Many colleges have student-run, noncommercial educational radio broadcast stations. They can be valuable assets to colleges for various reasons, such as giving information on upcoming events and student activities, community outreach and training. So why don’t more students listen to KPCRadio.com that Pierce College students run?
Cerritos College on the other hand, has a radio station called “WPMD,” which stands for “Where People Make a Difference.” Many students know about this radio station because when you walk around campus you can hear it being played. The same should be done for KPCRadio.com.
Sadly, most students on our campus are unaware of the local radio programming we have. They can listen to programs such as Gothropology, Geek Speak, Talking Tinseltown and more. With ads only in the newspaper, most students never tune in to hear what their peers have to say. As a result, most students are deprived from the benefits of listening to an on-campus radio station.
By publicizing the radio shows on campus, the station could potentially gain more exposure, giving KPCRadio.com a bigger platform, which can be beneficial to both the aspiring broadcaster and the Media Arts Department. There will be a dramatic increase in listeners for the students, giving them the confidence they need, while helping them better connect with their peers.
A bigger platform would also provide advertisers a better way to reach a target audience. With that being said, think of the potential advertisers that would be willing to send the Media Arts Department money in exchange for ads. This money could help fund new equipment and help the department expand so that more programs can become available to students.
Not only can that, but it can also help the station establish itself. Launched in April 2010, KPCRadio.com is relatively new compared to other journalism programs on campus: the Roundup and the Bull Magazine.
According to schoolradio.com, some of the key benefits to having a school radio station include building an inclusive atmosphere for students, developing speaking and listening skills, supplement learning and giving students a voice as well as a sense of empowerment.
An empowered student is one who is confident, motivated and has the ability to impact others. If broadcasting a radio station around campus can encourage students to be better, why not do it?
In addition, it would be easier to simply broadcast the radio shows around campus from one single system. It may be difficult for all students to listen to it on their own devices due to the slow Wi-Fi on campus.
This could also encourage Pierce to update the campus as it does not have a formal public address (PA) system. A PA system would be useful, not only for KPCRadio.com, but also for information such as event reminders, public announcements and emergency notifications, which broadcasting students could deliver.
Although we have had KPCradio.com operating on campus for quite a while, it would be a good idea to let students know we have such a gem for them to enjoy and to benefit from.