Public Radio Volunteer
Insider Info
People's reasons for wanting to volunteer at campus or community radio
stations are as varied as the people doing the volunteer work.
Some want the glory of hearing their voice on the airwaves. Others are
looking to add something to their college applications or resumes. Still others
enjoy reaching out to an audience of listeners. But no one seems to regret
the time they give for free.
In many cases, volunteers are the lifeline of campus and community radio
stations. Campus radio stations are run by the students of a college or university.
Community radio stations are non-commercial operations run by people in the
local community.
Sandra Wasson is the general manager of the KALX campus/community radio
station at the University of California, Berkeley. She says that without the
more than 200 volunteers who work at KALX, it would be impossible to keep
the station running.
As a university student, Wasson had spent a lot of time listening to music
and going to live shows. She had also volunteered at her campus radio station.
After graduating, she began a career in management.
"I didn't like what I was doing," she says of her management work. So when
KALX offered her the opportunity to blend her management training with music
-- an area she felt passionate about, she was sold. She's been with KALX ever
since.
"I don't think I would [have] ever thought of doing this without first
volunteering at the radio [station] when I was in college," she says.
It's not unusual for people working and volunteering at campus and community
radio stations to have backgrounds in something other than broadcasting or
media.
Charles Lee is a graduate student in neuroscience at Berkeley. During the
course of his studies, he decided to try to combine his interests -- science
and broadcasting -- into a career in science journalism. He decided to launch
a science and technology program through the public affairs section of his
campus radio station.
"I happened to hear about community radio through a friend," he says. "It
seemed like a pretty fun thing to do."
Lee plans to use his experience with the radio station to make a move into
broadcasting.
Millie Lapadario is also a student at Berkeley. She got into volunteering
because she wanted her college application to look good.
"On college applications, there is a big emphasis on doing everything --
sports, community service, extracurricular stuff," she says. "I knew that
it would help me to have community service on my application.
"I volunteer at the radio [station] once a week for four hours," she adds.
"It's not too much of a time commitment. Anything more than that I wouldn't
be able to fit into my schedule."
Sean Condon is a volunteer at a campus/community radio station called CJSF
Radio. In the past, he had volunteered to help his friends with different
projects, but he hadn't done any volunteering for himself. At his campus radio
station, he found a community that he could work well with.
"Part of our policy is to exhibit the feelings of the people in this area,"
he says. "It's a very co-operative atmosphere around here. If you ask questions,
you are able to get help. It's not all about your own ego.
"We're an alternative to the mainstream," he adds. "I have artistic friends...that
are not getting the airplay they deserve. They can't get over the iron wall
that exists at a corporate station. Here we are able to feature artists who
are working independently or on a small budget. That's more in line with my
beliefs."
Long before Daryl Richel was hired as CJSR's program manager, he served
as a volunteer with the campus/community radio station.
"I'm like most people," Richel says. "I have hobbies. CJSR is a place where
people who have particular interests can share them with others."
Richel ran an alternative travel program, and what he claims is the only
bicycle traffic report in the world.
"I just discovered that we have so much freedom at CJSR," he says. "We
can almost do what we want to do. There aren't too many places you can do
that. This is certainly one of them."
Richel believes that community-based radio stations like CJSR are important.
And he's devoted to keeping them on the airwaves.
"They provide some diversity," he says.
How to Get Involved
Contact your local community radio station and ask about volunteer opportunities.
If you're a college or university student, contact your local campus station,
and offer up your volunteer services. Some university radio stations accept
volunteers who are still in high school, as well as other people from the
community.
According to Lapadario, one of the great things about working at a campus
radio station is that you don't need any background training or experience.
Lee first visited his campus radio station during one of his university's
orientation sessions. Eventually, he just started helping out around the station.
"It's a pretty fluid process," he says. "It's easy to get in to. The station
relies on volunteers to run it. Without them, it wouldn't exist, really."
Links
KALX
Check out the radio station at the University of California,
Berkeley
Non-Commercial Radio Stations
Find links to radio stations in the United States and around
the world
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