College radio

College radio (also known as university radio, campus radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college or university. Such broadcasters are typically considered to be public radio stations.

History

United States

College radio as it is generally known began in the United States in the 1960s when the FCC began issuing class D licenses for ten-watt stations to further the development of the then-new FM band. Some colleges had already been broadcasting for decades on the AM band, often originating in physics experiments in the early 20th century. Most of the FM stations went on to get higher-class licenses, typically a few hundred watts. A few got several kilowatts, and a small handful got licenses in the range of tens of thousands sometimes reaching up to full-power 100 kilowatt outlets.

Related Topics:
United States - 1960s - FCC - Class D - License - Watt - Development - FM - Band - AM band - Physics - 20th century - Higher-class

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By the late 1970s, FM had taken off, and competition for channels for new stations was intensifying. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and the newly-founded National Public Radio (NPR) convinced the FCC that the low-power stations were somehow a "detriment" to broadcasting, and class D licenses were no longer issued for applications made after 1979. Making matters worse, the stations were demoted to a second-class status, meaning that they would be forced off the air if any full-power station wanted their space.

Related Topics:
1970s - Competition - National Association of Broadcasters - National Public Radio - Broadcasting - 1979 - Demote - Status

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Many stations were forced to upgrade their facilities at considerable expense to the students. Many other stations were eventually (and still continue to be) forced off the air, because they could not afford the upgrades at all, or not in time to avoid being locked-in by other expanding stations.

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A very few stations have been added to the airwaves in very isolated cities with the return of the LPFM license to the U.S. The restrictions that U.S. Congress placed on LPFM stations as a result of the NAB's lobbying have seriously limited the effectiveness of this however.

Related Topics:
LPFM - U.S. Congress - Lobbying

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In terms of signal strength, the biggest college radio station in the world is WRAS in Atlanta, Georgia.

Related Topics:
WRAS - Atlanta, Georgia

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Canada

In Canada, the distinction between a university and a college is different from that in the United States, although both types of schools can and do have radio operations—accordingly, the format is more commonly known in Canada as campus radio.

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The campus radio concept spread to Canada, which has a similar broadcasting structure to the U.S., with the launch of Carleton University's CKCU in 1975; however, some developmental university radio projects had previously produced and aired programs on commercial radio stations.

Related Topics:
Carleton University - CKCU - 1975

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Unlike the U.S., Canada distributes the non-commercially-reserved channels throughout the FM band, instead of all channels 88 to 92MHz. In early 2005, Humber College's radio station CKHC became the first broadcast station in Canada to air 100 per cent Canadian content.

Related Topics:
FM band - 2005 - Humber College - CKHC - Canadian content

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Most campus radio stations in Canada are members of the National Campus and Community Radio Association, which was established in 1981. earshot!, a regular supplement in the music magazine Exclaim!, is the NCRA's official publication.

Related Topics:
National Campus and Community Radio Association - 1981 - Exclaim!

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See also :Category:Campus radio stations in Canada.

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Worldwide

The concept has also spread to Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and elsewhere, where it is more often called university radio. Frequently, a university radio station is the community radio station, and is open for everyone (not just students) to join the staff.

Related Topics:
Europe - Australia - New Zealand - Community radio - Staff

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In the UK it is generally referred to as student radio. The Student Radio Association works to further UK student radio.

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College radio also exists in Israel, where several colleges, universities and high schools have successful programs. One of the most famous is Kol HaCampus (Voice of the Campus/Campus Voice), broadcast out of Tel Aviv on 106 on the FM frequency. More information can be found with the Israel Broadcast Authority.

Related Topics:
Israel - Kol HaCampus - Tel Aviv - Israel Broadcast Authority

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