Reflecting on the importance of campus radio as stations continue to close

I got into this business through campus radio. As a freshman in 1980, I applied for a slot on CKUW, the then-closed-circuit radio station at the University of Winnipeg. It was a dreadful facility, stuck in the basement with barely functioning equipment and with a broadcast reach that extended to one hallway, the Bullman Students Centre, Lockhart Hall lounges, and one cafeteria (the “Buffeteria”). My shift was 8:30-9:30 on Friday mornings, which, if you’ve ever been to university, means that the campus is practically empty. For me, though, it was heaven. It’s where I learned to cue up and mix records and to talk on a microphone for the first time. And 18 months later, I was able to land a part-time job at a real commercial radio station in Selkirk, Man., which only existed because the owner was able to buy the transmitter equipment from CJUM-FM, the campus station over at the University of Manitoba. The station went off the air in June 1980 when it ran into financial difficulties, and a referendum on using student fees to support it was voted down. That in itself was sad because CJUM-FM was only the second campus station in Canada to be granted a broadcast license (CKCU-FM at Carleton in Ottawa was the other). Over the years, campus radio has served many important purposes. Because revenue from advertising usually isn’t essential (it does help, of course), these stations can afford to play on the fringes of commentary, spoken word, multilingual shows and also give voices to marginalized groups. They offer programming that no one, not even the CBC, will offer. The audiences may be small, but the job is huge. When it comes to music, campus stations offer an incredible variety, from unsigned indie acts and jazz to material from around the world. In the early ’80s, “college rock” - the original label for alternative music - became so influential that record labels began to court campus stations as they did commercial outlets. College stations began to break artists, including R.E.M., Sonic Youth and The Pixies. U2 got its first North American exposure on campus radio. In November 1988, KCMU at the University of Washington was the first to play Nirvana . That test pressing of Love Buzz , played by Sub Pop employee and volunteer DJ Scott Vanderpool, was recently auctioned off for US$8,500. The Alternative Nation of the 1990s might not have ever been born if not for campus radio. For many of us, our most important years for music discovery are between 18 and 21, right when we might be at college or university. For those who care to listen, campus stations are a goldmine for that. And if you want to get into the music business, volunteering at campus radio is an excellent way to get started. Get breaking National news Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy . But times change, and campus radio is struggling, and in some quarters, disappearing. Beginning in about 2011, college stations...

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