Music Selection

A question that burned in my mind when I began working at KXCI was: How exactly do they decide what gets played and what does not? The station has a fairly well-ordered system for receiving, organizing, and reviewing CDs.

First, CDs are mailed to KXCI by any labels that wish to have those artists played on air. Generally these labels send the CDs to many, many stations with KXCI being one of them. The CDs are received and organized. This process of organization, known as “marking” the CDs, is something I did quite a bit. Essentially, the CDs have the first three letters of their name put on a label and a review sheet placed inside. This allows the CDs to be reviewed, and makes it easier to place them on a bookshelf to be organized. Finally, CDs are also given colored stickers to show the genre of the CD, and any other important information such as: New releases, or CDs that are soundtracks.

Next, the CDs are picked up by volunteers. The volunteers take the CD home and listen to all the tracks. They then give a numerical review to the CD, mark any tracks that have FCC regulated words ( which is INCREDIBLY important, refer to my second post. ) and mark which tracks they think are the best. CDs with a high rating are then placed into circulation, and can be played by DJs on the air.

This system also reflects the importance of volunteer support. I can speak from first-hand experience: of all the CDs I mark I will only ever review at most two. This is because the station receives an incredible amount of new music, so volunteers picking up CDs is very important. Also, volunteers and the members of KXCI have complete control over what gets played on the air, so it is important to not pick CDs with genres one naturally dislikes. It is an interesting system that helps keep the music of the station fresh and emphasizes the importance of the contribution of members.

Funding a Small Station

Probably one of the bigger mysteries of running a small community radio station is how exactly to fund everything you’re doing. After you've dealt with the FCC’s guidelines and have acquired a station and broadcasting licence, you still need to pay to keep the station. KXCI is a community radio station and they aren't for profit. They do not air any commercial segments and don’t take money from labels to play certain songs or singles.

Now, when I say they don’t take commercial segments, they still do receive some sponsorship funding from local businesses in Tucson. A business can give money to the station, and they will be mentioned as part of an underwriting program. So, you may hear KXCI mention and thank local businesses on air, which is a form of advertising. This differs from general commercial advertising as underwriting is written by the KXCI staff, and said on air by a DJ in real time. The businesses do not tell KXCI what to say on air.

In addition to underwriting, KXCI also raises funds through grants given to small smaller radio stations and fund-raising through its members. KXCI will have membership drives where they ask for donations to meet a certain funding goal. People that listen are urged to donate some money to the station to keep it running. These membership drives take place over a few weeks, and are vital to funding the station.

KXCI manages to exist thanks these funding techniques. It should also be mentioned that KXCI does not have a large staff. There are only four full-time employees at the station that ensure the stations runs properly.

The Federal Communications Commission

The biggest hurdle to both setting up and running a radio station is probably the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC. They are the judge, jury and executioner of all radio station. They are in charge, and if you’re a radio station you refer to their rules for just about everything. From the legal radius of broadcast, to a maximum amount of watts for the broadcaster, and ensuring that every station is capable of running an emergency system should the need arise. The most dangerous regulation for a small station such as KXCI is their policy against profanity.

The regulation against profanity shapes how DJs at KXCI handle and choose the music to play. If the station were to mess up and air profanity during the day, they could be hit with a $325,000 fine, which would knock a small community radio station off the air. Although, it’s not as if the FCC is capable of single-handedly monitoring every radio station at once. For the station to be fined, someone listening must complain, and then the FCC will take action. There is a device at the station called a skimmer. It records everything that is broadcast and compartmentalizes its recordings into hour long segments. This allows both the FCC and KXCI to review previous broadcasts and verify any rule-breaking. There is a small exception to this profanity regulation

Safe harbor in radio is known as a time period late at night where the content broadcasted is not regulated for profanity. From midnight to six in the morning it is possible for stations to air pretty much whatever they please. Despite this, KXCI does not follow safe harbor and still maintains an incredibly strict policy on no profanity. This is both to be extra-careful and to maintain a family oriented radio station.

If you really don’t want to read, the summary is: The FCC can be pretty scary.

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