We’re trying real hard. The closest thing we have right now is a podcast produced by the Bennington Radio Project, which is run by myself and a few others. We try to generate content through audio documentaries, interviews, audio collages, audio postcards, student music, etc. We also host a live storytelling event called Thread, where students, faculty, and staff tell true stories live on stage on a theme.

Becoming a real radio station is big leap, and one that I’ve thought a lot about. There are a couple of big obstacles, the first being money - FM transmitting equipment ain’t cheap. We would also need a dedicated quiet space to house the operation, and I’m not willing to give up my room. There’s also the question of licensing with the FCC (which costs more money). Lastly - and perhaps most importantly - we just can’t produce enough content to have an FM station make sense. There are only three of us working on the BRP, and we simply can’t create enough to fill even an hour each day without constantly rerunning content.

With all that said, I would really love for it to happen. The more students that get involved, the easier much of it becomes. But we have to first create an environment where people expect good content, otherwise they won’t listen. The Bennington Radio Project, if nothing else, is an attempt to show that students are capable of making good radio. I hope it is the first small step towards a bona fide radio station.

Thank you for asking.

- jason