Current
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.”
The
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.
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. |
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