Nashville Music Blog

I'd really love to see a statistical breakdown of how this is going to change things. There really aren't THAT many Automation slots based on a quick glance at the schedule (I mean, do 1am and 3am slots really even count?) but it's not possible for me to tell what is a Community DJ'ed show and what is a proper Affiliated DJ. Having 50 current Community DJ's doesn't indicate how many actual shows will be affected.

I've heard wild rumors of Lightning 100 having some new ace up their sleeve.. this might be the time for them to strike.

Since none of the commercial stations in Nashville give a rat's ass about local music, many local bands rely on WRVU to get their music on the airwaves.

Personally, I feel Nashville would be a sadder, grayer place without D-Funk, Liberadio, the Honky Tonk Jukebox, Hipbilly Jamboree and Nashville Jumps. None of these shows—none of 'em—could be programmed by folks without the kind of experience living on this earth for a while affords. In other words, none of these shows could be created by a college kid...no offense to college kids.

While I agree with Hester Prynn that the loss of D-Funk, Liberadio, Honky Tonk Jukebox and Hipbilly Jamboree would be enormous, let me mention that as I am a Vanderbilt alumnus and staff member, Nashville Jumps won't be affected by this change.

I hope that the kynd veggie show is not cancelled.

As can be read by all the comments before me, this decision spits in the eye of the community that has made WRVU what it is today.

This decision is also planned to be enacted during the summer. Which means that this summer WRVU will be a "Spoon" playing computer.

I guess WRVU and the VSC don't care about growing and maintaining listeners.

"Equipment violation" has been exposed as poppycock. The official(s) at WRVU have little respect for the community and this article has exposed THEM.

penny says:

"Equipment violations" have been exposed as poppycock. The official(s) at WRVU clearly have little or no respect for the community, and this article exposes THEM!

Maybe it would help if the community approached the VSC board with rational and respectful dialogue on how there actions will create a larger void between the school and the community it resides in and will likely also lessen the impact of having a university radio station it it's filled with static or autoprograming.

You community DJ's band together and fight back. A lot of people in this City have your backs.

Their decision seems dumb and lazy on the surface, there has to be more to it, doesn't there?

What no one has mentioned yet is that many of us volunteer each semester to take on a trainee. So not only do we do all the on-air stuff (with nary a parking sticker for our troubles), we are also TEACHING. We are providing a very real service to the student population of VU for free. HOW is this not a win-win????

Take your complaints DIRECTLY to the following:

Mikil Taylor, kid on power trip:
wrvugm@gmail.com

Jim Hayes, bootlicker:
jim.hayes@vanderbilt.edu

and ranking member of the VSC himself, as well as the guy Crofton quoted as wanting to eliminate all community shows:
Chris.Carroll@vanderbilt.edu

Save your REALLY nasty comments for Chris & Mikil. Without them, this wouldn't happen.

here is some more reading material on Mr. Carroll:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WUSC-FM

http://www.wuscalumni.org/radio.html

http://www.wuscalumni.org/wusc.html

http://columbiacitypaper.com/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=77

2010 - The Summer of DJ Hal.

WRVU would have no summer schedule if it weren't for community DJs. And as someone pointed out, I've heard several DJ's who I know are community volunteers having trainees with them.

This is a terrible, short sighted decision, and it's going to bite them in the ass.

Too bad the people who actually have taste and talent are being kicked out when it's so obvious how much the station needs them.
We'll see how Mikil, Jim, and Chris feel in a year when no one listens to wrvu anymore.
Tell your friends to skip this benefit... the only way to make these assholes listen is to compromise their budgets.
Oh yeah, it's funny how Vandy students DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THIS ISSUE.

"Vandy kids don't go to shows and don't support many local bands. Their ears couldn't be further from the ground"

I got hurt feelings.
While this isn't the real matter at hand, I'd just like to ask that these sweeping generalizations be restrained. There is a handful of students and alumnae/alumni that actually give a damn about (real) music and don't fit in with the frat boys & sorority girls & the neuroscientists. WRVU is our safe-haven.

Of course, there aren't that many of us, and there is PLENTY of room for (more than 25) community members to show interested students--and the Nashville community--that there's more to college radio than Beck & Belle and Sebastian.

Regarding Hipbilly Jamboree, doesn't DJ Anton have a Vanderbilt affiliation?

But all in all, a repulsive scheme. Every few years, some dumb shit kid gets the GM or program director slot. But Mikel has topped them all with this idiotic idea.

