Boom mics are adjusted and camera angles are fixed as the episode’s featured band settles onto the blue couch of the recording studio. Following their electric performance, the band prepares to discuss all things music. 

Going live in 3…2…1

“Hey everybody, welcome back to Basement Beats,” recites interviewer Sheridan Koenig.

KCR, San Diego State University’s college radio program, has announced a collaboration with the neighboring KPBS station on a 13-episode-long podcast series, set to begin airing before the semester ends on Sundays. Episodes will be 30 minutes long and feature performances from local musicians. 

The show will initially air on the 89.5 FM channel and be uploaded online afterwards for streaming.

The series is based on the YouTube videos produced by Basement Beats, a student-run program that is an offshoot of the larger KCR community. The program aims to highlight local San Diego bands through combined interview and performance sessions that they post online. 

The idea for the partnership sparked when KPBS Technical Producer Adrian Villalobos came to teach a workshop on sound design at a KCR meeting last academic year, and was inspired by KCR’s attempt to branch out into new fields.

“There’s these talks year after year,” Villalobos said. “I’ve been here for about four years, and there’s all these people saying, ‘We want a more youthful voice. We want to do more content regarding younger generations,’ but no one really wanted to take that initiative as far as I could see.”

Villalobos saw the potential collaboration with KCR as a no-brainer. He began throwing out ideas with KCR advisor and Daily Aztec student media manager, Jesse Marx, and KCR’s general manager, Sammi Thomas. KCR’s Basement Beats program was quickly brought up in conversation, as their content was already being produced and distributed on YouTube.

Villalobos then pitched the idea of turning Basement Beats into a radio show, and Keyla Parra, the Basement Beats director, was on board instantly.

“I immediately knew I wanted to be involved in it as far as sound designing and editing,” Parra said. I had some experience working in audio editing, like using Adobe Audition. I was kind of familiar with it, but I had never created a podcast before, so it was new waters for me.”

Parra then worked with Thomas and KCR Sound Engineer Ruhi Shroff to create a script and auditory elements for the show.

Though Basement Beats was originally in a video format, Parra explained that the switch to a radio format actually helped establish a stronger connection between the band and its listeners.

“When I would play the interview in my headphones, it felt a lot more personal than when I’m watching it on YouTube,” Parra said.

The hardest part of adjusting the show for radio seemed to be the time limit set by KPBS. It was often a difficult decision for the sound engineers to decide what parts of the content to keep or chop. Parra clarified that she wanted to make sure crucial material wasn’t left out, such as  a band’s new release.

The show’s introduction is an exciting accumulation of past KCR hosts’ voices, classic radio static noises and even a special snippet of a song by Mewtone, a local San Diego band.

Airing live on KPBS is a first for KCR, marking a milestone in the club’s outreach goals.

“I think for a lot of the general members, it just shows as a credibility thing for KCR. Yes, we’re a cool club and an awesome community of people, but also, if you want to make something and put it out into the industry and make it professional, it shows that we have those abilities for general members,” Thomas said.

Parra agreed, saying that this deal will bring more attention to KCR and college radio in general.

Parra discovered that many KPBS employees were KCR alumni, which made it easier to establish connections.

“There’s a kind of a pipeline where you do college radio in college and then you still kind of have that love for it,” Parra said.

KPBS stands to gain a lot from this deal as well. They are hoping that the collaboration will help increase their younger listenership, something the company is lacking. They also hope KCR will connect them with more contacts in the student music scene. KPBS is currently working on a music series and are in need of new, local talent. 

As for the radio show, KPBS does not wish to infringe on the series’ original tone. They want to promote a raw, college sound that gives the students lots of room to express their creativity. 

“I think our goal is obviously not to overtake something special that Basement Beats already has, but if anything, to help elevate it,” Villalobos said.

KPBS wants the episodes to feel like college students are crashing the live stream on air and providing listeners with an edgy half hour of content. 

Both organizations agreed they would love to work together in the future if the show proves to be successful.

“I’m definitely looking forward to what we will continue to create with KPBS. I don’t think that this is a one and done deal,” Parra said.

The partnership between the two organizations has granted KCR with a strong professional connection going forward, and the executive board is brainstorming how they want to expand it. 

“I was thinking about how I want to continue filling that slot that they gave us on the radio, and I was thinking about featuring some live shows,” Thomas said. 

Thomas hopes that KCR members who have been putting a lot of effort and work into their radio shows could potentially be featured on KPBS in the future. 

This deal could be just the beginning of an explosive public acknowledgement of KCR, making waves in the college radio world.