KZSU
Encyclopedia
KZSU is a freeform
FM
radio station
broadcasting from the campus of Stanford University
in Stanford, California
, USA.
KZSU broadcasts in stereo at 90.1 MHz FM with an effective radiated power
of 500 watts. The station is owned by the Trustees of Stanford University and is governed by a Board of Directors appointed by the University's President. Operations are managed by a General Manager selected each year from the student body.
carrier-current
station, it relied on cables strung throughout Stanford's network of steam tunnel
s to carry its 590 kHz (later 880 kHz) signal. The first broadcast was a musical comedy revue starring Doodles Weaver
. At first, the station broadcasted only in the evenings. In the 1940s and 1950s, KZSU was a commercial station featuring popular and classical music, local cultural events, talk shows, and radio plays.
The station was shut down for two years following a raid by the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) in August 1958, which resulted from rising interference with the signal of radio station KGO-AM at 810 kHz. Broadcasting resumed in the fall of 1960. Renamed KZSU at the behest of the FCC, the station received a noncommercial FM license in 1964, moved its transmitter from the center of campus to the nearby foothills in 1970, and upgraded its transmitter power from 10 to 500 watts in 1978. The AM carrier gradually died in the early 1980s.
Well-known KZSU alumni include former FCC chairman Bill Kennard, inventor Ray Dolby
, murdered journalist Daniel Pearl
, TV "Batman" Adam West
, broadcasting mogul and KGO talk show host Jim Gabbert, syndicated radio personality Paul "The Lobster" Wells, Hollywood producer Mike Tollin, Court TV News co-anchor Vinnie Politan
, NBC News correspondent Pete Williams, post-punk laptop rapper MC Lars
, and a bevy of sportscasters including Don Tollefson, Scott Reiss, and San Francisco Giants play-by-play man Dave Flemming
.
Today, KZSU's all-volunteer staff is made up of assorted locals as well as Stanford students and staff. KZSU's 500-watt signal covers much of the San Francisco Bay Area
, reaching from Oakland and parts of San Francisco in the north, to Fremont and points beyond in the east, and down to around Gilroy in the south. KZSU has also broadcast live on the internet since 1995.
Current programming at KZSU consists primarily of music, with an emphasis on independent new releases in a wide range of genres. KZSU's music library contained nearly 80,000 CDs and a similar number of vinyl discs as of December 2005.
The station is also notable for its commitment to Stanford athletics. In recent years KZSU has carried live coverage of eight Stanford team sports throughout the year (football, men's and women's basketball and soccer, baseball, women's volleyball and softball). KZSU
also produces news and talk shows, and simulcasts meetings of the Palo Alto City Council, as well as services from Stanford Memorial Church
.
Freeform (radio format)
Freeform, or freeform radio, is a radio station programming format in which the disc jockey is given total control over what music to play, regardless of music genre or commercial interests. Freeform radio stands in contrast to most commercial radio stations, in which DJs have little or no...
FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
broadcasting from the campus of Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in Stanford, California
Stanford, California
Stanford is a census-designated place in Santa Clara County, California, United States and is the home of Stanford University. The population was 13,809 at the 2010 census....
, USA.
KZSU broadcasts in stereo at 90.1 MHz FM with an effective radiated power
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
of 500 watts. The station is owned by the Trustees of Stanford University and is governed by a Board of Directors appointed by the University's President. Operations are managed by a General Manager selected each year from the student body.
Broadcasting history
KZSU began broadcasting on January 6, 1947, using the informal call letters KSU. Originally an AMAM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
carrier-current
Carrier current
Carrier current is a method of low power AM radio transmission that uses the AC electrical system of a building to propagate a medium frequency, AM signal to a relatively small area, such as a building or a group of buildings...
station, it relied on cables strung throughout Stanford's network of steam tunnel
Utility tunnel
A utility tunnel is a space for wires, conduits, pipes, and other conveyances used in the delivery of utilities with enough room for a human to enter. Modern pipes and cables need less attention and space than older varieties, so the construction of utility tunnels declined in the late 20th century...
s to carry its 590 kHz (later 880 kHz) signal. The first broadcast was a musical comedy revue starring Doodles Weaver
Doodles Weaver
Winstead Sheffield Weaver , who used the professional name Doodles Weaver, was an American actor and comedian on radio, recordings, and television. He was the brother of NBC executive Sylvester "Pat" Weaver and the uncle of actress Sigourney Weaver.Born in Los Angeles, Weaver was given the nickname...
. At first, the station broadcasted only in the evenings. In the 1940s and 1950s, KZSU was a commercial station featuring popular and classical music, local cultural events, talk shows, and radio plays.
