Table of Contents:

I can't do my show. What do I do?
How do I get into the station on evenings and weekends?
I found an unmarked song with a swear word in it. What do I do?
What's the difference between seniority points and seniority places?
Can I record my show?
Can I bring in my own CD's?
Can my guests go on the air?
Can my guests browse the music library?
Can we have drinks and food in the studio?
What should I write in the "comments" section of the log?
I can't make it to a staff meeting. What do I do?
Where does KEOL-FM get all those CD's?
What do I do if a record company calls me?
I lost seniority. What can I do to gain it back?
The DJ after me is a no show. What do I do?
How is KEOL funded?
What is the KEOL Club?
Can I use the Production Room?
Can I get a job in professional radio with my experience at KEOL-FM?
Do other Northwest colleges and universities have radio stations?
What do I do if the power goes out?
Some Vocabulary

I can't do my show. What do I do?
You need to find a sub for your show. Finding subs is relatively easy. The seniority list has the names and phone numbers of all DJ's on staff. It also lists those DJ's that are on sub status for the term. You can also post a message on keoltalk, the station's listserv. About 20 DJ's subscribe to keoltalk. A common assumption that notifying management you will be unable to do your show excuses you from doing it. This is not the case. Once you have accepted a show, it is your duty to find a substitute if you cannot show up. Fading up the DJ2000 is not an acceptable alternative to finding a sub.

How do I get into the station on evenings and weekends?
Campus Security has a key to the outside door. The number is 962-3911 (x23911 on campus). Security will check to see if you are on the seniority list before letting you in the studio. Try to call Campus Security at least 15 minutes before you want in. If the station is locked during business hours, Rosa Holdren in the science office on the 2nd floor of Badgley Hall, has a key. She will also check your name against the current seniority list. If you cannot reach any of the above, try calling the Station Manager, or the Program Director. Do not use the emergency phone outside KEOL to call campus security to let you in. This is for real emergencies only.

I found an unmarked song with a swear word in it. What do I do?
Tarkus, the Music Director, tries to listen to every CD that KEOL-FM receives. She screens them for un-airable content. Sometimes she will miss something and it will be put into the music library without a warning label on it. If you find such a song, remember it and leave a message in the Music Director's box, and don't play it again if you feel it is unappropriate.

What's the difference between seniority points and seniority places?
The seniority list is a ranking based on how many points a DJ has. It is possible that two DJ's who are right next to each other on the list can be seperated by more than 50 points or as little as 1 point. If you are penalized or granted seniority points, your new point total may or may not move you up or down on the list because of the point totals of other DJ's close to you on the list. Example: Let's say you've got 150 points and the person just above you on the list has 153 while the person under you has 130. If you are penalized 15 points, your new total will be 135, which is still higher than the person below you so you remain in your place on the list. If you do good work for the station and are given points, let's say 5 points, your new total would become 155 which would move you up one place on the list and pass the DJ with 153 points. Remember: DJ's who miss a term meeting will be subject to a penalty of 15 points. DJ's who miss two consecutive term meetings are subject to removal from the seniority list.

Can I record my show?
Yes. Tapes of your show are great for traveling or to send to friends. The left side of the tape deck labeled "Cassette 2" is wired to record your show. Just pop in a blank tape and press record/play.

Can I bring in my own CD's?
Absolutely. But remember, you are responsible for the content of everything you play on the air.

Can my guests go on the air?
Your guests can go on the microphone and "co-host" your show with you, but remember, you are responsible for what they say over the air. Your guests are not allowed to operate any of the equipment such as the mixing board, CD players or transmitter, or pull any music from KEOL's music library.

Can my guests browse the music library?
No. The penalty for guests browsing the library is a 15 seniority point loss. It is tempting to have your guests help you pull out CD's to play. The experience at KEOL is that guests are the number one cause of mis-filed CD's and records. Guests have also been suspected in theft cases. For the sake of all the staff, please keep your guests out of the stacks. See The Rules and Regulations.

Can we have drinks and food in the studio?
Yes, with two restrictions. Please clean up after yourself and do not place drinks on top of the mixing board.

What should I write in the "comments" section of the log?
Anything that is out of the ordinary. Examples include; a messy studio, transmitter readings that are above or below the authorized ERP, equipment that doesn't work right, late or absent DJ's or any violations of KEOL-FM's Rules and Regulations.

I can't make it to a staff meeting. What do I do?
Important decisions and announcements are made at staff meetings. If you cannot attend one, provide written notice to the Station Manager. DJ's who miss a term meeting will be subject to a penalty of 10 points. DJ's who miss two consecutive term meetings are subject to removal from the seniority list.

Where does KEOL-FM get all those CD's?
Record companies send CD's to us at no charge. They are trying to get exposure for their bands and hope to spark CD sales with airplay. Tarkus, the music director, keeps the station in contact with the record companies and provides them with information on how their records are doing.

What do I do if a record company calls me?
Record companies often call wanting to do "tracking" on the airplay of their CD's. Tarkus takes care of all station tracking. All calls from record companies should be handled through Tarkus. You can forward the phone to Tarkus's extension (x23466) or take a message. Trying to "help" record companies by doing tracking or talking about their CD's can cause confusion. Tarkus has built up a careful relationship with the record company reps and knows just what to say and do to insure that the companies will continue to send their CD's to us and that we will continue to provide them with free airplay and exposure.

