Thursday, December 10, 2009
Cream / Hot Goss WRVU Music Directors Resign in Protest of Community DJ Cap
Posted by Steve Haruch on Thu, Dec 10, 2009 at 9:35 AM
Fallout from the recent VSC board decision to limit the participation of community DJs at WRVU has officially begun: Yesterday, WRVU music directors Skye Bacus and Hugh Schlesinger announced to their colleagues that they have resigned their positions in protest of the cap. In an email, the two Vanderbilt students say, "In the face of the VSC Board's decision to ignore our own advice and opinions, as well as those of the majority of the E-Staff, we have realized that we are merely laborers who keep things running and feel no need to deceive ourselves with false titles."
Later in the email, Schlesigner says he fears "the likely endgame of the Board's recent actions is the complete elimination of Community volunteers from the station. " Of course, that sentiment runs in direct opposition to what Director of Student Media Chris Carroll told the Scene earlier this year, namely: "Nobody's getting rid of community DJs." So far, Schlesinger's theory appears to hold more weight. He doesn't stop there, though: "I think that the WRVU staff and Nashville community must make it clear to the VSC that we will not accept their recent decision or this possible endgame."
I don't know if that will rally troops to the cause or not, but the news of the resignation has certainly made an impression--one DJ who forwarded the email to the Scene prefaced it with one word: "wow." Another, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, "If you ask me, Hugh and Skye are the ones who learned an actual lesson about student leadership from this whole mess." We'll see if there are more lessons to be learned, but the fact that Vanderbilt affiliates are stepping down to protest the removal of non-affiliates ought to tell you something.
Here's the complete letter:
Hey Guys,As of Monday, Skye and I have resigned our positions as Music Directors at WRVU. We will continue to fulfill the duties of Music Directors until the end of semester, at which point a group of students we have been training will take over. At this point in time, it seems rather pointless for us to retain the title of Music Directors, a title that implies a level of managing authority and input into the station's operation. In the face of the VSC Board's decision to ignore our own advice and opinions, as well as those of the majority of the E-Staff, we have realized that we are merely laborers who keep things running and feel no need to deceive ourselves with false titles.
There isn't all that much to be said about the decision that has not already been voiced at this point. I (Hugh) would like to apologize to the entire staff for my own failure to input myself in the Board's decision making process and for not acting quickly enough to make a difference after receiving what information I had obtained about the Board's decision.
Also, I hope that the fight against this decision will continue. The VSC Board does not have the best interests of the station in mind when it decides and acts upon issues affecting WRVU. This is because to them the station is merely a tool to be used for some poorly defined form of undergraduate education, or more likely just a superlative for the school to show it has all the amenities of a "top institution". But this is not the vision that I have, or that I suspect most of you have, for the station.
I fear that the likely end game of the Board's recent actions is the complete elimination of Community volunteers from the station. For this reason, I think that the WRVU staff and Nashville community must make it clear to the VSC that we will not accept their recent decision or this possible endgame. As history shows us, the VSC does react to public pressure in regards to the operation of WRVU, and when they are making decisions as unwarranted, ill-considered, and harmful as the Community volunteer cap, the full weight of this pressure should be brought down upon them. With pressure, there is still a chance for a reversion of this decision and a reassertion of the authority of E-Staff, Staff, and others concerned with and involved in the station in the operation of WRVU.
Until that point, I wish you all luck in fighting the good fight.
Skye Bacus
Hugh Schlesinger
Former Music Directors of WRVU
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Comments (36)
Showing 1-36 of 36
In order for the community as a whole to react and voice their opinion to the Board, would it be possible to inform the everyday listener how they can contact this evil entity to express their opinion? I have read several articles about this subject and am concerned as well, but don't know who I can contact to belittle and berate over their decision. thanks for any additional info you can provide!
