Left of the Dial The Merits of College Radio

Author: Richard Lawless

It's a safe assumption that most students at Middlebury College view their time here as an excellent opportunity to expand their horizons. The College's radio station, WRMC, which resides at 91.1 FM on your radio dial, uses this same credo through its promotion of unheard music, diversity of genres, and ambitious concert schedule. As any DJ will hear at the WRMC introductory meeting at the beginning of each semester here, the purpose of WRMC is to offer an alternative to common radio stations, such as Top 40 or classic rock radio.
Naturally, this means that when you tune into WRMC, you're not likely to hear the Dixie Chicks or R. Kelly. As a DJ, I have received much criticism from classmates and colleagues about the restrictive, elitist nature of WRMC and its music. But, as a recent Campus survey revealed, roughly 47% of the students surveyed listen to WRMC. The number is not ideal, but it is a significant chunk of the student body. In truth, WRMC is a community, just like any other organization on Middlebury College's campus; it attracts certain students, and detracts others. A handful of students join the WRMC community and become deeply involved with the station and its operations, forming a core group that is similar in nature to the staff of the Campus newspaper or any other organization here.
Keeping the station's alternative roots firmly planted will turn off a good deal of the student body from actively listening to WRMC, but I feel that the radio station cannot please everyone. This is inevitably the case with about half of the student body, even with the station's remarkably vast selection of genres, including Hip-Hop, Electronica, Blues, Folk, Jazz, Loud Rock and World, in addition to rock. After all, the entire student body doesn't attend a Hepburn Zoo production, or the Free Friday Film, but these events still take place, and still serve a notable portion of the college community.
WRMC is in a unique position in the radio industry. Since the station is funded completely by Middlebury College, advertising revenue is not necessary, and thus the station does not have to play mainstream music in order to attract advertisers. Rather than play Top 40 music like Alice 93.7, or classic rock like The Fox 101.5, WRMC offers a highly diverse selection of music that most listeners probably have not heard before. The logic behind this is that listeners who want pop music can always turn to Alice, and listeners who want classic rock can always turn to The Fox. Competing with these two stations with the same, or similar music catalogues, would not make much sense, because these stations would simply overpower WRMC with more powerful signals pumping out Michelle Branch.
Another important factor in supporting the alternative nature of WRMC is the fact that many of today's superstars were yesterday's college radio buzz bands. Arena-rockers R.E.M. were being blasted from college radio stations across the country in the early 1980s. Throughout the 80s, the band built up a strong following through college radio, recording albums every year, and touring relentlessly. By 1988, they made the transition to mainstream radio with "The One I Love", and the rest is history. Most recently, the White Stripes made the crossover to mainstream success with their 2002 album "White Blood Cells", and hit single "Fell In Love With A Girl". After spending a few years on college radio rotation, the duo found themselves on MTV with an award-winning video. Currently, the White Stripes newest album, Elephant, debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard charts, and the band are selling out theaters across the country.
It must also be stressed that WRMC does play bands that students have heard of before. When listening to the station, it's not uncommon to hear the Smashing Pumpkins, Beck, Weezer, or Radiohead. As a DJ, my goal is not to alienate people, but rather encourage them to discover something from the massive amount of music that remains un-played on mainstream radio stations that they'll enjoy. There's a whole world of music out there that you can't hear on Alice or The Fox. So please, turn on your radio to 91.1 FM, open your ears, and expand your horizons. You might just like what you hear.