WBRU

[riradioguy]

I'm completely ignorant as to how WBRU works, but I'm curiuos. I understand it's a college station, student run... but I also understand it's commercial. The student DJs don't really sound like the same caliber of DJ you hear on regular college stations (such as WRIU after say 9pm). Do the students who end up on air have to compete for the positions, do the students go out and sell airtime, do the students actually program and produce the station? Lastly; is there perhaps an AM station that is more "collegey" than 95.5?

riradioguy <-- obviously not a former Brown student

 

[Jacko]

Brown University is student-run, and it's my understanding that there is a bit of a competition to get on the air, but shifts are usually determined by the student's course schedule. During the school year, shifts are only 3 hours instead of four, with the exception of evenings and nights. The jazz show that's on overnights is run, last I knew, by someone who is not a student at Brown. I believe that advertising is done by a separate company, but don't quote me on this. There is another station run by Brown university, but it's either a closed-circuit or very weak station around 96.3 or 96.5.

If anyone else has additional or different information, feel free to chime in.

Jacko<P ID="signature">______________
I live for my dream,
And a pocket full of gold.
</P>

 

[epsilon]

> Brown University is student-run, and it's my understanding
> that there is a bit of a competition to get on the air, but
> shifts are usually determined by the student's course
> schedule. During the school year, shifts are only 3 hours
> instead of four, with the exception of evenings and nights.
> The jazz show that's on overnights is run, last I knew, by
> someone who is not a student at Brown. I believe that
> advertising is done by a separate company, but don't quote
> me on this. There is another station run by Brown
> university, but it's either a closed-circuit or very weak
> station around 96.3 or 96.5.
>
> If anyone else has additional or different information, feel
> free to chime in.
>
> Jacko
>

WBRU is under the Trustees of Brown University and has a professional management board but a students-only air staff. Brown Student Radio leases time from 88.1FM WELH and has a mix of students and non-student community members.
Neither organization has anything to do with the other.

 

[MissyC]

> I'm completely ignorant as to how WBRU works, but I'm
> curiuos. I understand it's a college station, student
> run... but I also understand it's commercial. The student
> DJs don't really sound like the same caliber of DJ you hear
> on regular college stations (such as WRIU after say 9pm).
> Do the students who end up on air have to compete for the
> positions, do the students go out and sell airtime, do the
> students actually program and produce the station? Lastly;
> is there perhaps an AM station that is more "collegey" than
> 95.5?
>
> riradioguy
>

This question has pretty much been answered, but since I went to Brown and worked at 'BRU, I'll chime in. Unless things have changed since I left (which is possible... I graduated from Brown in 1992 and left New England in 1996), WBRU is a student workshop in commercial radio. It is a commercial radio station, but it is run by Brown University students. The general manager, business manager, music directors and air staff are all students. The program director, entire sales department, chief engineer and traffic manager are hired professionals, but the students have the power to fire any of these people. And that has happened. It's a little competetive to get an on-air slot, but pretty much anyone who has the passion to try can get a show.... eventually. Most students who put the work into the station are also talented enough to be on the air. If not, they tend to realize it and go into the management side. In the 8 years I was at Brown or living and working in Rhode Island, I only heard a few people on the air who were really bad.

There is a student Board of directors, as well as an Executive Board, which consists of former students and is all-volunteer. I believe when I was a senior we changed the rules, and now the general sales manager (a professional) also sits on the student board of directors. But I could be remembering that incorrectly. Any big decisions are voted on by the entire station membership. Station members are students currently working at the station who go through a process of learning the station's history and the entirety of how it functions. No hired professionals are station members and, to my knowledge, have no voting power when it comes to major decisions. The volunteer Executive Board does have veto power over student decisions. Case in point: in 1995 the students voted to remove the urban music program which runs Sundays. There were many, many reasons why that would have been a bad idea, so the Executive Board stepped in and stopped it from happening.

I hope that helps and wasn't too repetetive. I don't know if the overnight jazz program is now run by a non-student. It was not when I was there, but that might have changed. There used to be an AM station which functioned like a more traditional college station, but the signal was complete crap. Perhaps that's why Brown Student Radio now leases another FM signal (something I didn't know and must be a relatively recent development).

 

[missdj]

> > Brown University is student-run, and it's my understanding
>
> > that there is a bit of a competition to get on the air,
> but
> > shifts are usually determined by the student's course
> > schedule. During the school year, shifts are only 3 hours
>
> > instead of four, with the exception of evenings and
> nights.
> > The jazz show that's on overnights is run, last I knew, by
>
> > someone who is not a student at Brown. I believe that
> > advertising is done by a separate company, but don't quote
>
> > me on this. There is another station run by Brown
> > university, but it's either a closed-circuit or very weak
> > station around 96.3 or 96.5.
> >
> > If anyone else has additional or different information,
> feel
> > free to chime in.
> >
> > Jacko
> >
>
> WBRU is under the Trustees of Brown University and has a
> professional management board but a students-only air staff.
> Brown Student Radio leases time from 88.1FM WELH and has a
> mix of students and non-student community members.
> Neither organization has anything to do with the other.
>


