When KCR College Radio first launched in 1969, life was a bit different for the average San Diego State student. Instead of protesting state budget cuts, students passionately protested the Vietnam War. Instead of attending music festivals, such as Indio’s ever-popular Coachella and San Francisco’s Outside Lands, students flocked to Bethel, N.Y. to take part in the three-day music mecca known as Woodstock.
Forty- two years have passed and KCR has experienced its fair share of changes. To reach a wider audience, the radio station relaunched earlier this semester, introducing a new array of topics including news, music, sports and entertainment. It also provides substantial, up-to-date reporting of events around campus.
Students are offered a wide variety of programming seven days per week, 24 hours per day. While getting ready for class, students can tune into the morning news program, “The Wake Up Call,” which airs for an hour at 9 a.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. For students who can’t roll out of bed before noon, KCR offers another news program every Wednesday from 6 to 6:30 p.m. called, “Today at State,” hosted by Julie Willis and Bethany Weisberg.
To feed the athletic addiction, listen to the two-and-a-half hour block of sports programming, starting with “Aztec Nation” from 6:30 to 8 p.m. followed by “Sports Zone” from 8 to 9 p.m. every Monday and Thursday. Josh Hoffman, general manager of KCR, cohosts the shows on Mondays and Thursdays.
As for entertainment programming, it’s no surprise KCR has an abundance of gossip to dish. Instead of watching Blair and Chuck on Gossip Girl every Monday night at 9 p.m., tune into a real gossip girl (and boy) on “The Goods.” Got class on Monday nights? Get a hearty helping of “The Juice” every Wednesday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. But for those real entertainment fiends, listen to KCR on Tuesdays which are jam-packed with entertainment shows. Starting with “Celebrity OD” from 4 to 5 p.m, “The Weekly Squeeze” from 7 to 8 p.m. and the provocative sex talk show “Between the Sheets” from 9 to 10 p.m.
Of course, KCR is not lacking in the music programming department either. “New Play Tuesday” from 1 to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays features emerging artists. Music show “Monster Mash” is on Wednesdays from 4 to 6 p.m. Hosts J.T. Katavich and Jaron Degen have run the show together for the past three years. And throughout the day, KCR plays all different types of musical genres for listeners.
In an industry dominated by multinational corporations, KCR is fighting to bring quality radio programming back to the SDSU community. Most importantly, it’s run by students, for students.
Interested in becoming a part of KCR? Want to listen to fellow students (and future famous disc jockeys)? Visit kcrlive.com.
