The enforcement of a rediscovered USC Student Media policy has caused three alumni disc jockeys to lose their slots at WUSC-FM, the campus radio station. In accordance with the policy, all students, faculty and staff will get a chance for a radio slot as a DJ before alumni get the chance to be a DJ.
According to station manager Taylor Marshall-Green, the policy was discovered by Graduate Advisor Holly Harper and enforced by Director of Student Media Ellen Parsons.
Though WUSC has lost three popular shows with the enforcement of the policy, Marshall-Green isn’t worried about the future quality of the programming at WUSC.
“We still have over 80 DJs. We are not falling down,” Marshall-Green said. “We have 12 shows a day, seven days a week. That means under 5 percent of our shows were lost.”
However, Marshall-Green said he’s sad about the loss of experience and some of the intangible qualities the alumni brought to the radio station.
“They were always showing up for shows, putting a lot of effort and commitment in their shows,” Marshall-Green said. He said alumni always attend the station’s meetings, never miss shows, bring a lot of ideas into the station and usually have a lot of contacts with bands, labels and promoters.
The alumni also brought some financial backing to WUSC, Marshall-Green said.
WUSC is a chartered, non-commercial radio station — it isn’t allowed to take money for advertising but can only accept it for mentioning and thanking a sponsor. Marshall-Green said this money might be lost with the loss of the alumni DJs.
“Businesses want to have a long-lasting relationship with the station,” he said.
Mark Lyvers, an alumni DJ who lost his popular folk-music show “Red Bank Bar & Grill,” said he has hosted on-and-off since 1978 and continually since May 1997.
“My only complaint is about the timing,” Lyvers said. “I have already collected underwriting worth $900.”
Lyvers said he had no hard feelings toward the station. He said he will continue to help WUSC, starting March 10-17 when he will do his show over spring break. He also said he hopes to host his show again during the summer sessions.
Bill Cunningham lost his Wednesday morning free-format show, “The Rhythm System,” after working at WUSC for one year.
Cunningham brought experience of working for a commercial radio station based in Augusta, Ga. He said, though he liked hosting his own show, he wouldn’t return to commercial work.
“College radio is a lot more about the music,” he said. “You can play music you don’t normally hear on radio.”
WUSC also lost a nationally syndicated show, Making Contact, with the layoff of DJ Rob McQue. McQue said a non-commercial radio station should not only educate through music, but also work as an alternative. He isn’t angry with WUSC, but put the blame of the exclusion of alumni DJs mainly on the administration.
“They were taking it too far to the letter of the law,” McQue said. “If you want some kind of diversity, you need some show hosted by alumni.”
All three alumni DJs said they agreed with students getting a slot first, but that alumni should get a chance as well to help out in the station with their experience.
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