College Radio Day

This is fitting, considering the topic of my IE column this month (see story below this one). From Tom Taylor's NOW column...

Today is “College Radio Day,” encouraging tune-in on the left-side of the dial… There are some very well-done radio stations there and always, there’s interesting audio content that you may not normally pay attention to. Officially, “The aim of College Radio Day is to raise a greater, international awareness of the many college and high school radio stations by encouraging people who would not normally listen to college radio to do so on this day…college radio is one of the last remaining bastions of creative radio programming, free from the constrictions of having to be commercially viable, and a place where those involved in its programming believe passionately in its mission.” The organizers believe that “College radio is the only free live medium brave enough to play unsigned, local, and independent artists on a regular basis.” This story’s headline is “left-side of the dial,” but some college stations also operate outside the “reserved” band for non-coms, which is 91.9 and below. They’re worth checking out. As College Radio Day says, “Put simply, college radio is an important part of the media landscape because of its unique and fearless programming.” And radio could use more of that attitude, couldn’t it? And perhaps some of the talent and ideas from college radio.