Mike West...Z89.5

[ThinLizzyRocks]

Honestly!!  You guys are a bunch of boobs.  I'm super-glad students get to figure it out in real time.  Hearing their amateur presentation gives the station some charm.  ...and is, quite frankly, refreshing.   Ugh!! I'm soooo tired of hearing over branded station liners and positioning statements read live at every friggin break zero authenticity or conviction... "Good Times, great oldies" was the worst - never sounded natural.  KZOK is getting pretty close with "THEE Classic Rock Station".  Hello?  Guys?  NOBODY says "THEE".  Stop making DJs feign enthusiasm - sounds fake to everybody.  Let the jock say it how he feels it, and perhaps a little less often - now that PPM doesn't require the listener to write it down.  ...and mix it up a bit.  I say C89 ought to let the students do more - like chose rotation, set up the clock and programing schedule, and announce as well as write and read the news...   Do it all!!!

[dialtwister]

It's nice to see Mike West doing some work there.  He knows how to write copy and do news.  That being said, in an effort to teach the kids something worthwhile, hopefully Mike won't face all the same politics and frustration from the manager as other professionals who have tried to help, only later to have their efforts sabotaged by incompetence and pointless micro-management.

Yes, and West isn't recieving any 'check/monies' for being there and helping the kids,
which is outright commendable...

However PD Jon McDaniel and OM Richard J Dalton 'are' SSD paid employees under Gregg Neilson

[RealityBites]

Ah High School and College Radio.......

I've been in the radio business for well over 10 years and now my son is a DJ over at
Central Washington University. I toured the station a couple years ago and it is modeled after the KEXP
studio and it is incredible. The MD lets the dj's play whatever songs they like as long as the songs are approved.
(They are all signed artists) but let me tell you that yes, the PSAs sound stiff and the live reads a bit rigid,
but the music is awesome and the dj's sound fresh and better than you think at times. Also funny/horrible at times. It's real radio.
No corporate playlists. It's hit and miss, but my Alternative music library is growing because of my listening.
I don't hear any of this music on any stations in Seattle at all.

My kid knows that radio is going through a transition right now. Hopefully when he's done radio will have gone through the worst
and he'll be able to decide if it's viable to continue.

BYW, the reason my kid is a dj is because of guys like Mike West and Steve Slaton. As a matter of fact, Slaton let my son co-host breakfast with the Beatles 3 times
with him when he was 13-16.....  Nice to see West going back to where it all starts...

[fremont]

"Mike West" was a Nathan Hale student and was on the radio there.   Glad he's helping out.

[Jakob Perry]

Honestly!!  You guys are a bunch of boobs.  I'm super-glad students get to figure it out in real time.  Hearing their amateur presentation gives the station some charm.  ...and is, quite frankly, refreshing.   Ugh!! I'm soooo tired of hearing over branded station liners and positioning statements read live at every friggin break zero authenticity or conviction... "Good Times, great oldies" was the worst - never sounded natural.  KZOK is getting pretty close with "THEE Classic Rock Station".  Hello?  Guys?  NOBODY says "THEE".  Stop making DJs feign enthusiasm - sounds fake to everybody.  Let the jock say it how he feels it, and perhaps a little less often - now that PPM doesn't require the listener to write it down.  ...and mix it up a bit.  I say C89 ought to let the students do more - like chose rotation, set up the clock and programing schedule, and announce as well as write and read the news...   Do it all!!!

If I remember correctly, the students DO choose the programming schedule somewhat... the name of the scheduler is escaping me at the moment. But basically there is a template of music sub-genres of dance that they get to fill for that hour.
You'll hear kids doing voice tracks at night after 12am, throughout the day and on the weekends.

However, I think the kids need to prove that they can research, write, and perform the news to tape before they are allowed on air. The kids that demonstrate that they can, get put on air and get good grades. I remember back in '03 or '04 they had a student who was obviously vocally handicapped. Unfortunately, this is not place where he is going to excel. Its like having a fat kid try to run 800m representing the school in citywide competition. I wish schools would be a little more honest and less 'lovey-dovey'. You need to prove yourself to the class (aka the teacher) BEFORE you say ANYTHING on air.

Policy used to be that students weren't allowed to have shows past 8pm. I think that still holds (all the shows are former students or friends of former students)
It also doesn't help that besides RJD, the staff has all been there 10+ years. It certainly makes the politics of the station interesting.

But all in all, they do a good service. Its pledge drive so call in ;-)

[dialtwister]

..Mike West was a Nathan Hale student...

..didn't he boot a football for the school also?..