Progress Bulletin from Pomona, California • Page 28

PROGRESS BULLETIN Pomona, California Saturday, Qecember 17, 1977 Pomona College 's KSPC-FM: real pro station Jg Would you like to hear an interview with Ronald Reagan? Or with Dodger Manager Tommy Lasorda? Or Verdi How about an informed discussion of the Panama Canal Treaty? Or some office Or the Led Zepplin? These are some of the offerings of the little giant of Pomona Valley FM, station KSPC, the voice of Pomona College 88.7 on your dial, broadcasting a wide variety of programs from 0 a.m. to 2 a.m. from up-to-date studios in the basement of Thatcher Music Building. It is the largest extracurricular activity including team sports on campus. KSPC is a total student-operated radio station programming, disc twirling, interviewing, creating shows, doing answering requests.

Some 100 students from the six Claremont Colleges take part ini the operation perhaps 75 different voices will be heard during the week. The power carries from Yucaipa to Santa Monica. The station manager receives letters from an inmate on Terminal Island, who calls himself president of the Terminal Island Branch of KSPC. The station has a library of 6,000 LP records including rock, jazz, folk, classical, pop, blues, reggae and religious music, and offers a variety of informational shows and newscasts. power is in the top five percent for college FM stations, and its $4,300 budget is in the lowest five percent.

KSPC is a successor to KPCR-AM, College which started in 1951 in the old Replica House on campus, but went off the air four years later when the Federal Communications Commission raised objections to (by wire) signals. In 1956, with its newly acquired FM license, KSPC went on the air, its first program two hours of recorded classical music. In 1962 KSPC won the top prize in a national competition among 50 college radio stations with its 30-minute documentary study of the American agitator. Todav the little feifdom of KSPC is in the hands of general manager Mike Don of Cleveland, program director Steve Loeb of Seattle, music director Tim Wedel of La Habra, news director Dave Frankl of Los Angeles, chief engineer Bruce Comuelle of Honolulu and public service director Jon Wong of Van Nuys. These voung artists, operating with professional competence buf the hang-loose attitude of college students, provide vallev listeners with high-caliber programs, music of all types, comedy and public hear tapes from Radio Moscow, the United Nations and Radio Amsterdam, new releases of folk and rock, recorded and live interviews, Israeli Magazine and special features.

of the things we have to do to justify our noncommercial status to the FCC is to offer classical programming, cultural hours, women shows, says Don. the Pomona The latter is a student-developed public affairs show designed to address relevant issues important to the college and the local community. Each week a prominent guest is drawn from political, social or academic areas to be interviewed bv Frankl and Don. The public is also invited to call in questions for the speakers. The speakers include such figures as Tom Hayden, Los Angeles Dist.

Attv John Van de Kamp, Police Chief Ed Davis, nia'Attorney General Evelie Younger, Ramona Ripston, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union and others. try to get away from routine radio says Loeb. play new releases of rock and jazz. On weekends we have taped interviews with rock artists and anthologv shows a two-hour survey of a work from his earlier music to now. wholly produced here by our researchers, putting it together from albums and books.

We have a very knowledgeable group in the If the voice of Pomona College seems a little intermittent right now, because the student broadcasters have gone home for the holidays, to Christmas trees and turkeys, leaving only a skeleton crew to keep the tubes humming and the turntables turning for a few hours of the day. But on Jan. 25, the voice will be heard again, almost round the clock, clear and loud on 88.7 FM. Station reaches Yucaipa to Santa Monica Mike Don surrounded by, from left, Andrew Brown, Tim Wedel, Bruce Coronelle, Frank Albindes, Steve Loeb, Michael Devine and Veronica Madalora. manager, Andrew Brown, left, plans schedule with Mike Don Mike Don discusses with Veronica MmWpca.

Progrom director Steve Iamb on the Tim Wedel makes selections from library. ON THE COVER Valley radio listeners are often surprised (and delighted) to come across the im; aginative and near-professional station KSPC at 88 7 on the FM dial and to discover that the programs are being broadcast from the Thatcher Music Building on the Pomona College campus The cover shot shows music director Tim Wedel at toe Teac tape machine. Story by Joseph H. Firman PB staff writer Photos by Sid Fridkin PB photographer.