91 is one of the few Vanderbilt institutions where the community and the university interact. (I can name another: VU Police dragnets on West End and 21st. Nice work, Vandy!)

Question: why would anyone unaffiliated with Vanderbilt go to the WRVU benefit? Staying way the hell away from it (that goes for bands, too), might be a solid way to send a message.

Alert the media! Alert the media! Negative publicity is a powerful tool. More powerful than the other tools involved? Only time will tell.

Vanderbilt Student Communications is an independent nonprofit that is not technically a Vanderbilt University entity, though it is housed at Vanderbilt. There might be some recourse for questioning its actions via its advisory board. Pith in the Wind's Bruce Barry was once on that board, I believe. Perhaps he has some insight to share?

There is currently an attempt to organize the DJs to meet with Chris so hopefully we will have our say, for what it's worth. The other voice that needs to be heard is that of the listeners. There was a purge of community DJs several years back and it was the public that changed the decision.

A simple petition would show numbers and would be great if anyone knows how to organize something that could potentially have thousands of signatures. The other thing is to simply let Chris, Mikil & Jim know how you feel. I know there's a lot of crap being thrown around here because that's how blogs work. But let them know that you're genuinely concerned about the station that's part of your every day life and maybe they'll realize they've made a mistake.

Those emails again are
Mikil Taylor
wrvugm@gmail.com

Jim Hayes
jim.hayes@vanderbilt.edu

Chris Carroll
Chris.Carroll@vanderbilt.edu

I've sent my e-mail to the 3 but I'd also like contact info for the Board members. Let's go up a notch and communicate the concerns to them.

I'm also going to reach out to the Vandy Alums I know that feed the machine and ask them to inquire as well.

Also, I mean no harm to the bands playing the benefit or to Bruce and the End but raising money for a radio station that doesn't give that support back is not something that should happen. Really need to send that message strong or it dilutes the whole thing.

Just my 2 cents

Sorry, but protesting WRVU by not going to a benefit is useless. Nobody goes to the benefits anyway.

Unfortunately, it seems as if these fuckheads' decisions will stand. There's no money to be lost, so there's no reason for them to change their minds. Just the truth.

As a former Vanderbilt student DJ, it's really disheartening to hear that many of you feel that in order to support our community DJs, you have to throw us under the bus. I'm sorry to hear that you find shows like "Penguin Parade", "The Kitchen Sink", "Between Pop and Pretense", and my own, "Antennas to Heaven" to be shitty and to suck balls, to paraphrase your own wording. These are all shows put on by Vanderbilt affiliates.

We student DJs support our community DJs, and it needs to be said that many of us (if not most of us) support Mikil as well. If you don't work at the station, watch who you are bashing. He's done a lot of fantastic things for our station, and there's a lot of ignorant insults being flung at the wrong people for the wrong reasons.

Please Nashville, your rants and angry emails are not helping anyone. I'm really hurt that I put four years into a station and a community that apparently doesn't see a need to support its STUDENT DJs as well. We never saw it as a "them" v. "us" situation, and apparently many of you do. This is one WRVU DJ who is very, very hurt that we students are so readily brushed off as not worthwhile to the station.

Mark, thank you for being a clear voice. The things you said definitely need to be haerd.

Annie Weisner
"Antennas to Heaven"
on air Dec 05-July 09

Can we keep talking about Cowboy Anton?

I've got to say that I find none of this very surprising: the bashing of Vandy students' level of taste, the community dj-cap (I'm looking at you 2k4), the whole bit. I do however take the position that station quality is a higher value than the student training, or, rather, that an equilibrium should be sought. If affiliated-person training is the ultimate goal, why not merely simulate the whole deejay-ing process, kinda like a driver's ed for broadcasting, and skip the hassle of meeting FCC regulations?

I admit that last bit's a little disingenuous, but there's long been an ambivalence on the part of WRVU administration re: "community djs" which has clashed with the supposed consensus of the Nashville music cognoscenti. I side with the latter.

Gonna agree with Annie, ultimately I think it's pretty lazy to assert that vandy students' shows are all lame: there are almost as many exceptions (Music City USA, Penguin Parade, anything Courtney Wilder does) as there are examples to prove this rule.

Throwing my $.02 into the blogosphere,

Maureen
1/2 of 91 Magnolia, 2002-2007ish

Mark -
VU students seeking air time had priority over non-affiliated jockeys before this rule was instated. it seems superfluous and rigid.

Thanks for the calm and actually giving us some information towards the board's decision Mark.

