How does college radio work? The Chart | Not The Chart

There are over 1,000 college and community radio stations in the U.S. and Canada, and it seems that each one is run in an entirely different way. Each one is unique from one another in umpteen ways aside from their administration. Some of the factors that differentiate one radio station from one another include:

* wattage: college stations range from 0-watts (no broadcast capability) to 100,000-watts (more powerful than many commercial stations) and everywhere in between, though most seem to fall between 200-watts and 1,500.
* market: college & community stations are in a variety of locations including the smallest, least populated areas as well as some of the largest cities in the world.
* hours of broadcast: some stations broadcast only a few hours a week or during the school year, while others are on 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
* programming: some stations have very limited programming dedicated to alternative/rock music and primarily air jazz, classical, news, etc., yet others devote 80%-100% of their programming to freeform or eclectically mixed music.

How the station is run can have a lot to do with how it sounds and how flexible it is in its programming. Some stations are entirely run and operated by students, other are run by students but allow the participation of some non-students, yet others include the involvement of community members and students equally in the station's operation. There are stations which have faculty advisors who have varying levels of authority ranging from simple advising to complete control.

Each station has its hierarchy set up to take care of the business of the station, from keeping up on F.C.C. code to serving the community to paying the bills. Somewhere in the mix is someone responsible for being a liaison with record labels and the music business in general. This person is usually called the Music Director, and they are sometimes responsible for other duties at the station, such as determining which d.j.s get which time slots, or what is allowed and what is not allowed to be played. But more often then not, their duties center around:

* receiving and processing records sent by record labels, promotion companies, bands, etc.
* determining which records fit into the different formats of the station
* determining which records are appropriate for airplay on the station
* "adding", or making the appropriate records available
* tracking the amount of airplay the new records are receiving
* compiling a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly chart of the new records which received the most air play
* passing this information on to the appropriate trade magazines and record labels
* taking calls and answering the questions of record label and promotion representatives that contact the station
* increasing the record service the station receives and sometimes buying new or replacement records for the station
* general maintenance of the music libraries of the station