JMU's college radio station, WXJM, has been around since 1990. Each two-hour show only averages one call, according to WXJM's business manager.
So why don't people know about it?
WXJM only plays indie music that is not played on mainstream radio. Daily programming is full of urban hip hop, electronic, loud rock and freeform, which is the disc jockey’s
choice.
Basically, it's hipster music.
Katrina Delene, a freshman DJ, said that “since the music we play isn’t on the Top 40 chart, listeners tend to change the station.”
WXJM has a less powerful antenna than most other college radio stations, reaching roughly 10 miles in diameter. Meanwhile, Virginia Tech's station reaches about 50 miles, and can be heard from an hour and half's driving distance.
WXJM is a
non-commercial station, so it can't make money from advertising. Copyright
issues make it very expensive to play any popular music.
It's hard to spread the word when you don't have any money, but the station has a three-person publicity team.
The station sponsors local shows downtown and on-campus, like this semester's Ty Segall performance.
Be on the lookout for MACRoCk, promoted by WXJM. If you haven't heard about it yet, it's a really cool annual music festival held downtown. The station is excited about the event’s entertainment lineup, which consists of 94 bands that will play April 6 – 7.
- Heather Butterworth