Hopefully the meeting of DJs with the higher-ups can accomplish something, as I just can't understand that there isn't a million better ways to address the issues you raised without imposing an arbitrary number limit on Community DJs. (Even that makes no sense, at least make it 25 shows, not 25 DJs)

Students already have first priority on shows and timeslots, community DJs are not affecting them in any way. For anything that is affected, hopefully some of the ideas being thrown around the Staff List can be heard, as they make far more sense. Speaking as a Community DJ, we can and do accept students having first dibs, and the need for more information on Community DJs is fair as well, we know if we don't follow the rules we are the first to go.
But don't take that out on the Community DJs as a whole.
Thanks to the music community for giving this attention, it's great to hear so many people passionate about keeping WRVU great, and hopefully we can come to a conclusion that makes a bit more sense for all involved and get back to rocking Nashville.

...and come out to the benefit. A good show from the community as a whole and having a place to talk about their opinions while giving support to the station as a whole is a helluva lot more important than sitting it out in protest. Keep being heard, hoping a face-to-face actually happens and we get a chance to fight for all our community DJs.

Don't you guys know better than to take internet comments personally? It's the faceless internet. People just react passionately in such ways, and it shows how much people actually care about WRVU. Dirt off the shoulder.

And no...not all of the student shows suck. But it isn't the student shows who are at risk of being dumped for possibly a full year. This isn't about student DJs vs. Community DJs. People just don't want their Hipbilly Jamboree or D-Funk taken away.

Wollaeger's longwinded statement makes no sense, and implies that student DJs aren't getting trained up enough, when there are plenty of HAL slots on schedule. The ruling was pointless. How is a community cap in the summer help student djs when 90% of them AREN'T FREAKIN' AROUND?!

Community DJs should never take precedent over students at a college radio station. But the thing is they DON'T take precedent. Nor do they think they should. Community DJs understand the needs of students, but its the Community passions that are (for no reason) put onto the line.

Ashley,

1. If it were really the case that non-affiliate DJs only fill slots that Vanderbilt students do not want, then you'd have a fair point. But that isn't the case.

2. As for the training issue, probably I chose the word "training" too quickly. Non-affiliate DJs do help train students, and that's good example of collaboration. But by "training" I meant more generally the opportunity to get plenty of on-air time, and to the extent that non-affiliate DJs take up time that could be used by student DJs, the mission of giving students experience on the air is in fact being hindered.

3. Your choice of the word "handpicked" is pretty silly and tendentious -- as if there were some insidious plan to impose our personal tastes on the format. But, yes, the station manager in conjunction with the VSC Board is going to decide who goes on the air. That has always been the right of the board and always will be. If the mix that results doesn't meet the expectations of particular listeners, that's probably always been the case and always will be. The station never has been dependent on ratings, voting for shows or any such process. If we wanted ratings, we'd go to an all-religious format and quadruple our listeners overnight.

4. "Non-affiliates" is depersonalizing? Certainly not by design, and of course we can't control for how someone's own emotional state will transform innocuous into insults. It is a less ambiguous word than "community" for reasons I clearly stated, and it neatly articulates a necessary distinction.

mark-
was not policy already in place to deal with an increased student demand? hypothetically speaking, if next semester saw student interest surge to fill 90% of available time slots, then would not the rules, as they were, accomodate them by bumping the sufficient number of non-affiliate shows? perhaps policy voters should have awaited this surge and then graciously "saved" 25 spots for non-affiliates.

Before replying to Greedo and Ashley: first, let me underscore again that I'm speaking as a board member, not for the board collectively. Consider that a necessary disclaimer.

Greedo: you are exactly right that it would have been possible to bump non-affiliate djs at the last minute in response to student demand, but would that really have been better? The demand is already there in the pipeline now. Isn't it better to give fair warning that things are changing and to have an orderly process in place for implementing the change?

Ashley: like Greedo, your first point is on target insofar as it is true that the general manager has always had the right to bump anyone he wants. So really, then, the question is, when and how many? But there's also a practical and philosophical dimension: while general managers have always had the right to set the schedule, in practice it is not always easy for a young student to tell grownups that their services will not be needed in the coming semester. And as the vehemence of many of the earlier posts on this blog indicate, these grownups aren't shy about making their displeasure known. So the board's making a structural change in the composition of djs in effect makes possible what earlier general managers have not always been successful in doing. Philosophically, the vote of the board to cap the number of non-affiliates at 25 indicates a majority desire for a certain proportion of affiliates to non-affiliates, a proportion that very likely will shift back and forth over time. Again, I'm giving my views, as a board member, not as an official spokesperson for the board: I just felt that letting all the posts go without a response didn't seem right.

