On Tuesday, June 7 at 2:56 pm, longtime WRVU DJ (and host of hands down the best show on that station, Nashville Jumps) Pete Wilson played Johnny Thunder's "You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory." And then... nine hours of static. At midnight, Nashville's beloved college radio station 91.1 WRVU became Classical 91.1, the all classical affiliate of Nashville Public Radio's WPLN.
This story has been brewing for a long time, so I won't post the details. It's been covered in more detail here, and if you need background I suggest you read Nashville Cream's articles regarding the rape and pillage of Vanderbilt's student run radio station. As much as people rallied to fight it, I think deep down most of us knew it was a forgone conclusion once Vanderbilt Student Communications said they were "exploring the option" of selling the stations broadast license. The writing was definitely on the wall. VSC's director, Chris Carroll, has a bit of a history of dismantling college radio stations. And while there were many students, alumni and staff who were dedicated to making the station great, a vast majority of Vandy's students just didn't give a shit.
I've been a regular listener of WRVU for over 20 years. It was where I first heard bands like R.E.M., Arcade Fire, The Replacements and Soundgarden long before they broke into the mainstream. I can't tell you the number of bands I now love who I first heard because a clued in volunteer DJ wanted to share them with the world. I've been in bands that were interviewed and performed on the station. I've attended more benefit shows than I could count. And in a round about way, I started this blog because of WRVU. It was by reading online counterpart to WRVU's Out The Other that first got me reading music blogs, and eventually deciding that I should start one myself. To say that WRVU has had a huge influence on my life, musical and otherwise, would be an understatement.
While WRVU isn't technically dead, it will never be the same. Online streaming is great, but it doesn't match the local reach and accessibility of terrestrial radio. And while it will still be broadcast over WPLN's HD3 channel this fall, raise your hand if you own an HD radio? Yeah, that's what I thought. If my favorite DJs and shows are back on the station this fall, I'll seek them out via online streams, but I can't say I'd blame them if they walked away. I hope they don't.
