How-To: Making the Most of College Radio

With the raise of his hand, no one dares make a peep-this is live. During the 20-second countdown, Craig Shank glances quickly around the desk that surrounds him, checking every blinking light and fader. He gets comfortable in his chair and adjusts his headphones to fit just so. He gently clears his throat as the countdown nears the five-second mark.

And in those five seconds, as his eyes light up, a different person emerges. This person is a professional. This person is a personality. This person, however, is not on the job. This is college radio.

No longer just playgrounds for the upturned noses of the indie elite, college radio stations can provide a place for any student on campus, even if his or her taste in music is less than "cutting edge." With Quadphonic.com listing nearly 1,500 campus stations nationwide, they are invaluable resources just waiting to be tapped, not just for aspiring disc jockeys, but also to tech geeks, marketing geniuses and even up-and-coming musicians. College radio can be a school's best-kept secret, but with offers of hands-on experience and the chance to broaden one's social horizons, it shouldn't be kept under wraps anymore.

As the station manager at Indiana University's student radio station, 99.1 FM WIUX-LP, Shank has seen everyone from freshmen to seniors, athletes to music nerds, business majors to fine arts students, find a second home at WIUX, many not seeming to adhere to the hipster stigma typically associated with college radio.

However, it is this very stereotype that often makes other students shy away from getting involved. Shank, however, says it is all a matter of perspective-if music is all that people look to in deciding whether or not to get involved at their campus station, they are missing out on other opportunities to learn, to help out their community and to connect with other student groups in the process.

"Even if you don't like the music programming at your college station, you're reaching people that do like it," said Shank, and it is that very opportunity for community connection that he says lies at the heart of college radio.

Dr. Daniel Reimold, Fulbright scholar and creator of College Media Matters (collegemediamatters.com), an online blog that discusses student journalism, said in an e-mail interview that any student-run media outlet requires passionate participants, regardless of the classes on their transcripts or the bands found on their iPods.

"The best part about college radio is that while its stigma is one of exclusivity, it truly boasts an all-are-welcome mentality," he said.

So what exactly can students look forward to when they decide to get over the "hipster hump" and make the leap into college radio? The possibilities are endless.

Rev Up Your Résumé

As the most obvious perk for any career-seeking college student preparing to dive into the terrifying world of job hunting, college radio is an impressive addition to any résumé. Not only does it show involvement on campus, but it also demonstrates a connection to the community, understanding of new media and experience in a business- and consumer-based organization.

Shil Patel, who works at the independent music promotions company Team Clermont, used his former college radio experience at Radio UTD at the University of Texas at Dallas to get a foot in the door at his current job.

"My job at Radio UTD kept me in touch with radio promotion companies around the country," said Patel, "and my contact here at Team Clermont informed me that she was moving back to England and that she had recommended me for the position. "

For those who do have aspirations of dominating the airwaves in a future broadcast career, having station call letters on a résumé can enhance their chances for securing a job in the competitive field. Shank, who spent time as a DJ, music director and station manager during his four years at WIUX, has already used his experience to secure other radio jobs and internships both on and off campus.

Experience is Essential

One of the biggest misconceptions about college radio is that only telecommunications or journalism majors can benefit in future careers from the college radio experience.

"College radio represents a full-fledged student media empire in need of experienced and passionate undergraduates from many academic areas," said Reimold, who spent much of his own time in student media as an undergraduate at Ursinus College in Pennsylvania. "Business and marketing majors can help improve its appeal and financial bottom line. Students majoring in anything remotely related to the engineering and technology world can assist in its new media transformation."

As Shank explained, each person can make what he wants of it.

"The entire college radio experience is preparation for life after college," Shank said,

"and the nice thing about student radio is that whatever students decide to create, they can."

Amani Abraham, a sophomore at the University of Akron in Ohio, has spent two years working at her school's station, WZIP, which boasts it's the nation's top student radio station, with a signal that reaches over 1 million listeners. Although the experience is preparing her for what she hopes is a future in radio broadcasting, Abraham noted that her time as a DJ at the station has given her professional and communicative confidence that anyone could stand to gain.

"Whatever you are learning, this is valuable work experience," she said. "It is a

professional work place where you can interact with a diverse group of people and continue to learn new things."

Amy West, a sophomore and former fellow DJ at the University of Akron, agreed that, regardless of major, the benefits are widespread.

"We have some engineering majors at the station. We have had nursing majors as DJs. We get undecided people all the time that are just exploring it as an option for what they might want to do. I think no matter what you do, the involvement looks good to potential employers."

Reach a Worldwide Audience

With the advent of the Internet, many college stations have been branching out to online listeners, giving many college students their first opportunity to have a voice that reaches beyond campus. Shanks's own WIUX has reached a global audience with the addition of an online and iTunes-based stream, one that was even recognized as an iTunes Staff Favorite for the months of October and November of 2008.

According to Reimold, a station's capability of reaching a dot-com community allows students to reach an even more diverse audience. With this reach, students can stand to harness the power of radio to have their voices heard or to benefit their own communities.

Brandon Brewer, a junior at Kent State University in Ohio, is the assistant music director at KSU's Black Squirrel Radio, an Internet-based station that draws listeners from over 100 countries. He uses this reach to share new music with a variety of listeners.

"My directors have listened to my show and they enjoy it because they hear a lot of artists that they've never heard before," Brewer said.

Social Networking 101

At the end of the day, when résumés are stashed away and experience is set aside, it is the personal benefits that many college radioheads cite as the biggest reasons to get involved in college radio. As Patel said, it is a place where students are able to express themselves, and as Brewer added, it was a place where he could simply indulge in his music hobby.

However, the unique opportunity to connect with other people around campus might also attract students to their campus stations. Students can build strong bonds and potentially meet future roommates and significant others or create powerful networking connections.

"From those with whom I've spoken and observed, college radio holds a trifecta-sized mystique: on-the-job learning, an empowerment to rock the house the way you want and the opportunity to be surrounded in studio-sized confines with peers who think and behave the same way you do," said Reimold

The importance of college radio to those involved comes through in the personal stories they tell of their time spent on staff. Shank recalled first arriving to IU and WIUX with little confidence in a time of huge life transitions, but it was student radio that helped him to branch out, finding friends along the way that made those transitions much easier. He realized there was more to get out of volunteering than a few hours each week to spin his favorite records on air.

"The most valuable thing you can get out of college radio is not how to operate a board or call play-by-play at a sports broadcast or design an effective marketing campaign for the station, " said Shank. "In college radio, you can contribute to something larger than yourself."