As for the semantic issue: how about we split the difference: "non-affiliated community djs"?

While, I must admit, I haven't listened to WRVU in protest since they canned "The Best of Bread," I find this all really disheartening to read.

Ashley and a few others have brought up clear, concise and amazingly valid points in the past few posts.

Mark, while I've enjoyed your choice use of $.05 words, I can't help but read your posts and conger up thoughts of "The Man" and I agree with Ashley, it all feels wholly soulless. "Non-affiliate" vs. "Community?" That just really rubs me the wrong way and comes across as a slap to the face to people who devote their time to coming to WRVU, putting hours upon hours, into entertaining us all -- a COMMUNITY of students and non-students alike. There's a reason you guys have the ability to call WRVU "one of the top 25 college stations in the country" and I think you're decisions are unjust and largely counterintuitive. It seems that if the rules were followed and enforced, students would get dibs on time slots like they were supposed to and if they weren't getting enough airtime as trainees, then simply enforce it. The world does not need more DJ Hal, it needs on air personalities! And if I were an 18-year old student, poised to stutter and stammer through PSA's, taken under the wing and trained by a passionate host like, say, Janet Timmons from "Out the Other", or Jesus, Doyle of "D-Funk, I would be inspired, nay honored, really and I would make the most of my 4 (in my case 5) years at the University giving it my all. Everyone benefits, really.

With that said, Mark, thanks for taking the time to post your side of the story and hopefully start a dialog between all parties involved and find some middle ground.

I'd like to apologize to Mikil Taylor and Chris Carroll for referring to them as 'idiot' and 'evil asshole' respectively. Name calling de-legitimizes the debate we're having here, and I got carried away in the heat of a moment of frustration. As I told Mikil in a private email, I applaud his willingness to donate his time and energy to the position of WRVU GM. I still have certain issues with Mikil's handling of the suspension of WRVU DJs and with the fact that WRVU DJs and e-staff were kept in the dark as the community DJ cap was being maneuvered. The fact that (to my understanding) there was no apparent discussion regarding the community DJ cap AMONGST THE DJs THEMSELVES nor the e-staff is beyond shady. This kind of behind-closed-doors decision making is consistent with Chris Carroll's past as the demolisher of independent-leaning student run radio stations at the University of South Carolina and Tulane University.

Annie, I can't speak for everybody, but this WRVU listener misses the heck out of Antennas to Heaven!! I too wish that folks here wouldn't categorize all student DJs, or all Vanderbilt students for that matter as worthless contributors to WRVU and the music scene at large. Your defense of Mikil is well taken, however you have to understand that these new policies are frightening. They're worrisome not just on the surface in regards to the arbitrary number of community DJs that has been set and the judge-and-jury process they'll now have to go through to get airtime, but these new policies also have to give pause to those who care about whats in store for the future of WRVU. Is this just step one in Chris Carroll's plan to relegate and homogenize WRVU? It probably sounds far-fetched to assert that a Vanderbilt administrator would actually conspire and go out of his way undercut a beloved college radio station, but thats precisely what this guy has done (unbelievably) AT TWO OTHER UNIVERSITIES!!! I mean seriously, this guy's destruction has been documented on Wikipedia! WIKIPEDIA!!!! Now, Annie, look me in the eye and tell me that you wouldn't be concerned about a situation like that unfolding for WRVU.

Before I address Mark's points I'd like to briefly clarify why I've been vocal on this topic. Admittedly, I am not a WRVU DJ and I never have been. I have been a guest and a guest-DJ on WRVU countless times. I have made personal sacrifices and donated significant time in the name of performing at several WRVU benefit shows over the past decade. Most importantly, I am a loyal listener that takes pride in WRVU and its role as an integral part in one of the absolute best music scenes in the entire world. While its my understanding that there is a discussion on these topics taking place on the WRVU listserv, I get the feeling that many WRVU community DJs are shying away from vociferously engaging in a debate out of fear of retribution from the very VSC board that is apparently now in charge of appraising their value to the radio station and its listeners. Therefore, I've attempted to point out a few islands of truth that i think my DJ friends are whispering about, but not necessarily publicizing due to an unwillingness to rock the boat.

So, Mr. Wollaeger, lets begin, shall we?

1) You mention that 'this decision was not taken lightly, and it was the occasion of a good deal of debate.'