like
dislike
Mikil Taylor
General Manager, WRVU
wrvugm@gmail.com
Office Phone: 322-3691
(This is the head student position at WRVU. The GM is not elected by the students but "hired" by the board. Yes, it IS a paid position. The GM's staff are then hand-picked by the GM. Again, no students are involved in any sort of election process)
Chris Carroll
Director of Student Media
Vanderbilt University
Sarratt Student Center
2301 Vanderbilt Place, Suite 135 E
Nashville, TN 37235
Jim Hayes
Assistant Director of Student Media/Broadcasting
jim.hayes@vanderbilt.edu
Vanderbilt University
Sarratt Student Center
2301 Vanderbilt Place, Suite 135 A
Nashville, TN 37235
Nicholas Zeppos
Chancellor
Vanderbilt University
211 Kirkland Hall
Nashville, TN 37240
Beth Fortune
Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs
Vanderbilt University
405 Kirkland Hall
Nashville, TN 37240
I think this was a courageous and wise decision by Hugh and Skye. What's the point of having an e-board (which is given the task of setting policy and managing the station) if some other board is going to come in, ignore the e-board's wishes, and arbitrarily change that policy?
It's important to note that the e-board members are students, not community members. The VSC Board keeps saying that it's all about the students. Yet they seem to ignore the voice of the e-board (STUDENTS) who have the (nominal) responsibility of running the station.
From the WRVU staff listserv:
A query:
Am I correct in my impression that three of those 25 approved non-affiliate DJs are current trainees who have never actually DJed a semester? That the VSC picked people with literally 0 semesters of experience over shows that had been going for two and a half, three years?
The reply:
The estaff did want to make sure to recommend at least a few trainees for DJ spots, since they have gone through training, but would otherwise have never had a show on WRVU. It wasn't fair to not give any of them a chance. In the end, the board took our recommendations and made a few changes, but kept the majority of who we suggested.
Mikil
I play hockey with Hugh, and will state for the record that the guy is a solid person, and a hell of a smart guy. A shame it has come to this, I don't understand how hard it is to allow students "first pick" of times and allow community volunteers to fill in any additional times. Being that the station still had gaps to fill in its airtime, it can hardly justify capping DJs.
The cap makes no sense except in the light of a gradual elimination of all non-affiliates. The board seems to be following the frog-boil strategy. That being, if you put a frog in boiling water, it will immediately notice the temperature and jump out. If you put a frog in lukewarm water and slowly set it to boil, the frog will boil without realizing it. Except in this case, the board made a strategic error by turning up the temperature too quickly.
You're wasting your time going after these people. I called Chris and we had a long discussion about the issue. The "community" will not change his opinion, he'd have to respect your opinion first and that's not happening. I think the only way you'll get any traction is if the students that pay the fees for the right to use the station demand that the station have a broader relationship with and encourage commnunity involvement.
C'mon Student DJ's follow the Music Directors and let the powers that be know that you don't want to be a part of a radio station with such limited vision. Also question why you're paying an activity fee that supports such things.
Also - Chris is watching and is offended by annon posters that take him to task. Step up and let him him know who you are so he can goggle you and and send you a condescending e-mail.
This is a continuation of what appears to be a strategy long in development -- over the course of the past year, WRVU's leadership has used a series of bogus "equipment violations" or questionable "decency complaints" to remove a whole string of longstanding community DJs from rotation. That was an underhanded and cowardly method; this is at least a straightforward method to accomplish the same culling.
Either way, it's an unfortunate direction for what was once an open-minded and independent radio outlet. Mainstream radio died creatively long ago when the huge industry consolidation began; college radio at least at WRVU seems determined to follow.
Vanderbilt is nothing without Nashville, Chris. You might think that parading a bunch of New York, Florida, and Texas money thru your undergrad program entitles you to thumb your nose at the greater community but it does not. Those folks breeze thru frat row and then take their earning potential elsewhere. However, there's a smaller but infinately more dedicated group of alumni who stayed. We sit thru the bad football, the great roundball, and the tepid homecomings. We go to functions at Blair. Many of us didn't come to VU with transient intentions. We did it to become Nashvillians who could better our city.
You and the board are letting us down. You must correctly manage your debt to this community or you will lose your broadcast rights to someone who will. This has much wider implications than some local bands on WRVU. This feeds the dangerous notion that Vanderbilt is a cultural island in Nashville. Which it is. That disgusts me and as one of the people who VU continues to solicit for alumni donations, I intend to vote with my checkbook. J.Bonomo '02
Who is Chris's boss? Let's talk to him/her. They may not even know there's a problem. If anyone knows who this is, please post.
Also, keep an ear out for those underwriter spots they read occassionally. If anybody knows who the underwriters are, post that info too. We should let them know that we've given up on WRVU because they've given up on the community.
