KRRC are the call letters and name of the student-run radio station at Reed College. Freeform and
rather low-powered, it broadcasts at 97.9 FM and best can be heard on
campus and in the surrounding Eastmoreland neighborhood of Portland,
Oregon and sometimes farther into the city on a good day if the
listener's position is downhill from the station. The station's motto
is "Psychotronic World Domination."
According to Reed's
website, "This station has been entirely student-run since 1955. While
it has changed call letters and its location on the dial over the
years, it has retained the same independent and creative spirit. KRRC
plays a wide range of genres and formats day and night during the
school year." KRRC, which is also referred to as 'k-rock,' 'Radio Free
Reed College,' or just 'the station' is unlike most other college radio
stations in that it actually is run entirely by students with
very little official or administrative oversight. The result is
idiosyncratic and highly varied--a fun but very unprofessional radio
experience. DJs are drawn from the student population through an
online application process and tend to receive airtime based on prior
experience as a KRRC DJ, class standing, friendships with station
management, and luck. Programming is determined by the whim of any
given DJ, although DJs are encouraged to provide as part of the
application process a name and description of their show to be
published in the KRRC programming supplement in the student body
newspaper, The Quest. Being busy, sleep-deprived (and often
intoxicated) students, it is common practice for DJs to trade shifts if
one cannot make it to his/hers. While this means that the schedule is
often meaningless it certainly helps keep DJ Dead Air in
check.
As a part of campus life, KRRC is known
less for its programming than for the physical "station." As a
combined studio and social space, the station represents the true
purpose of KRRC: to provide an excellent spot to play your favorite
music at high volume from good speakers, party with friends, and enjoy
the weird art and graffiti on the walls. DJs frequently joke about
"the listener" (cause...like, there's only one, man!), because they are
aware that very few people actually listen to the broadcast. On
campus, for instance, you are much more likely to hear (and perhaps
smell) the station from its open window rather than from a radio tuned
to the signal.
The station is located, along
with a separate room for record and equipment storage, in one corner of
the Reed student union building. The transmitter and antenna is on the
top of the building. Along with prerecorded musical content,
turntablism, DJ commentary, and in-station banter some more
motivated participants have organized live performances on air. These
have included students' musical explorations and explosions as well as
occasional visits from outside groups. To fulfill FCC requirements, Public Service
Announcements are also broadcast (but usually only if they are funny
or too weird to pass up).
While few DJs
expect anyone to hear their show besides those present in the studio,
the station does have a phone hybrid and telephone number. If you
call, somebody might pick up--then you will be on the air. You could
also leave a funny message. (503) 777-KRRC
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