35000 Watts :: The Story of College Radio
A film about a radio revolution
As we dive into the world of college radio broadcasting, one term which comes up over and over is “carrier current”. What exactly is carrier current and why is it important to college radio history? Let’s take a look.
Carrier current broadcasting is a way to transmit a radio signal through the electrical wiring of a building (or in the case of a college campus, several connected buildings).…
Today is World College Radio Day, so it is the perfect time to reflect on college radio and its importance in the media landscape. It might seem as though radio is an antiquated medium, but there is a reason every automobile still comes with one installed.…
When talking about college radio history, one of the first (and most common) questions is: what was the first college radio station in the United States? And while that may seem like a relatively straightforward, easy-to-answer question, it turns out that it isn’t that simple.…
The final interview of our three-day shoot in Dallas, TX was with three gentlemen from the band Tabula Rasa: lead vocalist Robert E. Boggs, bassist Owen Kinser and drummer Jason LaMarca. I really enjoyed interviewing all three at once, because the interplay and camaraderie between them was still very evident.…
Our first interview of day three in Dallas gave me another chance to meet a member of one of KTXT’s favorite regional bands! I sat down with Mike Graff of Course of Empire (and currently in Halls of the Machine) and we had a wonderful conversation about his time in college radio at KSMU in Dallas, as well as his experiences in Course of Empire.…
One thing that was clear from early on in my interview with John Dufilho is that he is truly an advocate for college radio. With his involvement in multiple bands who were championed almost exclusively by college stations (Deathray Davies, Apples in Stereo, Clifffs), it was obvious that he was grateful for the attention and airplay his bands received.…
I was so happy to sit down with a couple of members of one my favorite Dallas bands from the early 90s, George Reagan and Tony Barsotti of Hagfish. I interviewed Hagfish during my time at KTXT-FM, and they were one of the most fun and enjoyable interviews that I’ve ever done.…
We had the chance to sit down with lead singer Vaden Lewis and drummer Mark Reznicek of Toadies in a great record store in Fort Worth, TX, Panther City Vinyl. It was an excellent interview, with the guys talking about how college radio affected the band’s career, and Mark sharing stories of his time in college radio.…
After months of planning, it is time to (briefly) celebrate because our documentary about college radio is officially in production!. We landed in Dallas, TX on Aug. 12 and began preparations for a three-day shoot which started on today with a set of interviews with four former station managers from KTXT-FM in Lubbock, TX.…