?

They were kind enough to feature my last post on their website. Because I can never have too much PCC in my life, check out some more of our coverage:

• Review of “Stranger Ballet” by (my best friend/KRUI Music Director) Max
• 4/1/11: KRUI Mission Creek Artist Lounge performance
• 9/30/10: KRUI In-Studio Interview & Performance

Community Radio Stations

Lake at Kotamale, Sri Lanka

I’d like to take a little time out of our regularly scheduled college radio blog programming to talk about one of my personal research interests: community radio stations in developing places.

Why does this interest me? I am double majoring in journalism and international studies here at school. And journalism + international studies = community radio.

In underdeveloped places with low literacy rates, these stations serve hugely important purposes. At a very basic level, community radio stations broadcast public service announcements about sanitation, agriculture, natural disasters, and more to those who live in rural areas and don’t get much word of mouth news, are illiterate, etc.

Additionally, these stations preserve and further existing cultural and linguistic practices through their radio programming, outside events, and workshops.

Community radio stations give voice and pride to communities that, in many cases, don’t have other means of physically preserving their culture as a record.

Want an example? Check out Kothmale FM in Mawathura, Sri Lanka.

Thanks from Campus Frequency

Happy Halloween & many thanks from Campus Frequency!

My heart is aflutter this week, and it’s not just because I am gearing up to be an owl for Halloween.

Rather, I’m very pleased to announce that Campus Frequency has gotten a little exposure this week!

• Campus Frequency is now listed as a resource on GetRadioJobs.com, right here. I’d highly recommend utilizing their site if you are interested in breaking into the professional radio business.
• BlogHer Network
• 20 Something Bloggers

Also, I’d like to take the opportunity to share with you a great resource for those looking for outstanding college radio stations: Topline Colleges gathered a list of the 12 Most Popular College Radio Stations. Thanks to Jennifer from Topline Colleges for sending the link my way. I’m sure all my readers will really enjoy the read!

Finally, I want to extend a most sincere, girly, squeal-y thanks to Elsie at the lovely DIY/craft/fashion blog A Beautiful Mess. I won her September Giveaway on my 21st birthday, which was completely magical! I am having a ball getting to shop at some of her sponsors’ great shops!

Have a great day, readers! Do you have any big plans for this Halloween weekend? What will you be listening to?

Monday is For: Joe Pug

Joe Pug: Singer-Songwriter With a Purpose

Joe Pug seems to do everything with purpose. After experiencing an almost supernatural moment of clarity, the North Carolinian playwrighting student dropped out the day before his senior year of college and promptly moved to Chicago. Working as a carpenter by day and a singer-songwriter by night, he re-worked one of his unfinished plays into a folk record. Then, he began to tour as though he had no place to call home. And the rest is history.

One of my favorite touring musicians to interview, Joe Pug has visited our station many times over the past three years. In fact, he was my very first in-studio interview ever.  

Joe was even kind enough, along with The Englert Theatre, to allow KRUI to tape one of his small, intimate shows last fall.

Pug fully goes the extra mile in all that he does and, musically, he always commits: to filling up any performance space with his booming voice, to strumming his guitar with exuberance, and, most importantly, to writing music that needs to be written.

Listen to his masterpiece, “Hymn #101″: