The importance of place in community radio broadcasting: a case study of WDVX, Knoxville, Tennessee

Abstract

Listening to radio programs was once a family/community event that connected listeners to both place and time. Today, amidst marketing concerns and Top 40 hits, commercial radio has become a placeless medium. Similar music and programs can be heard nationwide, often free of references to the location of their broadcast. One exception to this form of cultural homogenization is community radio. Unlike commercial radio, community radio stations try to distinguish themselves by incorporating aspects of their location and the listening community into their broadcasts. This study uses the community radio station WDVX in Knoxville, Tennessee, as an exemplar for understanding the importance of place. Using key theories on place creation, I argue that WDVX is more than just an FM frequency, but rather a meaningful place to station personnel and the listening community. Through qualitative interviews and observations, I show that WDVX has created a sense of place through the unique sound associated with the space the station occupies, the particular uses of technology in radio broadcasting, and the participatory nature of WDVX at multiple scales. Station employees at WDVX have transformed the physical space of a radio station into space that has meaning; in other words, a place.

Keywords:

• community radio
• sense of place
• music
• identity
• space-time compression

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the anonymous reviewers and Alyson Greiner for their very helpful comments and suggestions. Thank you to Dr. Leslie Gay for introducing me to WDVX. My deep appreciation goes to Dr. Tom Bell, Dr. Scott Youngstedt, Dr. Thomas Renna, and Dr. Paul Teed for reading earlier drafts and providing valuable insight. Finally, thank you to the station personnel and listeners at WDVX for your time, your generosity, and your passion for what you do.

Notes

1. The group uses the acronym for its French name.

2. Jankowski's (2002) definition involves the engagement and empowerment of the public; shared ownership by residents, local government, or community-based organizations; production by non-professionals and volunteers; and locally produced content or content that reflects local aspects of culture. This definition, however, does not account for a community radio station's involvement in, or broadcasting of, festivals and special events in the host community. Girard's (1992) definition can sometimes be problematic, though, because it assumes that those best served by community radio are the marginalized, those without an opportunity for expression, in some cases because of the inaccessibility of their location. The definition also implies that community radio can flourish only in areas where commercial radio is not present. Finally, it does not account for listening opportunities provided by satellite radio and web broadcasts because these listening options did not exist when the definition was formulated.

3. Americana, rather than being a genre of music itself, can be seen as a mixture or combination of related music genres, such as rock, folk, blues, swing, etc., just as “American” is not an ethnic group, but a combination of ethnic groups or people with multi-ethnic backgrounds.

4. Including listener interviews was not part of my original study design because of the difficulties with achieving a representative sample, but I could not pass on the opportunity to talk to people who approached me and offered their opinion. All interviewees were male, which presents a bias in my results. However, in the time I attended the Blue Plate Specials, I did not notice any regular female attendees. In fact, I never saw any female attend more than twice. On the other hand, there were male audience members that attended multiple performances in a week. Other women in the listening audience never approached me.

5. Freddy concatenated two clichés for really cold weather in his response to the listener.

6. Blue Plate Specials are just one example of opportunities listeners have to interact with the station as a place. The station also hosts a Bluegrass/Americana music festival in the spring, at least two music fundraisers during the year, and has joined with the Bijou Theater (a local theater also located on Gay Street that offers plays, movies, and music for the community) to co-sponsor a music series.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sara Beth Keough

Sara Beth Keough is Assistant Professor of Geography at the Department of Geography, 340 Brown Hall, Saginaw Valley State University, Michigan, USA