Since January 1971, KWCW 90.5 has been regularly broadcasting to student and community listeners. There have been many significant events in the station’s history, from the initial request for student funds in the fall of 1971, to the on-air accusation of prison-guard beatings in 1979, to the flag-burning constitutional debate on the radio show in 1989. Yet in its nearly 40 years in existence, “K-Dub” (as it is affectionately known) has remained student-run and committed to providing students and Walla Walla community members with the knowledge and air space to share their music and voices.

The past four years for the radio station have been busy and fairly constant. Senior Kyle Gilkeson, “K-Dub’s” general manager, said that the basic structure of the radio station has stayed in tact for a few years now.

“That’s a testament to the work and planning of past KWCW staff.   The positions at the station and the size of the policy council remain largely consistent, but there are slight variations year to year, depending on the needs of the station,” said Gilkeson.

Gilkeson believes that the biggest way KWCW has changed in the past four years is in terms of this accessibility.

“Fundamentally, KWCW’s mission is to provide a plurality of perspectives and opinions.   Sometimes these opinions are expressed through varying genres of music and sometimes through news or talk radio.   We try to fashion KWCW’s identity around the people who both listen and volunteer, so that the station is a reflection of the diversity of the community.   What we’ve tried to do in the past few years is make the schedule as eclectic as possible,” he said.

He added that another of the biggest changes “K-Dub” has been working on has been a transition away from physical media towards digital media.

“Promoters and record labels have found significant advantages to digital distribution, such as a more economical use of time and money.   As a result, we’ve been building our digital library by ripping the CDs we receive and downloading the albums and mp3s that we receive via e-mail,” he said. But, he said, there are no plans to replace the media entirely, because “everyone still has love for the physical products.”

New technology has also played a part in the past four years in terms of becoming more accessible to listeners.

“I think one way we’ve been able to achieve accessibility is through the internet.   A few years ago, we didn’t have the resources or the capability to stream our signal online.   The stream, coupled with our Web site and blog, create even more opportunities to hear and be heard,” said Gilkeson.

“K-Dub’s” digital changes have not been without mistakes, however.

“Just in the past couple weeks we installed this new software that overwrote the entire semester’s digital rotation, from which every week we make specific playlists… it’s really important. That was all just erased,” said current junior Grace Harnois, a K-dub music director. Luckily, things were sorted out, but not without significant stress on the part of the station’s directors.

In addition to digital media, Harnois believes one of the biggest accomplishments that have been made in the past few years has been the authority that “K-Dub” has gained, referencing the College Media Journal that she and Gilkeson attended last fall.

“This year was the first year in a long time anyone has been sent to the CMJ conference. I feel like we’ve been so disconnected with a lot of other college radio stations; it’s a really strong community that we haven’t really been a part of. Talking to other people about just the way their stations are run … that was really valuable,” she said.

Yet Harnois and Gilkeson both mentioned that some areas that KWCW has traditionally had authority over have been redirected. Bringing bands and musical groups to campus, which in previous years had been traditionally “K-Dub” organized, now falls under the jurisdiction of ASWC.

Gilkeson remembers one of the bands that the radio station brought to campus as one of the high points of the past four years.

“One event that sticks out in my mind was the Menomena & Talkdemonic show we brought to campus in the spring of 2007,” he said. “We were able to partner with Blue Moon and coordinate the musical component of their release party.   It was a special show because of the way it bridged two previously unassociated organizations in a fun, unique way.”

Part of the reason that the radio station has shifted is due to organizational and budget issues.

“Radio is expensive,” said Harnois. “We have to spend money to be respected enough to be sent good music and dealt with on an adult scale, rather than being treated like kids who are just trying to run the station.”

Harnois, who will be involved in the station next year as a senior, hopes that KWCW will become more organized. Gilkeson is not sure what to expect, but believes that the possibilities of the station are endless.

“The great thing about KWCW is that it can evolve, morph, and completely change texture, but the foundation remains the same.   The station was founded upon, and continues to function under, principles of serving the community, both within Whitman and the greater Walla Walla community.   So as long as people listen to music and have opinions, we’ll be alive and well, working hard in the mezzanine,” said Gilkeson.