Dead Air, Um, Dead Air: Your Guide To 2007’s Top College Radio Stations
As someone who spends at least once a week making sure I don’t break myriad FCC rules, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out the Princeton Review’s list of top college radio stations for 2007. Yeah, so everything’s available online through some BitTorrent site or blog, but there’s a certain thrill radio can only provide, and this list was judged on the basis of student involvement. So how do the top college stations stack up? A quick look:
WERS 88.9 FM (Emerson College) Slogan: “Music for the Independent Mind” A student-run, professionally managed station that broadcasts to the greater Boston area and eastern Massachussetts. A recent playlist included Joan Baez, Rogue Wave, Ellis Paul, Lightning Dust, Pavement and the National–almost in that order. Transitions are tight and the on-air talent evades the usual plagues of a college radio DJ, but with all that said, it feels almost too robotic.
WSBU 88.3 FM (St. Bonaventure University) Slogan: “The Buzz” Completely student-run and managed, broadcasting to upstate New York. I’d be willing to overlook the station’s slogan–if it were broadcast year-round. Most recent charts included hot hits like the Shins, Muse, My Chemical Romance. Sounds like they’re cribbing playlists from the teenagers on my block!
WGRE 91.5 FM (DePauw University) Slogan: “Your Sound Alternative” Students, where is your commitment to radio!? Another station that, sadly, does not broadcast in the summertime. I envision hundreds of bored teenagers in west central Indiana who are longing to hear Guster and the Arctic Monkeys. Look at what you’ve done–you’ve driven them to downloading!
WICB 91.7 FM (Ithaca College) Slogan: “The station for innovation” This station’s signal spans two states and ranges from northern Pennsylvania to Lake Ontario. A recent playlist includes White Stripes, Robbers On High Street, Immaculate Machine, They Might Be Giants, and a hyperactive DJ who complains about iPhone. If I was living in Ithaca, I guess I’d be happy with just about anything. Not bad, not bad.
WVCR 88.3 FM (Siena College) Slogan: “The Saint – We Play Anything” If that slogan sounds cribbed from a JACK-FM commercial, you’re getting warm. This student station is going where few independent stations dare to venture–formatless, shuffle-esque programming, interspersed with news. And while this station is probably a great training ground for tomorrow’s radio professionals, the lack of character makes for a depressing listen.
