A few nights ago, KZSC’s Executive Committee piled into a booth at a nice restaurant and did our usual: discussed the station happenings and our projects over the summer and for the upcoming year. There was an event of some importance to discuss, however: this meeting coincided with the first day of new student summer orientation at UC Santa Cruz.
Every July KZSC is at the orientations to greet incoming freshmen and transfers as they get their first taste of life in Santa Cruz. There’s a chance to meet our school mascot, Sammy the Slug, lots of sunscreen and free tote bags weighed down with “informational packets” and stuff that campus organizations offer to impress and entice students into joining their ranks/using their resources. It’s also the first introduction to our station that new students get, whether they are dragged to our booth by parents who want a broadcasting legacy or by sneaking away from more “reputable” booths and tables. It’s a pleasure to meet with new faces as much as it is somewhat unnerving to think “very soon, these people will replace me.”
The five of us on Executive Committee are the closest a student can get to being an “old soul” at the station- each one of us started volunteering at KZSC our freshman year, and each of us has worked our way through the upper echelons of governance to get where we are today. When the topic turned to the new generation of DJs that our Station Manager and I had the pleasure to meet, we all had a moment: what was OUR first introduction to the radio station? The answers varied wildly: move-in packets, dining hall fliers, word of mouth, the music sale, and the aforementioned orientation. This year, we hope to have more opportunities to introduce more people to the Great 88 and leave a lasting impression on all the incoming bright-eyed and bushy-tailed students.
When did you first hear/hear of KZSC? Did you happen to find us on the dial or did a friend tell you about the sweet sounds that we play? Let us know- we’d love to hear it!
About the author
Volunteer Coordinator - Jacob is a really nice boy who just happens to be on the wrong side of the law. He welcomes the new faces of KZSC like his own children. He is the mystical gatekeeper of this fine institution.
The very first time I heard of KZSC was from a friend, who was pointing out a KZSC DJ to me. She told me that he had a show, that his show was terrible, and that KZSC was terrible.
Thankfully I met a guy at a Sons and Daughters concert who set me straight. He told me that if I was in Santa Cruz and loved music, I better well be listening to KZSC because it was the best college station in the state. He was right!
I was doing summer orientation at Merrill College and when an awkward group of freshmen and parents walked by KZSC. A strange bearded man popped his head out and invited our group in for a tour. That man was Michael Bryant! Twas then that I saw the walls of records and my history was changed, forever.
Enjoying the show tonight, all the way from London UK!
It’s way past midnight here but we are still awake and listening.
Keep up the good work