KDIC radio station is back with online music and programs
May 01, 2024 — After a couple years absence, Grinnell College’s student-run radio station returned on April 15. KDIC can be heard online at kdic.mixlr.com.
Georgia Carbone ’24, KDIC radio student manager, said the station was last operational in 2021 at a time when the College was having virtual classes because of the pandemic.
Georgia Carbone ’24
“The current fourth years may have listened when there were shows in 2021 during remote classes, but overall, most students do not have any memories of KDIC,” Carbone says. “I thought it was really important to try and bring it back before too much time had passed.”
In the first week when KDIC returned, there were 30 shows and hundreds of unique listeners. 50 students came in for listening room open hours.
“It’s so exciting to see, especially considering that most students didn’t know what KDIC was before this semester,” Carbone says. “I really hope that this can create a momentum that will continue next fall. It is such an important community space that needs to exist at Grinnell.”
KDIC began broadcasting on May 20, 1968, as a 10-watt station from the northwest corner of Darby Gym. The first six hours of programing were a soul music show with Babak Armajani ’68, a folk and rock show with Barry Ancona ’68, and a rock show with Ray Kanter ’70 and Mike Saeger ’70.
The format since 1968 has remained consistently inconsistent. Any student, faculty, staff, or Grinnell community member could apply for a time slot, pitching any type of show they saw fit. Shows have included every genre of music imaginable, along with talk shows, opinions forums, poetry readings, news reports, and more.
After Carbone was hired as manager, she learned that the school had relinquished the FCC license, so tuning into 88.5 on the FM dial will not give listeners access to KDIC. A derecho in August 2020 knocked the radio transmitter down. That loss combined with pandemic-related difficulties, put the station off air until the recent return with online streaming this semester.
“The main planning I’ve had to do this semester is a lot of promotions to get the name out, hiring DJs, making a schedule, and working with the administration to get things going,” she says.
Grinnellians tuning in will hear a wide variety of programming. Live shows will air through May 10, and links to playlists could be forthcoming this summer. Some of the current live show highlights include:
- “The Iowa sports report” – 6-7 p.m. on Mondays
- “Hideo Kojima’s Walkman,” which plays songs posted on X by the well-known video game designer – 7-8 p.m. Tuesdays
- “For the Birds" interviews people and plays music related to their topic of expertise – 7-8 p.m. on Wednesdays
- “Records on Rye” uses only CDs and records from the KDIC collection – 8-9 p.m. Thursdays
- “What are Grinnellians Listening to” showcases songs based off a daily YikYak post asking what students are listening to – 5-6 p.m. Fridays.
There’s a lot of other shows that play great music or have interesting conversations, Carbone says. “Students seem really excited about this opportunity to express themselves.”
— by Jeremy Shapiro