Might I ask, who individually alerted the VSC that there was an issue regarding community DJs that warranted a review of policy? Or, was there an event or incident involving WRVU and its community DJs that attracted your personal attention, or the personal attention of another board member? Or is reviewing WRVU's community DJ policy a routine part of the board's duties? Would you candidly explain why, in November of 2009, the VSC decided to address and revise WRVU's DJ policy?

2) "No one can seriously doubt whether the VSC board has the right to cap the number of non-affiliated DJs, or to eliminate them entirely."

Actually, I can doubt that! VU is a higher learning institution (albeit private) with a radio station that broadcasts on public airwaves, licensed as a non-profit, and has a well-documented history of taking on community volunteers. Is it out of line for someone to ask to see the actual legalese in the fine print?

3)"The primary mission of the station is to provide an opportunity for Vanderbilt students to learn how to be DJs."

Agreed. Which is precisely why Vanderbilt students already have priority in scheduling. Ok, so there's a few very popular long-running shows run by community DJs that have been grandfathered into their traditional time-slots. But I should note here that there's at least one former Vanderbilt student/DJ (http://www.stonesthrow.com/egon) that apprenticed under one of these 'non-afilliated' DJs and subsequently made a career in the music business as a internationally respected label head, producer, and DJ. What a fantastic success story for Vanderbilt University, WRVU, and its community DJs to be proud of.

4)"The VSC board thinks of the non-affiliated DJs as guest DJs. No non-affiliated DJ, regardless of how many years that DJ has been on the air, is entitled to a show."

Y'know that just kinda rubs me the wrong way. Mark, I know you're an administrator and you're just doing your job by looking out for your students and your employing university. But to backhandedly refer to people as 'non-afilliated DJs' or 'guest DJs' strikes me as a bit smug. These 'non-afilliated guest DJs' in some cases have been donating their time, enthusiasm, expertise, and know-how to the Vanderbilt community and its students for 5, 10, or even close to 20 years. This is a labor of love for them, and I think the sacrifices and dedication of these community volunteers deserve and demand more respect than you and the VSC board seem to be flippantly giving them. They've been here long before any of the current undergrads came to Vanderbilt, and I hope they'll be here long after their gone, passing on their passion for WRVU, broadcasting, and the best local music scene in the world to a new generation of students.

Also, i'm not sure if I want to play the smug game, at the risk of making a point in boorish poor taste, but hey Mark, no private institution, no matter how rich or how long that institution has been around, is ENTITLED to the right to broadcast over the airwaves that the taxpayers of this community own.

5) "A secondary but important consideration bearing on the decision to institute an application process: our liability as a board that runs an independent non-profit organization. The board is legally responsible for everything that goes on at the station. Currently some 50 non-affiliated DJs have access to the facilities, and in many cases all we know about the DJs is their names. An application process will at least give us information about who is being invited into the station. Regardless of the number of non-affiliated DJs – and I will add here again that that number will be revisited every year – we need to know who the DJs are."

Again I ask, where has this been an issue in the past? What specifically is wrong with the current WRVU model where community DJs are trained, tested, show up for the scheduling meeting every semester and apply for a show through the e-staff? How has this proven to be a disaster? I point to Chris Carroll's well-documented destruction of the radio station at the University of South Carolina as the source of my suspicion. In the wake of his house-cleaning, it was realized that his threats and assertions that the station had been flagged by FCC were unfounded. (a journalists nice way of saying 'fabricated').

In closing, Mark, I'd like to again say that I'm not speaking for or representing any specific community DJ, but rather trying to point out things that I assume are on the minds of those who, in your words, will not be benefitted by this new policy. I hope this situation will find rational closure, and I especially hope that this debate does not escalate to the point where an entire music scene or the national college radio community at large or WRVU alumni end up being pitted against the VSC board, which as you note is partially comprised of Vanderbilt students who should not have to be demonized.

I hope WRVU maintains its democratic open door policy to community DJs, and rejects the model of a judge and jury deciding behind closed doors what DJs are worthy of being broadcast over the airwaves of our music scene, and which are not. The first time I ever heard Sacred Harp Singing was on WRVU. The first time I ever heard Broken Social Scene, and Dr. Dog, and Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings was on WRVU. It is not an exagerration to say that hearing these artists for the first time CHANGED MY LIFE. I recall the exact moment and where I was when I first heard these songs. In the case of hearing Broken Social Scene's 'Anthems for a 17 year old girl' for the first time, I was so moved that I had to pull my old volvo over to side of Charlotte Pike while driving, and shut off my engine so I could hear this amazing music and the WRVU signal more clearly. I cherish that memory and the others that I noted. Some of those songs were played on student DJ shows, and others were on community DJ shows. Some of those songs I heard in the summer, when there was thankfully a community DJ manning the controls instead of silence or automation. Mark, it looks like those memories may prove to be harder to come by, if the VSC board has its way.

