KCFV: Rockin’ NoCo for 37 years

Shannon Howard | Nov 04, 2009 | Comments 14

The KCFV control booth, sending North County 100 watts of fabulous community radio. When the college radio station opened in 1972, its signal was just 10 watts, not even strong enough to cross highway 270.

If you live within roughly ten miles of St. Louis Community College at Flo Valley, count yourself lucky. That means you can tune in to the sweet sound of North County’s very own radio station, KCFV, 89.5FM.

Since going live in April 1972, the station has not only filled the local airwaves with eclectic, ever-changing music. It has also allowed hundreds of students to train for a career in broadcasting, many of whom have gone on to high-profile TV and radio jobs in the St. Louis area and beyond.

KTVI anchor/Emmy winner/Jennings native Dan Gray is a KCFV alum. So are Brad Hildebrand at KSLQ, Guy Favazza at KSHE, and Ken Whitney, senior vice-president at Telemundo.

When I was in high school in the 80s, my favorite KCFV DJ (next to Tom Cat) was Rob Levy, who still plays dreamy new wave music on his popular KDHX show, Juxtaposition. Back then, just as it is now, KCFV’s playlist was as diverse as its many student staffers. That’s probably why my husband’s favorite KCFV memory (also from the 80s) is hearing Minor Threat played every morning at exactly 7am.

If you’re not familiar with Minor Threat, just know that it’s rapid-fire, hardcore punk music that no commercial radio station would ever play, especially at 7am. But that’s the beauty of KCFV. Though the station has experimented with a Top-40 format over the years, it’s now back to its community radio roots, featuring a fun hodgepodge of rock, heavy metal, hip-hop, indie, gospel, jazz and even local music.

“We play local artists at least 3-4 times every hour,” station manager Tim Gorry says proudly. And that has a lot to do with Gorry himself.

Since taking over in 2007, the Flo Valley mass communications grad and former military IT manager has not only spearheaded KCFV’s return to “diverse music for your diverse mind.” He has also expanded the station’s community outreach efforts and worked to upgrade its equipment so that students are better prepared for the real world.

“We have industry-standard professional equipment, everything you’d expect to find at a commercial radio station,” Gorry says. Students have up to eight semesters to use it, during which time they can take classes in applied broadcasting, radio production and advanced audio production, as well as log many hours on air.

Tim Gorry, who manages KCFV and also works part-time for Emmis Communications, cues up audio files while Steve Soby Bai instructs the class on effective interview techniques.

The day I visited KCFV, the radio production class (a talented group of about 10) was critiquing its own live interviews, getting tips from Gorry and media veteran Steve Soby Bai on how to paint a vivid picture of their interview subjects using emotional soundbites and descriptive background audio.

Bai, the first Asian-American man on St. Louis television, draws from 20 years of broadcasting experience, including 13 years as a producer at KTVI and various stints as a reporter, anchor, producer and engineer for KETC (channel 9), St. Louis channel 10, and the ABC affiliate in Wichita, Kansas. Like Gorry, he positively shines at his job, clearly passionate about the work he does.

When I asked some of his students why they decided to study at KCFV, the group, ranging in age from 18 to mid-40s, was evenly divided. Some definitely want to work in broadcasting; others just want the knowledge and the opportunity to be on the radio. One young man told me that his radio classes were merely the first step in a long-term plan to earn a PhD in English and eventually work as a writer. (poor boy)

As for Gorry, who recently moved back to his native NoCo after years of living in U.City, he’s sticking around KCFV because it’s the best job he’s ever had. “I feel lucky every day,” he says, discreetly peeking at the station’s listener stats. Under his guidance, KCFV’s streaming online signal has received 25,000 hits from listeners in more than 100 countries, and those numbers are growing every day.

“We have six people listening online right now, somewhere in the world,” Gorry says. “That’s so cool!”

And on a rainy weekday afternoon, at a tiny college radio station in North County, it really is.