WRFL keeps listeners first

By Morgan Rhodes

Technological advancements have put many products on the bottom shelf.

VHS tapes were replaced by DVDs, which are now being replaced by Blu-Ray discs. Television shows can be recorded and fast-forwarded through. People can rent movies On Demand without stepping foot outside the house.

“In this digital age, radio has suffered less than its mass media counterparts like broadcast television and newspapers,” said John Clark, associate professor in the School of Journalism and Telecommunications.

However, UK’s campus radio station, WRFL-FM, does not shy away from the challenge of adapting to advanced music listening technologies.

Founded in 1988, WRFL 88.1 FM runs continuously with no automation and no commercials.

“We are for folks who are burnt out on mainstream stations and do not want to listen to commercials and automated playlists,” said Ben Allen, WRFL/WSTV student media adviser.

Listeners can tune in 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Facebook is increasingly used by disc jockies to interact with listeners, Allen said.

“Facebook is essential for promotions,” he said.

Matt Gibson, WRFL general manager, said Facebook and Twitter are used to promote special events like concerts, on-air interviews and performances.

“Many of our deejays have Facebook pages for their shows and use them to promote the station,” Gibson said.

WRFL-FM is making its own technological advancements.

A new website is currently under construction and is expected to become active at the beginning of next year.

The new website will allow for more than the current 100 simultaneous online listeners. WRFL-FM is also in the process of redesigning its logo, Allen said.

Even with advancing technologies integrated into WRFL-FM, directors, deejays and advisers agree that WRFL-FM is focused on one thing: its listeners.

“You can be rest assured that there is someone who will be happy to tell you what you are listening to, to help you learn more about the station and about non-commercial music, to take a request and even just to chat,” Jon Finnie, WRFL-FM public relations director, said.

The station also organizes free and low-cost live music events on and around campus, Gibson said.

“We are not interested in making money,” he said. “We just want students and community members to be able to experience really good music and art while staying close to home.”

Gibson used Boomslang as an example. The Boomslang Festival consists of 30 to 60 bands in one weekend at different venues all over town, Gibson said.

While adapting to social media and the constant onslaught of technology is important, WRFL-FM stands out for other reasons, Gibson said.

“WRFL-FM has the most eclectic programming of any radio station in Kentucky,” Gibson said. “We keep moving in the future, but we stay connected to the past.”