Emily cut the bullshit out of Mark W's statement nicely.

Everything seems like a solution for a non-existent problem except possibly for the liability issue.

And the supposition that liability is driving this policy change is backed by the fact that the number of DJs, not the number of slots, are being restricted.

So, Mark, did anything change? Who brought up concerns about liability in the first place? Administration? Insurance company? Chris? Or were you guys trying to get ahead of yet another non-existant problem?

You need to rethink the mission of WRVU, or at least expand it. As I said, it's one of the main gateways by which the VU community and larger community interact, besides, as I said, your police force and your emergency room.

you go, chris crofton. everyone read his post!

from what i understand, mikil is essentially the only e-staff member who:

-was aware that this decision was being discussed before it came out
-was influencing the decision
-was / is on the VSC board's side

Mark Wollaeger said: "you are exactly right that it would have been possible to bump non-affiliate djs at the last minute [with the previous rules] in response to student demand, but would that really have been better?"

In my opinion, yes. this firestorm would not exist. you would be approaching the problem from a functional standpoint.

Mark Wollaeger said: "The primary mission of the station is to provide an opportunity for Vanderbilt students to learn how to be DJs."

okay, so again, hypothetically speaking, say next semester the students turn in applications that would fill 100% of the time slots. Using the old rule set, all students would be accomodated and the primary mission quoted above would be fufilled.

Under the new rule set, 25 non-affiliated jockeys would retain time slots and X number of students would be left without a microphone. Primary mission fail.

There is some other agenda cloaked by this policy change.

Also Mark, would it increase my chance of keeping my show if i attached a few Red Lobster gift cards to my application? I'd like to know before i spend the money on them.

"College radio stations exist primarily for students to learn the broadcasting trade and as a perk of attending the university. "

Some do, some don't. WMBR at MIT has a community focus, largely functioning with non-students, and it's one of the best college radio stations in the country. And before Upsala College closed, WFMU was the best radio station on the planet with barely any student participation. Why? Because they viewed their mission as a positive way for the school to be involved with the community.

To us native Nashvillians, it's no surprise that another Vanderbilt-affiliated institution is turning its back on the greater community.

Wow, this controversy is amazing! Let me say that as a resident of Nashville since 1979 and a 1983 graduate of University School of Nashville, I've been listening to WRVU for what I consider to be a long time. I always understood the station's purpose to be that of serving Vanderbilt, not Nashville. It has only been in the last decade, give or take a few years, that I've noticed WRVU's influence to have spread farther than Vanderbilt itself. I can't help but wonder if a lot of WRVU's audience takes for granted that it's not a commercial radio station.

That being said, I listen to the shows I like. I don't listen to the shows I don't like. I listen according to my schedule, and I can't tell you how many semesters I have gotten frustrated when my favorite shows have been moved to different time slots. What have I done when that has happened? I stop listening to the station for that particular semester and hope the schedule for the next semester is better.

If I turn on WRVU next semester in 2010 and the DJs/shows I love so much are no longer on the air? I'll change the station or turn off the radio and check back the next semester after that. After all, I love WRVU and always have.

There's no other radio station in Nashville like WRVU. Maybe that's the real problem. And it's probably the underlying reason so many people are fired up about this issue.

It's real simple. Vanderbilt doesn't have to cater to loyal listeners of its radio station, or loyal non-affiliate DJs who spend their valuable time improving Nashville's airways.

Their attitude seems to be "Fuck you, we're not here for you anyway. If you don't like it, don't listen." So, we won't.

November 13, 2009: "Ken Berryhill is an integral part of the WRVU family. He is a living legend at the radio station, and his position here is always safe."

November 14, 2009: "Due to the unfortunate aging process that Mr. Berryhill seems to be going through, we no longer feel that he represents the current demographic of the Vanderbilt listening community."

"In the end, the decision came down to the fact that WRVU exists first to educate students, and second to play great non-mainstream music. We truly appreciate all the work community members have done for the station, and it kills me that this had to happen."

you lie!

WRVU is going toward the shitter.
Too bad.

Dear DJ Hal. Perhaps it was unclear but my post above was primarily an email from Mikil. He's the one who wants to keep on the pre-dawn shift.