Who is Chris's boss? Let's talk to him/her. They may not even know there's a problem. If anyone knows who this is, please post.
Also, keep an ear out for those underwriter spots they read occassionally. If anybody knows who the underwriters are, post that info too. We should let them know that we've given up on WRVU because they've given up on the community.
Ever since Mikichael became the GM, WRVU has become a ZOO and disfunctional. Poor radio, sloppy production, call letters not said by some hosts at all, no feeling of a "team" that pull in the same direction.
Oh and the mandatory in-studio camera fiasco that chased many hosts away.
The GM should resign as of ...YESTERDAY.
Bigger picture: the Vaderbilt powers that be will soon see a great way to save some money as many other colleges have: get rid of their terrestrial radio station and sell the license.
reposting this that someone posted in a previous comment, because it's very much worth taking note of. also, hugh and skye are stars and deserve a whole world of respect. to anyone who thinks nashville cream commenters hate vandy students, false. we strongly dislike mikil and the VSC. but kids like hugh and skye demonstrate to us that WRVU itself still has a heart; it has just been overtaken recently.
------
From the WRVU staff listserv:
A query:
Am I correct in my impression that three of those 25 approved non-affiliate DJs are current trainees who have never actually DJed a semester? That the VSC picked people with literally 0 semesters of experience over shows that had been going for two and a half, three years?
The reply:
The estaff did want to make sure to recommend at least a few trainees for DJ spots, since they have gone through training, but would otherwise have never had a show on WRVU. It wasn't fair to not give any of them a chance. In the end, the board took our recommendations and made a few changes, but kept the majority of who we suggested.
Mikil
Wow. I am impressed by these two guys choosing to resign in protest. Maybe some good change can come from the bottom up at Vanderbilt. Good things are sure not happening at the top: just the same old 'cultural island' snubbing its hometown. Skye and Hugh have more character and class than anything else I have seen or heard from Vandy throughout this fiasco..
bravo to hugh and skye!
i could write thousands of words about this debacle, but for the sake of brevity:
isn't it ironic that these e-staff undergraduates have stated their opinions far more thoughtfully, humbly, and articulately than anything we've heard from the administrators and instructors at their university?
Here's the response I got from Chris after my second e-mail to all parties recently. My e-mail had my full contact info so he went and goggled me so that he could be creative in his response. I believe this best articulates how he feels about community DJ's
The community DJ's that are left should send Chris a christmas card thanking him for their "charity".
E-mail from Chris Carrol
Mr. Kendall,
Thank you for taking time to send us your thoughts related to WRVU. Since you are a reputable, responsible and respected business owner here in Nashville, I thought I would offer you the courtesy of an explanatory response.
Imagine a very vocal, but small (fewer than 100) group of project development enthusiasts determined that because of the current economy your real estate management firm likely has some underutilized capacity. So, these folks move in to your place of business and demand the use of your resources, divert the time and energies of you, Ken, David and Susan on your staff, and expect you to bear all the expense and liability for the use of your services while contributing absolutely nothing to your bottom line. Imagine that these folks then invite their friends to join them in using your services until they outnumber your actual clients by a two-to-one margin. Imagine that many of these folks are 20 years older than you and spend a good bit of their time at your facilities criticizing your every decision and positioning themselves as the real experts in your business. Then suppose many of these same people who profess to love your business and what it represents are spreading vile, nasty and false comments about you by way of cowardly anonymous blog posts. While many of these people genuinely are well-intentioned and could be a positive addition to your business, many more have self-serving agendas and behave like punks and have turned your workplace into a house of pain. That, essentially, is Mikil's situation.
Now, Donnie, if you're truly old school, then as a responsible business owner you would immediately remove all these people and exercise your fiduciary and ethical accountability to your clients and to your staff, not to mention do whatever is necessary to protect your asset so as to preserve opportunities for both you and your future clients.
Or, if you are more charitable and choose to bear the expense and burden of pro bono outreach to a group you are under no obligation to serve, you might set a reasonable limit -- for example, 25 individuals -- who you would permit to use your facilities and services as non-paying clients.
