For years, Mills students expressed a desire for a radio station. This fall, the new Mills Radio Club already started work on their plans for an internet-based radio station.
Current radio club president, junior Thea Orozco, said she is optimistic about the club. This isn’t the first year that there has been a radio club on campus. Orozco, a junior, attempted to band together with other interested students last semester and was also part of a campus radio club her freshwoman year.
In 1967 Mills had its own radio station, born the year of a “Rock and Roll Symposium” that took place on campus. Attending the conference were Bill Graham, Jefferson Airplane and other rock icons of the era. Many of the speakers were in the radio business. Rock music was on the rise and Mills had its time to shine with a radio station. However, according to Weekly archives, when the transmitter broke, was never repaired, Mills radio ended.
Getting a channel on FM airwaves is a task more difficult than many would imagine. The application process is tedious and the Federal Communications Commission is not accepting applications for new stations.
“It’s almost impossible to get a license,” Orozco said, “[the FCC] purposefully makes it hard.”
Since Mills also does not have a radio transmitter or the necessary equipment, Internet radio seems to be a possible alternative.
According to Orozco, any “fairly powerful” computer (i.e. a G-4) shouldn’t have any problems accessing web-radio. Any of the Mills computer labs should be able to accommodate Web-radio.
Though a radio transmitter and FCC license are not necessary, Web-radio will still have some expenses. Fundraising, said Orozco, will be the primary emphasis of the club for a while.
On Wednesday, August 29, the Radio club held a concert to raise money for the club. Four local rock bands came to the Student Union for the show but, unfortunately, very few students did. About an hour and a half into the show, blow-horns could be heard all over campus, “free rock show in the student union!”