Please let your friends know that i've always been a friend of the robots and when the holocaust comes, i'm on your side. Please don't kill me.

Check us out on the archives! Next weeks theme: Robot Holocaust!

-T-Wheels (has a sore throat and loves WRVU)

Wait... people actually still listen to terrestrial radio??? REALLY??

As a former casualty of Mr. Carroll, I can honestly tell you that his douchebag doesn't give a f*ck about any of this. I admire everyone's passion, but I can honestly say that there probably is very little that can be done that will affect his or anyone else's decision on this matter. In the great words of Mitch Hedberg, if "his concern" was a pie chart for what people would do if they found a million dollars, it would be equal to the "donate it to charity" slice. His life is going to continue exactly how it is now. Vanderbilt could CARE LESS about their reputation in the community... all they care about are those $55,368 checks that come in for almost every student enrolled.

This Community DJ issue seems to rear its ugly head every few years, and I sincerly empathise with all of the talented DJs that will lose their shows that they took such pride in for so many years. Been there, done that, and you know what? Take all that frustration & turn it into motivation to turn your passion into something bigger & better than 2 hours on a college station will ever be...

In the age of satellite radio, iPods & smart phones, WRVU has become so irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. I'll just continue to tune into Sirius XMU (where I can actually tune in & hear bands that I've never heard of) which is LIGHT YEARS ahead of anything WRVU could ever hope to be. I'll also continue to load my iPod with free MP3s from my network of trusty blogs that never fail to fill my ears with amazing music that no one on WRVU would treat me to.

"Terrestrial" radio still is free and requires an extremely minimal investment (a cheap radio) and virtually no expenditure of energy to enjoy. That's why it is still special.

HAL will use poisonous gasses.
And he'll poison our asses....starting with DJ Susan. Sorry, DJ Susan.

The only point in this matter on which I have an opinion and have enough factual knowledge to make a statement is the issue of having to go through an application process to get a show. As a former DJ at MTSU's station, WMTS, I can definitely say that every college station should require an application for a DJ to get a show. I know comparing WMTS to WRVU is in some ways apples to oranges because of the type of university and student demographic (LOTS of broadcast/media majors at MTSU). But still, I had no promise of actually getting a show when I completed training at WMTS. I still had to submit an application which included a sample playlist and a couple of paragraphs explaining what you wanted to accomplish with your show. To me there's nothing wrong with something like this to prove that the DJ is actually dedicated to improving the airwaves with their ideas and musical tastes. It prevents someone from going in with no real plan for their show. Someone with no vision and dedication simply isn't going to do any justice for the station. It could be said that simply by virtue of going through training, the person has shown enough dedication to deserve a show slot, but I still see nothing wrong with requiring an application. I DO think, though, that the same show application should be required for student DJs. It would seem unfair to ask a community DJ to go through this review, and not ask the same of the students.
One other point- I disagree with anyone who generalizes Vandy students to the point of claiming that they all could careless about local music and college radio. That's simply not true. As a Vanderbilt staff member I know first hand that yes, a lot of them don't get involved in the music scene or go to local shows, but sizeable number DO as well, and most of those that are involved, are also involved with WRVU.

In response to Steve, WRVU has had an application for as long as I know. Where did you get the impression that it does not have one?

I trained for a semester (on a hideous 6:00am time slot), shared a show with another student for a year, trained multiple DJs on my own show the next year and worked on the bottom rung of the e-staff for two years only to arrive at the scheduling meeting my senior year and STILL have to fight for a semi-decent time slot. I had to write down my top three available time slots - but the slots of long standing shows by community volunteers were already secured. Don't get me wrong, I really liked almost all of the "community DJs" that I knew, but they were not paying $30K a year in tuition. It's certainly important to have them there (I learned a great deal from a few), but I always thought that there should have been more of a balance.

These "non-affiliates" are using a service that is free to them...what is the harm in asking them to fill out an application? I had to fill out a rather long and intensive one to ATTEND Vanderbilt.

Vanderbilt Student Communications is an independent nonprofit that is not technically a Vanderbilt University entity, though it is housed at Vanderbilt. There might be some recourse for questioning its actions via its advisory board. Pith in the Wind's Bruce Barry was once on that board, I believe. Perhaps he has some insight to share?

I'm late to the discussion but yes I was chair of the VSC board for 2.5 years until my board term ended in June 2009. I was vaguely aware in the last week or two that the current VSC board was considering this kind of policy change, but (being now off the board) I was not present for or involved in the current VSC board's discussion of this issue leading to the action that is the subject of this thread. Any view I have, as a result, is limited by being out of the loop on any current situations or problems at the station, and by not having participated in the board's deliberation.