Given your strong feelings about my performance and your rebuke of one of our undergraduate student leaders and your stated mission to punish Vanderbilt University for supporting its students, I would offer you the invitation -- again since you are an honest and fair community leader -- to visit campus to express your position personally to VSC, Inc. leaders and ranking members of the University administration. At your request, I would be happy to initiate a meeting that could include my staff and supervisory board, the Associate Dean of Students, Dean of Students, Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs, and representatives from the University's Office of Legal Counsel. Please let me know if you would like for me to schedule this opportunity for you.
Sincerely,
Chris Carroll
Director of Student Media
On Dec 3, 2009, at 1:38 PM, Don Kendall wrote:
How disappointing it was to hear that you collectively decided to uphold your previous policy change decision on community DJ’s. Your decision will make WRVU less relevant as a college radio station and will further drive a wedge between the college and community. Maybe that’s what you desire. Maybe you all are a bunch of elitists who think you’re above catering to the locals. I hope that’s not the case, but your actions have not helped me believe otherwise.
I will now make it my mission to seek out everyone I know with a Vanderbilt connection and express my discontent and will spread the word to anyone that will listen not to support those who do not support and work together with us, the community.
Your legacy is now to be to be known as the leaders of the charge to destroy college radio in Nashville. This won’t be a big deal for Chris as he’s already gained infamy in other towns for the same thing, but shame on the rest of you for going along. As for you Mikil, you should immediately resign as GM because you have failed all involved with your inability to lead the station firmly in any direction.
Sounds like this would be a good time for Nashville's radio fans to ditch WRVU entirely, and start helping WRFN take its place.
Wow. I wasn't planning on posting a "punk" comment, but after reading the response to 'Donnie Old School,' I have to say this Chris Carroll fellow sounds like a real jerk.
My heart goes out to the two music directors who have resigned over this.
I removed WRVU from my presets the minute I heard they dropped Best of Bread. They have only gone downhill since then. I hope that maybe the music directors resigning will help turn that around.
Yeah losing Best of Bread was a huge mistake.
That show really changed my opinion about radio's ability to be good. I'd never gone so out of my way to listen to a radio show and once it was gone i stopped listening to the station although I was doing a show for a couple months longer before the shit hit the fan completely.
this won't be as thought-out as i'd like it to be, but i want to comment on a sentiment that's arisen here and in other WRVU threads:
if you really care about making WRVU better - be you a student, affiliated DJ, a community DJ, or a resident of planet earth who enjoys listening to the best goddamn station in nashville - you will NOT bury your head in the sand and go on as if the old WRVU never existed. that's the easy way out. if you really care, you'll work with those people in my aforementioned groups who are trying their best to right the ship. the less support these guys have, the MORE likely that WRVU will turn into a middling, generic entity.
abandoning the station at a time when it needs all the help it can get is short-sighted, at best.
How can Chris Carroll say that he "is under no obligation to serve" the community???
If that is the way that he feels then i would like all of the money back that I, as a member of the community with no obligation to serve WRVU, have donated to WRVU benefit shows over the years. If one were to take a poll of WRVU listeners I have no doubt that "non-affiliated" community listeners would outnumber Vanderbilt student listeners 20-to-1. and i thing the same can be said for the attendance at benefit shows.
If Mr. Chris Carroll doesn't want to associate with freeloaders and non-affiliated enthusiasts who don't contribute to his personal bottom line then public radio (which can be heard nation-wide mind you) is not the business for him! Radio is not something to be viewed as a means to grow assets! it is a responsibility and a right!
And while Chris Carroll may think that he is only responsible to those he is financially affiliated with, the reality is that he is responsible to any and all who are in reach of that radio signal. As well as any and all (the nashville community) who have been asked for years to come and contribute to the WRVU benefits!
wrvu i love you but you're bringing me down.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WUSC-FM#The_1995_shutdown
also: http://www.wuscalumni.org/radio.html
There will be no getting through to Chris Carroll. Clearly, he's on a power trip and is immune to reason. At WUSC, he invented accusation to get what he wanted (per the link above); has he really changed at all?
Aside from his personality, his argument is also flawed. It's a radio station, not a friggin' real estate (or any other) office. You don't pay anyone, and (I think most would agree that) "DJ Hal" is lame, so why not allow interested non-affliates.
