2001
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KRRC titleCurrent co-station manager Emilie Raguso ’03 summed up the heart of the station in a Quest article last fall: “In quite fundamental ways, our station is representative of the best that Reed has to offer. KRRC is completely student run and dedicated to individual expression, which is evidenced by the fact that our station, averaging 100 DJs per semester, has actively given more students access to direct expression of their musical and intellectual interests than any other Reed organization.”

KRRC pictureThe latest chapter in the KRRC story is typically complicated, as over the past year both internal and external forces have worked against the station’s survival. First, a Christian radio station from Tillamook moved into town and bumped KRRC’s position at 104.1 FM. This move meant that thestation had to obtain a new frequency, which in turn required the acquisition of a completely new antenna to support the new frequency. Not long after this blow was dealt, a Portland fire marshal visited the station in the basement of the Old Dorm Block, and whatever he saw resulted in immediate closure. Meanwhile, the FCC informed the station that in order to change frequency a “major change application” was required within one year of cessation of broadcasting, a deadline that the station seemed unlikely to meet, given its many problems. Once again, KRRC seemed to be heading for the last roundup.

But once again, the troops rallied. Under the committed guidance of station signators and co-managers Raguso and Paul Piff ’04, and with significant support from a host of faculty, staff, alumni, and student supporters; the student senate; and a media consultant, KRRC has made tremendous improvements. Raguso and Piff hope that renewed attention to FCC rules and some internal structural improvements will give the station new credibility and a broader purpose, and the station is ready to begin broadcasting as soon as the FCC application is approved. They are also in the early stages of internet broadcasting, led by Jason Meinzer ’04, a service currently only available to members of the community with Reed login passwords.

“Perhaps KRRC will never be voted to the Princeton Review’s top-ten list for college radio,” notes Piff. “But for now, the steadily growing KRRC will maintain its role at Reed as an important, popular, and crucial organization.” New storm clouds loom in the form of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 and the pending decision of the U.S. Copyright office as to the payment of royalties by radio stations, but after 50 years of broadcasting and with the collective brainpower of the Reed community on its side, the Radio Voice of Reed College will surely continue to be heard. End of Article

Patti MacRae ’71 has worked in Portland youth social services for 20 years but would rather be a writer. She has contributed numerous articles to Reed and has written several pieces on Reed traditions.


Go to Page 1 go to page two go to page three You are on Page 4 Link to Reed Mag  Home
2001