More often than not located in a dark basement, walls hidden behind a massive collage of musical ephemera dating back a few decades, young adults sorting records and CDs: It’s the local college radio station!

In 1948, when the FCC was making an attempt to promote new FM radio, they created the Class D radio license, which allowed stations to operate with less expensive equipment and made the campus station a more accessible venture for students to take up. Now, they’re mini-hubs of music, talk and sports culture on college campuses, and the students that steward the stations can be found fighting to keep the medium alive.

We’ll hear from three students from campus radio stations across Oregon: Maddie Brabo, the general manager of KPSU at Portland State University, Miles Sadler, the music director of KBVR at Oregon State University, and Sam Pollis, the music director of KWVA at the University of Oregon in Eugene. They join us to discuss how the medium has evolved, what place it has on campuses today and their personal interest in keeping the medium interesting and accessible for their communities and peers.

“Think Out Loud®” broadcasts live at noon every day and rebroadcasts at 8 p.m.

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/10/08/oregon-campus-radio-stations-on-keeping-college-broadcasting-alive/