The station was shut down for two years following a raid by the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) in August 1958, which resulted from rising interference with the signal of radio station KGO-AM at 810 kHz. Broadcasting resumed in the fall of 1960. Renamed KZSU at the behest of the FCC, the station received a noncommercial FM license in 1964, moved its transmitter from the center of campus to the nearby foothills in 1970, and upgraded its transmitter power from 10 to 500 watts in 1978. The AM carrier gradually died in the early 1980s.
Well-known KZSU alumni include former FCC chairman Bill Kennard, inventor Ray Dolby
Ray Dolby
Ray Dolby is the American engineer and inventor of the noise reduction system known as Dolby NR. He was also a co-inventor of video tape recording while at Ampex. He is the founder of Dolby Laboratories.-Biography:...
, murdered journalist Daniel Pearl
Daniel Pearl
Daniel Pearl was an American journalist who was kidnapped and killed by Al-Qaeda.At the time of his kidnapping, Pearl served as the South Asia Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal, and was based in Mumbai, India. He went to Pakistan as part of an investigation into the alleged links between...
, TV "Batman" Adam West
Adam West
William West Anderson , better known by the stage name Adam West, is an American actor best known for his lead role in the Batman TV series and the film of the same name...
, broadcasting mogul and KGO talk show host Jim Gabbert, syndicated radio personality Paul "The Lobster" Wells, Hollywood producer Mike Tollin, Court TV News co-anchor Vinnie Politan
Vinnie Politan
Vinnie Politan is a former attorney and journalist who anchors "Prime News with Vinnie Politan" on HLN, and, as of November 16, 2009, co-anchors In Session on the cable network truTV. This is Politan's second tour of duty on the network...
, NBC News correspondent Pete Williams, post-punk laptop rapper MC Lars
MC Lars
Andrew Robert MacFarlane Nielsen is an American rapper, known by his stage name MC Lars. He is the self-proclaimed originator of "post-punk laptop rap". He was one of the first underground rappers to sample and reference post-punk and emo bands...
, and a bevy of sportscasters including Don Tollefson, Scott Reiss, and San Francisco Giants play-by-play man Dave Flemming
Dave Flemming
David Braxton "Dave" Flemming is an American sportscaster and television personality, currently working as a play-by-play announcer for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball as well as the Stanford Cardinal football and basketball teams.Flemming grew up in Alexandria, Virginia,...
.
Today, KZSU's all-volunteer staff is made up of assorted locals as well as Stanford students and staff. KZSU's 500-watt signal covers much of the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, reaching from Oakland and parts of San Francisco in the north, to Fremont and points beyond in the east, and down to around Gilroy in the south. KZSU has also broadcast live on the internet since 1995.
KZSU's programming
KZSU's programming runs from the legendary to the ephemeral. A few highlights:- The "Stanford Sadie" show, which ran from 1947 to 1961, was a notoriously racy satirical program based loosely on the Tokyo RoseTokyo RoseTokyo Rose was a generic name given by Allied forces in the South Pacific during World War II to any of approximately a dozen English-speaking female broadcasters of Japanese propaganda. The intent of these broadcasts was to disrupt the morale of Allied forces listening to the broadcast...
and Axis SallyAxis SallyAxis Sally can refer to:*Mildred Gillars, German-American female radio personality during World War II, best known for her propaganda broadcasts for Nazi Germany...
broadcasts of World War II. Sadie, whose mission was to distract male students from studying, was portrayed by approximately two dozen women over the years.
- KZSU broadcast tapes of live shows recorded at a nearby coffeehouse called Top of the Tangent in the early 1960s. One of the bands caught on tape was Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions, which later became the Grateful DeadGrateful DeadThe Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
. The recording, unearthed in 1997, has since been released on CDMother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions (album)Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions is an American folk music album. It was recorded live by the band of the same name at the Top of the Tangent coffee house in Palo Alto, California in July, 1964, and released in 1999....
.
- "Mystery Playhouse," a series of classic and original radio dramas hosted by the macabre Dr. Morgan, produced over 200 episodes between 1986 and 1991. Dr. Morgan died in 1993, but the show has lived on through syndication and an informal tape-trading network.
- "The Drum," currently hosted by DJ Kevvy Kev, is the world's longest-running hip-hopHip hop musicHip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
radio show. It has aired under this name since the late 1970s, but actually evolved from an earlier program called "Rhythms" that began airing some years earlier. John Graham hosted "The Drum" until 1981. Jonathan Brown (aka Johnny Afro) was host from 1981-1989. Current host Kevvy Kev has been involved since 1984. Other Drum co-hosts from the period of 1984-1989 were DJ Easy Lou, Dj Rockmaster Marski, Rich D, & KutMasta KurtKutMasta KurtKurt Matlin, professionally known as KutMasta Kurt, is an American hip hop producer, best known for his work with Kool Keith.-Collaborations:*Kool Keith - Sex Style *Dr Dooom - First Come, First Served...
