MARC CHOQUETTE
online content manager
College radio has long held to its independent beginnings, even when a majority of other stations over the years have ditched that model to go corporate. Pepperdine’s radio station, 101.5 KWVS-LP is no different. But what good is a college radio station if few can even listen to it?
On any random hour of the day, you might spot student DJ’s hanging out in a soundproof nook on the first floor of the CCB. It is less than visible to most students, but for those like me who are involved with KWVS, the resources are endless.
All of this sounds like a superb setup for any college radio station, but au contraire. Few students know that Pepperdine has its own student-run radio station, less actually tune in on a regular basis.
Obviously, this is a problem. Right away, the curious mind would suggest that the station and those running it are not doing a good enough job promoting itself to the rest of Pepperdine and the Malibu community. As music director, I can say that things are not exactly thriving at the station, despite dedication and strong leadership from our student staff.
The problem lies not with promotion but exposure. Since we are classified as a low-power station, we are only afforded 100 watts of power — which gives our signal about a 10-mile radius.
While one might imagine that not a lot of power is needed to reach a small community like Malibu, our unique geographical location actually creates difficulties that nearly render our signal’s capabilities obsolete. Take a drive west on PCH and you may pick up the signal in-and-out through the Point Dume area and a few other enclaves of Malibu, but few on campus can even pick up the 101.5 FM frequency.
Another reason for these inconsistencies is the strong signal of KGB, a San Diego classic rock station that shares the same frequency as KWVS. KGB plays some hard-hitting classics, but the fact remains that our puny signal is no match for their 50,000 watts of power and coverage area that sneaks up the open Pacific all the way to Malibu.
In lieu of these challenges, we are also broadcast on Charter cable as is TV 26. While this might seem to increase exposure, it is not exactly a gut reaction for most people to tune to channel 6 on their television when they want to listen to some good music.
College radio is to be listened to, not watched on a screen with our call letters in front of a dull orange background. If the TV version of KWVS is to be effective, having a camera in the booth so viewers can check in on the DJs seems to be the only way to make it interesting.
As I am sure those in the Communication Division already know, these are all significant challenges to those who want to build something great here at Pepperdine. We have everything we need — a practically brand new studio with professional (and expensive) equipment, DJs with creative shows and a dedicated staff.
Yet, it is extremely discouraging to do a show, throw out the phone numbers on air every five minutes, and still get zero feedback. It begs the DJ to ask the question most times they leave the studio: Is there anybody out there?
We need another solution. We are excited that there have been rumors of trying to obtain a different frequency, but unless there is more power added, little will change. Another avenue — broadcasting over the Internet — is another practical idea, but new laws demanding strict logging and control methods have instead made it impractical — at least at this juncture. A full-time staffer would be needed to assure that things run smoothly, which is another obstacle.
UCLA has gone the way of the Internet radio station, since getting a frequency in FM-crowded Los Angeles was out of their price range. This way has proven very successful, since friends anywhere in the world could tune in for a show.
Instead of satellite radio being beamed into the cafeteria, why not throw on our own student-run station? This method of self-promotion, which could also be done in the Sandbar and HAWC, is a great way for us to become more familiar with the student body. Many other schools do this, and it immediately raises the profile of the station. This is something our staff has considered and will try to implement in the near future, and support from fellow students would benefit our cause.
The college radio station has historically had a reputation for free-form independence from the greedheads in the corporate Top 40, the last remnants of what radio used to be like before it became a business. We want this nostalgia to return here at Pepperdine and get people interested again in what we are doing.
11-15-2007