Introduction to this Little Blog

Hey! Welcome to this blog!

My name is Nick Smith, and I am a senior at BASIS Tucson North. This particular high school stands out not only for having outstanding academic rigor, but also for allowing seniors to undertake long, three-month research projects. This puts the burden of education on the me, the student, and allows me to pursue something I find interesting. During my time doing research I am to keep an online blog, the one you are reading right now! Here you will find posts about my time during this wonderful project. I suppose the question is: what do I find interesting? and more importantly, what will I be writing about?

For me, this research project is a chance to explore something I’ve never had the chance to explore before. I decided to do a research project on a community radio station. Having absolutely zero past experience aside from listening to radio, this probably seems like an odd choice. I love music, I always have, and listening to certain radio stations is an excellent way to discover new music. Despite listening to radio for several years of my life, I have absolutely no clue how a regular radio station even runs itself. From choosing music, to deciding when music gets played, to how music gets played for everyone to tune in and listen to. I decided to work at a radio station that constantly plays new music, 91.3 KXCI. The interesting characteristic of this radio station is that it is a community station. This means that they do not run sponsored ads to get revenue. This gives them more freedom in what they can play and what shows they can run.

During my time at KXCI, I will be shadowing Cathy Rivers. She seems to be the one who runs most of the show on-site, so I am glad to have such a strong on-site advisor. I will be learning all that I can about how a community radio station operates, and using this blog I will try to share with you what I have learned! Hopefully you get something from my time spent at KXCI!

Thanks!

Nick Smith