UPenn's WXPN Struggles To Recruit Students

[DToTheJ]

An interesting article from The Daily Pennsylvanian:
http://media.www.dailypennsylvanian...ts.BigName.Artists.Few.Students-3246699.shtml

While the University of Pennsylvania-run WXPN (88.5 FM) attracts the likes of Counting Crows and other artists for its programming, it is not doing very well bringing in UPenn students to their events. Many students, in fact, are unaware of WXPN's existence.

[EDIT]


[EDIT-post truncated because originating material is copyrighted.]

 

[carnyfeet]

Interesting article. Y-Rock is certainly opening it up to Penn students with a feature called "Penn Rocks Y-Rock" - which pretty much makes one lucky student per week "DJ for the day". Or at least for an hour every Thursday.

Here is the link:

http://yrockonxpn.org/penn_rocks_yrock/index.php

 

[amfmsw]

How very, very sad. "I put to you Greg, isn't this an indictment on the American Way of" Radio? The elders threw the "animals" out of the house, and now no one wants it. What a waste of such a wonderful asset.

The students of the '70's abused their opportunity, and lost the station's license. 30 Years later, now run by "grown-ups", radio has lost the students. Jerry DelCalliano is right on target in his musings.

 

[nd2023]

Sad but true, most students don't know about the station in their own college that plays music that not even the DJs themselves have ever heard before.

 

[raydofan]

Interesting article. Y-Rock is certainly opening it up to Penn students with a feature called "Penn Rocks Y-Rock" - which pretty much makes one lucky student per week "DJ for the day". Or at least for an hour every Thursday.

Here is the link:

http://yrockonxpn.org/penn_rocks_yrock/index.php

That's some bone to throw to students for a signal that should be theirs in the first place.

Why not give the station over to the students for a daypart? I think that would be better, even though it scares me. Yeah, I know, who wants to train to work in a business that is sinking? It might be fun for the kids, yaknow. Audition students. Pay them even. Maybe toss out some of that old wood, free up some money.
Or even better: purchase a commercial full-market signal-(when the prices drop more, of course) get out of the non-comm band, and give the students back the station. Radio might have some future then.

I certainly wouldn't be interested in a station whose future I didn't have a vested interest in, or at least a good deal of impact.

I think the BoD didn't recognize in the midst of the 'potty mouths' of the past, there was perhaps some groundbreaking stuff going on. Ah well. Under the thumb of the same corporate hordes (casually dressed with black-framed glasses) who destroyed the rest of radio.

Good luck.

 

[jimwalsh2001]

As I mentioned on another thread somewhere, the industry has totally dropped the ball where the younger generation is concerned.

 

[carnyfeet]

As I mentioned on another thread somewhere, the industry has totally dropped the ball where the younger generation is concerned.

Jim,

In order for the industry to be dropping the ball with the younger generation, such a younger generation has to actually exist.

There aren't even enough jobs in the field for the old guys to go around, so why expect there to be an up-and-coming group of youngsters to serve when the vets can't even take care of themselves?

XPN does what it can to give preference to the students of Penn, and as such I believe they serve the university as adequately as they're able to. This feature is just a way to get students involved and listening to the alt-rock station that they would be listening to anyway if they knew it was out there.

 

[raydofan]

XPN does what it can to give preference to the students of Penn, and as such I believe they serve the university as adequately as they're able to.

Oh? How do they do that? How much student involvement is there at this station?

By the way, where does WXPN maintain its public file?

 

[carnyfeet]

Oh? How do they do that? How much student involvement is there at this station?

Jobs and internships. Not sure how much student involvement there is at the station.

Don't forget, UPenn also has WQHS : http://www.wqhs.org/history.php

 

[raydofan]

Oh? How do they do that? How much student involvement is there at this station?

Jobs and internships. Not sure how much student involvement there is at the station.

Don't forget, UPenn also has WQHS : http://www.wqhs.org/history.php

...which is a web-only station, originally a flea-watt AM. I didn't have to read that, I know that.

No comparison in terms of exposure-unless WiMax takes off suddenly.

If you don't know how much student involvement there is at the station, then I guess it's next to nothing.

I would give students overnight shifts. It may convince me that FM isn't dead below 92. Yeah, I know: the 'alternative' music. Go off script.