<inceton Review recently named KRLX, Carleton’s student-run radio station as the 12th Best College Radio Station in the country. The ranking is reflected in the 2012 edition of their guidebook, The Best 376 Colleges.
“What we’re doing is good enough to put us up there with the best college stations in the country,” said Danny Nathan ’12, KRLX’s station manager.
The Princeton Review surveyed over 122,000 students at the 376 schools in their guide, polling an average of 325 students at each school. However, the actual question the poll asks is “How popular is the radio station?” The poll can be seen as a reflection of the perceived popularity of KRLX on campus, but also is a testament to students’ love for the station.
Though this year’s ranking represents a slight decrease for KRLX, which was ranked #9 by the Review last year, Nathan downplayed this issue, explaining that the nature of the survey means that it should be taken with a grain of salt. “What the ranking shows”, he said, “is that KRLX has widespread popularity in the community and that its dedicated DJs allow it to compete on the same playing field as college radio stations with paid employees.”
The top two stations, at St. Bonaventure and at DePauw University in Greencastle, IN, are student-run, according to their websites, but several of the other stations on the Princeton Review’s list appeared to have professionals on staff. Four of the top 20 schools also had more than one radio station, a fact ignored by the ranking.
“This really speaks volumes about our [student-run] community,” Nathan said.
Also, Nathan said that KRLX listeners can expect plenty of new and returning features in the coming year. Besides a planned new design for the station’s website, Nathan said that upcoming terms would feature the return of interactive programs like last year’s “Newlywed Game,” which Nathan described as a “voyeuristic” way to “see how well couples know each other.” He also said that “Live from the Cave” will once again air this year, most likely during spring term.
New programs featuring coverage of current events on campus are also in the works, according to KRLX news director Travis Nordgaard ’13. Nordgaard said he plans to collaborate with staff members at The Carletonian and the newly formed Carleton Television Network to create a program or series of programs integrating all three groups, giving participants added exposure to different forms of media.
Nathan emphasized that the station will continue to improve its programming, “not because of rankings, but because KRLX is a great thing to have at Carleton.”
KRLX goes on-air tonight at 8 p.m.