. "The Drum" has hosted some of the biggest names in hip-hop in the early stages of their careers, including Jay-ZJay-ZShawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
, Ras KassRas KassJohn Austin IV, better known by his stage name Ras Kass, is an American rapper. He is also a part of hip hop supergroup The HRSMN along with Canibus, Killah Priest, and Kurupt...
, the FugeesThe FugeesFugees were a Haitian American hip hop group who rose to fame in the mid-1990s. Their repertoire included elements of Hip hop, soul and Caribbean music, particularly reggae. The members of the group were rapper/singer/producer Wyclef Jean, rapper/singer/producer Lauryn Hill, and rapper Pras Michel...
, Wu-Tang ClanWu-Tang ClanThe Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...
and Busta RhymesBusta RhymesTrevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
.
- "What Would Your Mother Say?", hosted by Susan Morris and produced by Sarah Buer, was an edgy talk show offering a lively and provocative discussion of life issues relevant to young people. Each week, a panel of four college students, Morris, and a mother met face-to-face to interview a guest expert (an author, psychologist or pundit) and discuss everything from relationships to politics to sex. The show was fast-paced and energetic.
- "Wednesday Night Live" is a weekly showcase of local band talent which has run since the late 1980s. Green DayGreen DayGreen Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
and PrimusPrimus (band)Primus is an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, currently composed of bassist/vocalist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde and drummer Jay Lane. Primus originally formed in 1984 with Claypool and guitarist Todd Huth, later joined by Lane, though the latter two departed...
are just two of the many hundreds of bands which have performed live in KZSU's "Outer A" studio.
- "Punker Than Puke" was a punk-oriented weekly program hosted by DJ Linus Up and Johnny Gram in the early 1990s. Known for unscripted interviews with unscheduled Punk rockPunk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
celebrities, surprise guests presented by the show included Jerry OnlyJerry OnlyJerry Only is an American bassist. He is the current bassist and vocalist for the Misfits. He is credited with creating the infamous hair style known as the devilock.-Life and career:...
, Ian MacKayeIan MacKayeIan Thomas Garner MacKaye is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, musician, label owner, and producer. Active since 1979, MacKaye is best known for being the frontman of the influential hardcore punk bands Minor Threat and The Teen Idles, the post-hardcore bands Embrace and Fugazi, as well...
, Chrissie HyndeChrissie HyndeChristine Ellen "Chrissie" Hynde is an US musician best known as the leader of the rock/new wave band the Pretenders. She is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, and has been the only constant member of the band throughout its history.-Early life and career:Hynde is the daughter of a part-time...
, and dozens of San Francisco Area native Punk Rock musicians.
- On September 6, 2004, KZSU held a "short song marathon," consisting entirely of songs running one minute or less, with the goal of playing 1,000 songs in 1,000 minutes. A team of 18 disc jockeys succeeded in playing 1,104 songs in that span. Number 1,000 was “The Young Lady Who Married a Mule Driver,” by James Downer.
- In 2007, KZSU celebrated its 60th anniversary with a 60-hour music marathon, running from January 4-6. KZSU alumni joined current DJs for a retrospective focusing on one year per hour, beginning with the music of 1947 and moving forward through 2006. Special programming also included a lecture on the history of the station, archived airchecks from previous years, and an interview with one of the station's founders.
Current programming at KZSU consists primarily of music, with an emphasis on independent new releases in a wide range of genres. KZSU's music library contained nearly 80,000 CDs and a similar number of vinyl discs as of December 2005.
The station is also notable for its commitment to Stanford athletics. In recent years KZSU has carried live coverage of eight Stanford team sports throughout the year (football, men's and women's basketball and soccer, baseball, women's volleyball and softball). KZSU
also produces news and talk shows, and simulcasts meetings of the Palo Alto City Council, as well as services from Stanford Memorial Church
Stanford Memorial Church
Stanford Memorial Church is located at the center of the Stanford University campus in Stanford, California, United States. It was built during the American Renaissance by Jane Stanford as a memorial to her husband Leland. Designed by architect Charles A...
.
External links
- Official website
- Listen to KZSU on the internet
- Program guides
- Geoff Goodfellow profile in The New York Times (2006)
- Kevvy Kev profile in San Jose Metro newspaper (2004)
- Stanford Sadie article in The Stanford Daily (1999)
- KZSU on Radio Station Zone - ratings, comments and listen live links