Friday. ‘Foimm-y 7. I?”

SCARLET AND BLACK

Pogo Thin

 

Cloud Looks For Silver Lining low Performance

By MARGARET MUELLER

Despite the enthusiasm of its staff and
listening audience, the executive board of
KDIC races a serious question of sur-
vival. The basis of the problem is main-
taining a well trained staff that will
carry on from year to year, achieving
excellence in both the technical and
programming aspects or broadcasting.

Station manager Al Cloud explained
that in order to attract the best people,
KDiC needs to offer something other
than ego grainlication. There should be
competition ior stair positions because or
the benefits they otter. Cloud hopes
this situation can be realized by offers
ing benefits of two kinds. The first is
monetary beneiits to the executive board
members, who spend a great deal oi
time organizmg and over-seeing opera-
tions. The second, and hopefully even
more beneficial stimulus should be the
establishment or an academic program
in communications, leading to college
credlt, as was mentioned in the Have-
iman report on curriculum change. The
KDIC board sees the possibility that
communications courses could fit into
an inter-disciplinary study such as the
present Area Studies Programs. This

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would hopeiully include Speech and
Theater, and journalism, as well as
broadcasting courses.

The purpose of this potential addition
to the curriculum would be to train stu-
dents in the technical and educational
aspects or various terms of mass medla.
It is anticipated that students in this field
would staff the radio station and at the
same time gain valuable cxpel‘lehce
from it. Persons who Showed qualifica-
tions through an interview could also
work for the station.

confronting the argument that a li-
beral arts school should not give pro<
icssicnal training, a \vellaplanllerl cnm<
munications program could » hire the
bcnciits or a practical application oi
course material Slmlilar to those received
by Grinnell students who do Student
teaching in Chicago or acting in Mil-
waukee.

The executive board feels that if KDIC
is allowed [a reach its full potentiial it
can iuncirion as a source of entertaln—
ment, intellectual stimulation, and educa-
tion, both to its audience and to its Shaft.
But, as Cloud points out, the staff cannot
be expected to fulfill these expectations
without adequate training. Therefore,
additions to the curriculum in communi-
camnns would be beneficial to involved
individuals and the college community
as a whole.

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Remember Her Wil'lt A
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LEEPER MUSIC COMPANY

Across from Central Park

High Ideals

By DIANE PDMERANCE

TO THE EDITOR: these opinions
do not necessarily represent those of
the KDIC editorial board, executive
board, or anybody else; but rather
those of a pissed-off student who hap-
pened to have some Contact with the
radio station and was maybe fooled
by rising expectations.

KDIC was born out of an intense dis-
like tor the way things were being run
on campus; its “goals and philosophy”
reflect that dissatisfaction: the news—
paper WAS being run by its usual clique,
student government was not success-
fully representing the needs of the com
munity, and creativity and spontaneity
on campus, then as now, seemed almost
nonexistent.

A group of students began to create

a radio station, and after three
years, 1(ch is the result. It is
questionable Whether the station is
worth the effort. The three major
goals or the original station roundcrs
were to provide better and more
music than could be heard anywhere
else, to provide an outlet Ior student
creativity and ideas, and, possibly
most! important, to provide a means
of communications that would unite
the college community (or at least
the students, it it was going to come
down to a confrontation.)

The “Special Program” slots were ln~
tended for student-originated and orient-
ed material: in—depth coverage oi cam~
pus problems, live pcriormanccs oi stu-
dent musical groups, studentraculty dis-
oussions, radio plays. Occasionally,
some solder-its are cajoled into participa-
tion, but most of these time slots are
ﬁlled by pre-tewrded musical programs
and lectures, and old Grinllell lectures.

It KDIC had these goals Tom the
beginning, why is the station contin-
uing to broadcast music for sixteen
hours each day? Why isn't the sta-
tion the paragon of communication
and creativity it once hoped to be?

Last fall there was a Certain degree

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Ann Kirschner on the air.

of paranoia about being put off the air
by the FCC; the Executive Board react-
ed by cutting down on disk jockey free-
dom to do and say what they wanted.
The bureaucratic problems Di adminis
tering a onehundred member organiza-
tion cut down Drl the time the Executive
Board had tor directing the station to-
ward its original goals; there were just
too many dIddIYVSIllL things to be done to
maintain a broad perspective about the
station. Personality conﬂicts Within the
stali also provided obstacles to achieving
a long-range View. As a result. the Execa
utlve Board's enthusiasm waned; staff
morale and broadcasting quality rollowed
close behind.

The first thing to do should be to
raise the quality of the station in terms
of creativity. Disk jockeys ought to be
allowed complete freedom to do what
ever kind 0! show they want: musical,
talk, discussion with students and facili-
ty, friends, townies, or any combina«
tion. Most station personnel are by now
cognizant of FCC restrictions; there is
still a great deal of latitude without
having to resort to obscenity or libel.

All students should be aware of the
present policy or allowing any student to
do a special show: anything that could
excite, or at least interest. the campus
should be welcomed. After all, it is the
Voice of the Students, not the Canadian
Broadcasting Company.

The news staff should be molded into
a strong. independent department, and
should concentrate on digging out what
is happening at Grinnell. We can’t com-
pete with Walter Cronkite, so we should-
n’ll. try. There are a lot of little known
facts about Grinnell that might lnterest
people if someone bothered to investi-
gate them. The radio obviously has the
advantage or immediate news coverage;
the ssh could iollow up with more
detailed analysis and tcature material.

Cutting the broadcasting day could
improve quaLity and morale. The disk
jockeys who ran the more creative and
stimulating shows would remain on the
air, the others would be more desirable.
and once the overall quality rose, maybe
the excitement and pride of KDIC’S iiri
few weeks on the air would return,

Applications for a new Executive
Board wul be out soon; what nap
pens to now in the next few months
depends upon ﬁnding the people with
the perspective to solve these prob.
lcnis. Otherwise, the $20,000 gloriﬁed
record player in the comer or Darby
is essentially worthless.

DELICIOUS

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And

AMERICAN GREETING
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For A Happy
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THIIRI’ PHARIllllBY

725 Broad

 

