It hit me on a late night in the front seat of my car. I was about to go for a drive and was spending my pit stop time queueing up fast-running, windows-down songs on my Spotify. After the fifth song played just on time, I wondered why this experience didn’t feel the same as when I’d ride along with my parents down the backroads of my hometown.
I then came to realize: for as long as I had my car, I’d never used the radio. I’d lost the magic that came with it.
Campus radio, as a tool for college students, was once a unique place in which they could vent their problems, recommend their favorite music and listen to hilarious anecdotes from their peers. Across the airwaves, various student-run stations operated at their highest capacity in the 80s and 90s, although it originated as we know it during the 1970s. Unlike larger, commercial stations, college radio is a viable and community-based opportunity that helps students form connections within their school and local environment.
However, as CDs and Bluetooth streaming began to take over, the listenership and participation in a once-thriving industry began to dwindle. Students turned to their phones and social media apps instead, and physical radios stopped being a staple in every dorm and apartment.
This has also extended into not only a loss of organization but also loss of discovery amongst music fans. College radio once allowed students to learn about local bands and musicians, who often had no play time on bigger stations. It grew their careers and their fan bases, leading to the discoveries of artists like R.E.M. and Nirvana.
After my late-night discovery, I did a quick search. I knew that UA has its own college radio station, housed right inside of the Office of Student Media, but I learned that there are plenty of websites out there to broadcast the station on if you don’t own your own in-home radio. WVUA 90.7 FM The Capstone is free to stream on apps such as Live365 and TuneIn from any of your devices.
For students, bringing back the community and magic of listening to your peers’ favorite music, opinions and advice live on the air is an experience that emphasizes a togetherness and an unpredictability that we tend to miss in our everyday, online-oriented lives.