Carroll mentions "liability", for which EVERY DJ should be signing waivers and fiduciary agreements (in the event of FCC violation or the willful destruction of property). If one or two DJs are a problem, student or not, kick them off for a year.
Carroll also expresses displeasure with being questioned or critiqued. That's part of being a manager/director, so if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen (don't throw out the stove).
So what if some DJs are "20 years older"? Most of the older DJs have more years in radio than Carroll has been alive, and they clearly have more passion for true, wonderful, diverse, community radio.
Since WRVU is a non-commercial station, how can any DJ contribute to the bottom line, unless it is by delivering ears and reinforcing ties to the community. That is, unless it will be a pay-to-play station.
I believe that when filling the grid, interested students should take precedence over alumni or non-affiliates. That may mean that some semesters have 80% student-generated shows and other semesters 20%, but a hard cap will damage WRVU's quality as it has already damaged it's reputation.
WRFN /is/ a good example of community radio, though sometimes difficult to pick up. I intend to listen to my favorite WRVU programs as long as they are permitted to be on the air, but I can't say I will continue to support their benefits.
As a community DJ at WRVU, this rips out my heart. I have learned so much about myself and so many good people by this VOLUNTEER slot. I spent my time to come and bring the tunes for the station. As for the others that got kicked off, I am very sorry. There were a few too many good people with good shows who were shown the boot. I can only hope for the best and that they will change their decision. this is NOT for the "sake of the station"
I couldn't agree more with Sam from Penguin Parade. We all agree that the recent decision made by the VSC board is an upsetting cause for concern that will no doubt injure WRVU. However, this is not the time to abandon ship. In my opinion, WRVU is one the best college radio stations in the country. Are we going to let it become another WUSC? The thought sickens me. WRVU is close to all of our hearts. We can't just step aside and watch it go down. We have to organize. We have to go above Chris Carroll, because obviously his intentions are not in the interest of the students he claims to champion.
WRVU's mission is first and foremost to provide a learning lab for students who want to get into the industry. But who do you think they learn from? Where do they get their connections in the music industry? From dedicated and experienced community DJs.
VSC administrators complain about students getting "bad" time slots. I would imagine that at almost every college station, new DJ shows are often at bad times (I also speak from experience). Why? They haven't learned anything yet! They have not shown the dedication to prove themselves worthy of a good time slot yet. If they care about honing their craft as a DJ, let them work out the kinks at midnight on a Wednesday. We're young, single, and passionate. We can do that.
But also, WRVU's mission as a station is to provide quality programming you would not find anywhere else on the dial. It is not a commercial radio station and should not be treated as such.
The cap is too rigid. It wrests control from student managers who know best what WRVU needs. It eliminates invaluable community DJs from the WRVU roster. What VSC is doing is akin to Warner Music Group getting rid of all of its knowledgeable "music men" executives in 1995 (Doug Morris, Mo Ostin, Danny Goldberg...), after which it quickly fell to the bottom of the big four record companies. Chris Carroll does not know how college radio works, and his decisions will do nothing but hurt WRVU.
Wow, this comment became a lot longer than I had planned. I'm going to send a more informed and organized letter to Vanderbilt administrators. Until then, I just want to say, please don't give up, WRVUers!
Marion Coddou
Vanderbilt '08
never resign in protest
when you are resigning in protest
when nobody knows what you are resigning in protest for
everyone involved with rvu is super gay and pathetic
never comment drunk
when you are commenting drunk
when nobody knows what your point is
everyone involved with the above post is happy and sad.
There is no radio broadcasting course at Vanderbilt University. Why do they even have a radio station?
The undergrads will runit it into the ground without community adult DJs to emulate.
Vanderbilt doesn't even HAVE a radio broadcasting course! Why do they even HAVE a radio station??
Don't worry, the undergrads will runn it into the ground without adult community volunteers to emulate. Once I heard they even gave HIGH School kids shows there...won't be long before soda pop is spilled into the console
Actually high school kids have done some pretty good shows. (They're non-affiliated too, obviously.)
Never resign.
That's exactly what he wants you to do. He's been orchestrating these "events" for decades now and the result is always the same.
First of all, there's nothing wrong with being super gay. Look at Aquaman. Second of all, a super hero is exactly what this situation calls for. We've got evil villains to foil, metaphorically speaking.
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