I used to love BRU when I was in high school. it was the best station to find alternative music but now you can find it almost anywhere. I do however find the station almost unlistenable because of the DJ's. They sound "california-Paris Hilton-Valleyish" if that makes any sense. The music is good but can't listen anymore. it was better in the late 80's to mid 90's (dj wise)

 

[farid]

> I used to love BRU when I was in high school. it was the
> best station to find alternative music but now you can find
> it almost anywhere. I do however find the station almost
> unlistenable because of the DJ's. They sound
> "california-Paris Hilton-Valleyish" if that makes any sense.
> The music is good but can't listen anymore. it was better
> in the late 80's to mid 90's (dj wise)

I could never understand the inflections on WBRU and they are common to mostly all those who work there and have worked there in the fairly recent past.I don't expect them to sound like pros and frankly it takes smarts to get into Brown University but they all talk like you described.Not that I interact with many college students but I don't find that speech common among students at other colleges and universities.Then again I don't know if they talk like that off the air too.

 

[MissyC]

>
> I used to love BRU when I was in high school. it was the
> best station to find alternative music but now you can find
> it almost anywhere. I do however find the station almost
> unlistenable because of the DJ's. They sound
> "california-Paris Hilton-Valleyish" if that makes any sense.
> The music is good but can't listen anymore. it was better
> in the late 80's to mid 90's (dj wise)
>

First, missdj, thanks for the ego stroke! The late 80's to mid-90's when the time frame when my friends and I were all on 'BRU. As for not being able to stand the DJ's now... I haven't heard the station in several years, but I doubt the air talent truly sounds any worse or better than we did. They likely do sound like what they are: 20-year old college students. And as we all get older, we probably have less tolerance for DJ's who sound like kids. Just a guess...

 

[odomski]

Re: WBRU & rap music

I recall last week hearing an Eminem rap song on WBRU around 1:00 in the afternoon on a weekday. I was surprised more then shocked to hear Feminem being aired during the week. I thought the rap/hip hop music was aired only on Sundays. Since when is Eminem considered alternative rock...or any kind of rock at all?

 

[kerrichu]

> I used to love BRU when I was in high school. it was the
> best station to find alternative music but now you can find
> it almost anywhere. I do however find the station almost
> unlistenable because of the DJ's. They sound
> "california-Paris Hilton-Valleyish" if that makes any sense.
> The music is good but can't listen anymore. it was better
> in the late 80's to mid 90's (dj wise)
>


I loved BRU in high school too. I started listening in the mid to late 90's. I loved the free Summer Concert Series, which they no longer have anymore. Now they have the Summer Concert Series that went from 10-12 free shows per summer to 3 shows per summer that you need to buy tickets for.

I completely agree with you about the DJs now. I used to love listening to the Retro Lunch at work, but the female DJ on there drives me nuts. A few people who come in my store asked if she is the reason I don't listen to the Retro Lunch as much, because they stopped listening because of her.

If you get bored, and have a high tolerance for aggravation, listen to 20 minutes of this girl. I'm sure she's nice, and she has to have some sort of brain if she's a Brown student, but she really needs a public speaking course. She cannot make it through a segment without saying "I don't know" at least twice. I'm dead serious. Pay attention to her and count how many times she says it. I had a public speaking teacher who counted how many times we said "Um" or "Yeah", and we stopped saying those two words pretty quickly.

Some of the DJs are pretty decent over there. I know they're not professionals, but that one girl really needs some help. Either she's not aware of her "I don't know"s, or they're not making her bother fixing it.

 

[Jacko]

Re: WBRU & rap music

> I recall last week hearing an Eminem rap song on WBRU around
> 1:00 in the afternoon on a weekday. I was surprised more
> then shocked to hear Feminem being aired during the week. I
> thought the rap/hip hop music was aired only on Sundays.
> Since when is Eminem considered alternative rock...or any
> kind of rock at all?
>
Several Eminem songs have been played on alternative stations over the years, to go along with the other white rap artists alternative stations have played (most notable are the Beastie Boys.) "My Name Is" and "The Real Slim Shady" both charted on the alternative chart too. Maybe because in "My Name Is" Eminem refers to Nine Inch Nails and Primus (actually he says "violence", but says "Primus" in the radio edit.) It does seem a little out of place, and even Eminem himself has argued that he's not an alternative rock artist.

Also, alternative rock and mainstream rock stations were playing Afroman's "Because I Got High" in pretty heavy rotation during the summer of 2001. I think 94HJY was up to 30+ plays per week. That song suddenly disappeared after the 9/11 attacks, as well as "Bodies" by Drowning Pool, and replaced by John Lennon's "Imagine" and just about every U2 song on the All You Can't Leave Behind CD.

Jacko <P ID="signature">______________
I live for my dream,
And a pocket full of gold.
</P>