Our second LA interview was our first trip to a working college radio station, and it was a real treat. Erica Tyron has been the adviser for KSPC for thirty years, so she has an amazing depth of knowledge that we really only scratched the surface of during our one-hour interview. We learned a lot about the history of the station, as well as what Erica and others like her have done to keep their stations alive and relevant in the 21st century.
Before the interview started, we were all thrilled to visit a thriving college radio station that looked every bit the part. Stickers and flyers seemed to cover every surface, and walls filled with CDs and, yes, vinyl(!) made it clear that this was, without a doubt, a college station. We probably could have spent the entire day just shooting all the various studios and rooms that made up the station.
Our interview with Erica was just as enjoyable, and we got to hear some great stories about the station and how it grew from a carrier-current station only available on campus to an FM broadcast station that covers most of the Los Angeles metro area, one of the largest radio markets in the country. We also heard how the community has continued to support the station over many decades, helping fight off encroachment on the station’s FM frequency by other entities looking to expand their own broadcast footprint. Erica really provided a blueprint for college radio stations across the country on how to stay relevant in today’s crowded media landscape.