I lost seniority. What can I do to gain it back?
Check with the Station Manager. Regaining lost seniority usually consists of performing some work for the station. This includes re-filing albums and cleaning up.

The DJ after me is a no show. What do I do?
If you can stay, please do so. You can announce that the next DJ is a no show and any DJ's listening are welcome to come upand take over. If you can't stay, see the Station Sign Off checklist.

How is KEOL-FM funded?
KEOL-FM is funded by your student fees. The money you pay to the college consists of about 75% tuition and about 25% Incidental Fees. The fees are distributed to student organizations such as The Voice, Athletics, The Outdoor Program and KEOL-FM. In addition, local businesses and individuals can "underwrite" KEOL-FM by making donations and receiving acknowledgment on the air. For more information on underwriting check the Underwriting Guidelines.

What is the KEOL-FM Club?
The KEOL-FM Club is a student organization that is not funded by Incidental Fees. It exists for the DJ's and fans of KEOL-FM to socialize and do other functions.

Can I use the Production Room?
The Production Room is open to any qualified DJ with the consent of station management. The production room features voice effects processing, true 4-track recording, reel to reel recording, digital recording and .wav editing. It accepts input from 2 CD players, a turntable, a reel to reel deck, a 4 track tape deck as well as the main studio mixing board. The production room can also be switched into the transmitter and act as a complete origination studio. In addition, the production room is also the engineer's office and classroom for FM2.

Can I get a job in professional radio with my experience at KEOL-FM?
Yes. KEOL-FM DJ's have gone into careers in professional broadcasting. These include jobs at KGW-FM, KYTE-FM, OK95, Oregon Public Broadcasting or other broadcast related jobs. More have obtained part time work at the local La Grande stations, KLBM 1450 AM, KWRL 99.9 FM, KUBQ 98.7 FM and KCMB 104.7 FM. For job listings in Oregon try the Oregon Employment Department listings for "Media". or Oregon Live.

Do other colleges and universities have radio stations?
Yes. Check out: KTEC-FM at the Oregon Institute of Technology. KWVA-FM at the University of Oregon. KBVR-FM at Oregon State University. KUOI-FM at the University of Idaho. KUGS-FM at Western Washington University. KAOS-FM at The Evergreen State College. KWCW-FM at Whitman College.

What do I do if the power goes out?
If the power outage is for a second or two, continue your show normally. Make sure the transmitter is still on by listening to 'air' on the monitor volume switch or going down to the transmitter and seeing if it's on. If it has shut itself off, turn it back on go back on the air immediately. Don't worry about letting the transmitter warm up or reading the sign on. If the power outage is longer, turn everything off. The studio main power isobar and transmitter should be shut off. This will prevent a power spike from damaging the equipment when the power comes back on. When the power comes back on, let the transmitter warm up about a minute for every 5 minutes it was off (rough estimate). Go through the rest of the "Station Sign On Checklist" normally as if you were signing on. No matter how long the power stays off, you are responsible for the station for the duration of your show and should remain at the building. The phones may still work. Look for the little flashing red light on the phone to indicate it is ringing.

Some Vocabulary

• ERP - Effective Radiated Power. The ERP is the wattage produced by the transmitter and the broadcast bays. The bays act like a magnifier. They receive the transmitter's output power and broadcasts it at ERP.
• pot - Potentiometer (or knob). Some DJ's will call the knobs and faders on the mixing board "pots".
• segue - The transition between two songs. For example, a "tight" segue has little or no silence. A "loose" segue has silence between songs.
• bay - The actual broadcasting device. The tower, located on top of Pierce Library, is actually two devices. The antenna, the 50 foot tall structure, performs no function other than holding up the bays. The bays (look close), do the actual broadcasting.
• coax - This cable runs from the transmitter to the bays. Coax is also the kind of cable used on your TV/VCR.
• sibilant - The hissing sound an 'S' makes when it goes through a microphone. Too much sibilance is the first sign that a microphone is turned up too loud.
• popping your p's - The sound produced when you are too close to your mic or using excessive vocal force when you pronounce your p's.
• overdrive - Driving too much signal into a device. Overdriving a mic can cause sibilance. Overdriving other equipment can cause distortion or damage to the equipment.
• demo tape (or air-check tape) - A sample of your on-air work is usually required by radio stations before they will hire you.
• liner - A short promotional spot. "THE POWER FM" and "91.7 FM - LA GRANDE'S BEST ROCK" are examples of liners.
• EAS - Emergency Alert System - Recently replaced the EBS (Emergency Broadcast System) as a tool for government agencies to warn citizens of possible disasters.
• cart - Used by many radio stations to play commercials, liners, station ID's or other spots. Carts automatically cue themselves to the beginning of the spot.
• CMJ - College Music Journal. CMJ keeps track of all college, and many high school, radio stations, and what they are playing.
• IFC - Incidental Fees Committee. The IFC is made up of students, staff and faculty and determines distribution of incidental fees to student organizations like KEOL-FM.