On U92 & The Slow Death of College Radio

Written somewhere on the walls of U92’s DJ staff area is the phrase “College radio is dying, friends are forever.” While I regret to quote the person that uttered it, it remains an unfortunate reality that those in positions of power must confront. WWVU-FM is not an exception. Over one and a half years I associated myself with the station, I searched for a solution. There isn’t one.

It is in my estimation that U92 will either be completely shut down or morphed into something unrecognizable in 5 years. This estimation can be increased or decreased by the student staff in power, but the result is inevitable. The wants of the student staff have been and will continue to be at odds with the wants of the university. I’ve experienced this personally during the time I spent “acting” as Program Director, and despite my best efforts I failed to provide so much as a band-aide. Looking at the past, this is nothing new. In the pre-strike era, the station was better staffed with more people that cared, yet still, there was no solution.

So what exactly is the university-student staff struggle? Essentially, college radio is characterized by two axes. The vertical axis represents the academic focus of the station, and the horizontal axis represents the social focus of the station. One thing to note is that this model is through the lens of the music staff and thus has its own set of flaws.

The main focus in this model is professionalism vs casualism, and it’s the main source of struggle and conflict in many college radio stations. Become too professional, and the passion of the students will be drained, and the staff will leave. The station becomes too corporate, and the spirit of college radio effectively dies. Become too casual, and the station loses university support, which means no funding and no space to operate, eventually causing a closure. This axis is constantly in a state of flux: the university is pulling college radio to the top right (more professional, and widely accessible), and the student staff is pulling things to the bottom left (More artful and niche). If either side gains too much control, the station axed. Of course, things can drift to the top left or bottom right, however they aren’t common cases and I won’t be focusing on them.

So where does U92 stand right now? According to my investigation, the station has been quickly sliding to the top right due to a chain of events started by the loss of Alex G. in 2015. His death left the station in a state of disarray. The second event was the station-wide strike that occurred in 2017. Due to the negligence of the university and Title IX, the station was again sent into disarray, and many talented and passionate student staff members disassociated with the station (Though it can be argued that this was the best outcome, lest the station was shut down). The next event lies in the future: the DA-U92 Merger. While they have been technically merged for some years now, the location change threatens the independence and autonomy of U92. Unfortunately, if the merge doesn’t happen, the university could very well throw in the towel and shut things down for good. It’s an unwinnable situation.

In this case, the details and particularities of the situation do not matter. There’s nothing that the student staff or broadcast advisor can reasonably do about it. This doesn’t however, mean you shouldn’t do anything. For those reading this that are still associated with the station, I offer two pieces of advice. Firstly, enjoy it while you can. Use the resources at the station to be creative to your fullest potential; they won’t last forever. Secondly, focus on the local community. If there’s any way to have an impact outside of the university, it’s them. Promote local acts, host local events, and shows. They are the true heart of U92, and your impact will live on with them no matter what.