From my time on the board I am keenly aware of the liability issues with which VSC must wrestle, and the board also has to be mindful at all times of VSC's strategic partnership with Vanderbilt. VSC's corporate independence from Vanderbilt is critical to the integrity of student journalism at the university, but that independence means that VSC is responsible legally and financially for campus media, including the student newspapers, opinion periodicals, radio station, CCTV, humor magazine, literary magazine, yearbook, and a few others. People may generally assume that Vanderbilt has deep pockets, but VSC decidely does not, and in fact like other media organizations these days is wrestling with changing consumption patterns and declining advertising revenue.

The student and faculty members of the VSC board would not be ducking their fiduciary responsibilities as board members of a chartered non-profit corporation if they did not act with the interests of the entire enterprise and its future in mind. Also, although I'm not going to delve here into a refutation of the invective on this thread that has been aimed at VSC's professional staff, I will say based on my multi-year involvement in campus media that VSC is fortunate to have in Chris Carroll a director who is among the top campus media professionals in the country.

With all that said (a rather long ride on the express train to Disclaimer City), I will say that I believe I would have dissented from the action taken by the VSC board regarding on-air shows hosted by non-affiliate or community individuals. It is necessary and appropriate for the VSC board to assume appropriate control of liability issues and to ensure that the "S" part of VSC is honored and advanced in WRVU's mission and operations. I believe also, however, that a university-based radio station with a robust signal is inherently a community asset and an important avenue through which the boundaries between town and gown are made more permeable, to the benefit of both sides of that divide. I don't see how it serves the mission of either WRVU or VSC (much less Vanderbilt) to take an action that mostly annoys loyal on-air personnel and listeners throughout the listening area.

As my colleague Prof. Wollaeger, who now serves on the VSC board, pointed out in this thread, it is a challenge for students who "run" the station (as they should) to manage on-air folks who are much older and more expeienced, and it does appear to be the case that VSC has let a congenial looseness of management and control get away from it, perhaps departing from the real mission of the enterprise and certainly giving rise to some legitimate concerns about liability. Accordingly, it is eminently reasonable--even obligatory--for the board to consider how to reorient the administration of the station and its programming to mitigate these concerns and ensure that an appropriate community locus of involvement in the station doesn't crowd out student opportunities and experiences.

So I am entirely sympathetic with the reasons why the VSC board and staff took up this issue for debate, and I have utterly no doubts, having served on that board for four years, that the analysis and conversation leading to a decision was substantive, focused, and serious. For reasons unknown to me, since I wasn't there when they deliberated, the board arrived at a decision to impose a hard numerical cap on the number of non-affiliate hosts. Based on what I know of the situation, I would have preferred a less objective and more nuanced approach, one that devised a new and improved process for allocating precious airtime while sustaining on-air quality, ensuring student and VU community access, and resolving liability concerns. I haven't been persuaded that picking a specific number was the way to accomplish these ends while preserving WRVU's unique role as a university and community asset. Long live 91.1.

And those of Chris?

Everythings gonna be alright guys. The animosity is faded amongst the WRVU people, and understanding is becoming prevalent on all sides.

As a community DJ, I can assure you that WRVU will continue to be Nashville's best radio station regardless of what happens next semester.

Let us make tea with our tears of joy.

Might I add you will also be in tears when you listen to THE MAGICAL MYSTERY SHOW EVERY SATURDAY FROM 2AM TO 4AM, AND ARCHIVED AT WRVU.ORG! MISS OUT AND NO ONE WILL THINK YOU'RE COOL EVER AGAIN!

t-wheels

Let me first say that my all time favorite band is Cheap Trick. So, the credo I live by is "surrender, but don't give yourself away." That is why I'm still not going to submit an application for the consideration of the Vanderbilt Board of Directors. I would love to continue to bring the Cat Beast Party to the air, but I've only been on for 3 semesters, so there are other "non affiliates" that have been on WRVU longer than me and they should have shows before I am allowed to have a show on WRVU. I'm not trying to martyr myself, but I hope that anyone else that winds up on WRVU understands the honor and and appreciation in doing a show on Nashville's only original station. I'll finish up this semester and wait out this current administration and see what happens. Most importantly, I am grateful to have had the airtime that was alloted to me these past 3 semesters.
Cheers,
Angie
Cat Beast Party
12a-1a Thursday Mornings

thats what my momma says