Radio

Movin’ on Up

The old studio at KRCC - it had it's charm!

We are now in the seventh week of The SOCC (The Sound of Colorado College) broadcasting from an entirely new location… Loomis Hall. For anyone who doesn’t know, The SOCC is Colorado College’s new student-run radio station. We began making noise in the spring of 2008, when our studio was located in the basement of KRCC’s Weber studios. You may ask what the difference between KRCC and The SOCC is. KRCC is Colorado College’s radio station and has been for the past 60 years or so. A few decades ago, KRCC began its transformation from a purely student-run college radio station into a professionally operated NPR affiliate. Today, KRCC’s licensee is still held by the college, but little student participation took place until a few years ago. In 2008, KRCC finished the purchase and upgrade to three HD channels on the regular 91.5 FM signal. HD radio, simply digital radio, is still terrestrial radio – no subscription is required. All you need is a new HD radio. To bring back extensive student involvement, KRCC gave HD3 to the students at Colorado College to do with it as they saw fit.

Today, The SOCC (KRCC-HD3) now broadcasts on the HD3 broadcast as well as over the internet at WWW.THESOCC.ORG. Run by three student staff members, The SOCC has around 50 volunteer DJs who man the station from Noon-2AM, seven days of the week. Some highlights of the 2009-2010 school year include an enormous crop of new DJs, the CC Debate Team Hour, and the continuation of some popular shows run by DJs who have been with the station since its inception.

Our new studio just after countertops and shelving were installed

As mentioned at the outset, The SOCC recently moved studios. We started in the dark, somewhat smelly basement of KRCC. This summer I worked with multiple folks on campus and at KRCC to initiate a move that had been discussed last semester while I was in China. Things came together, and now we are succesfully broadcasting from a small room off the Loomis Hall lobby.

The move has done wonders for The SOCC’s exposure to the campus and community. Before, people would often be surprised when told that we have a new student station. I think I can confidently say that most students, faculty, and staff have at least heard of The SOCC by now. It has been a personal pleasure working to bring something like this to the forefront of the CC community. Community radio is alive and well, even in this age where television and the internet seem to rule the communication stage. My goal is to make The SOCC as much a part of a Colorado College students daily routine as visiting Worner Center to check a mail box. As we grow and build upon our previous experience, I have no doubt that The SOCC will make a name for itself. Our move to this new central location is a great start. While it is sad leaving the folks who have nutured us through our infancy, it is time for us to try and walk on our own. KRCC will continue to keep us afloat through our struggles, but I am excited to see what we can do on our own a bit.

Check out our website to get more info and see a program schedule. Also, listen in over the Internet by clicking on the “listen now” links on the top left of our web page. Click the logo below to visit our site….