FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Make a suggestion and we'll post an answer. E-mail us here.
So far, there are three sections: PROGRAMMING, GENERAL & ENGINEERING

 

PROGRAMMING FAQ

What's that song you play before your overnight BBC news broadcast? You know, the really beautiful acoustic guitar piece.

It's STRUNZ & FARAH "Campera" from the CD Stringweave. Selva Records #SV-CD 1008.

 

Do you post your playlists so we can go back and find the name of an artist that we heard on your station?

YES! Since November of 2003, we've been posting all the music we play to our website in real-time! If you hear a song you like, jot down the date & time, then go and visit our playlist at www.krcc.org/onair.

 

What about adding 'E-Town'?

KRCC did air E-Town for a number of years. Alas, E-Town received dismal ratings...we tried to hang in there with them for quite a while. However, after years of next to no ratings at all, we decided that E-Town was a bit of a sinking ship for KRCC and we jumped off.

 

What about adding (name-your-program-here)?

You may always make suggestions for programming on KRCC. We encourage you to tell us your favorite programs when you become a member at KRCC. Here are a couple suggestions/comments about discussing programming with us: we find programming suggestions from KRCC MEMBERS the most stimulating; and, we more readily embrace friendly and constructive e-mail and letters about programming than the sharing of frustrations on the phone. Common sense, perhaps...but it never hurts to spell it out.

 

Why can't KRCC be a classical station, like most NPR stations?

The answer is twofold. KRCC was KRCC before it was KRCC the NPR affiliate. KRCC has always had an interest in bringing its listeners diverse music. Additionally, Colorado Springs already has a fine 24Hour Classical and Jazz public radio station (www.kcme.org) and no stations at all that play a diverse range of music like KRCC currently does. It just makes sense.

 

Why doesn't KRCC carry local news?

UPDATE: KRCC's local news magazine starts January 1, 2005 at 4PM!
Western Skies airs twice weekly on Teusdays and Thursdays at 7pm and both shows repeat Saturdays at 4PM. Please visit westernskies.krcc.org.

After years of wishing and months of discussion and planning, I can now announce that KRCC will create a local news magazine. The idea for this program has been on our “to do” list for well over a decade, but only now made possible by the “can do” spirit and vision of Colorado College’s President Richard Celeste.

We hope to highlight issues that affect the quality of life throughout our region and the Rocky Mountain states, and showcase the often iconoclastic people within the KRCC coverage area.

We hope to build partnerships with regional freelancers, working newspaper reporters and other radio stations in the area as resources who will contribute their observations. We’ll also be able to cherry pick programs from a variety of network and internet resources. Many of these resources have been available for some time, but we didn’t have a program to present them to our local audience – the possibilities are very exciting.

 

I see that you air Ken Nordine's Word Jazz. Is he a robot?

Yes.

 

I've been trying to figure out Greg's accent. Which country is he from?

We discovered Greg in the fjords of North Dakota after his exodus from the People's Republic of Texas. He's still in recovery.

 

Are your news and entertainment shows produced locally? Why can't I talk to Corey Flintoff or Linda Wertheimer when I call KRCC?

With the exception of KRCC's news magazine that will debut in the Fall of 2004, all of KRCC's news & entertainment programming comes from disparate sources from around the globe. We either record and rebroadcast the programs, or we play them live via satellite. Sorry, Corey and Linda are at NPR's headquarters in Washington D.C..

 

Why don't you provide traffic reports?

Because we know all the side roads and assume you, our beautiful and intelligent listeners, do, too. Besides, the KRCC helicopter hasn't worked ever since we tried to upgrade the DELCO AM radio to FM.

 

How do I submit a public service announcement?

Go here!

 

How do I request a song?

Call 719-473-4801 or 800-748-2727 or email dj@krcc.org.

 

Do you play local artists? May I send you my music? How do I follow-up?

Yes, KRCC plays local music. You can send it (in CD format) to Jeff Bieri, KRCC-FM, 912 N. Weber, Colorado Springs, CO, 80903. You can call Jeff and ask about your CD on Tuesdays & Thurdays from 8:30-10:30am (MTN) at 719-473-4801. We cannot return submissions. The address and call times apply to inter/national artists and reps, as well.

 

GENERAL FAQ
I hear about your Early-Bird Card program all the time. What is it? How do I get one?

KRCC's Early-Bird Card is a discount card that we offer to donors who become a member of KRCC during one of our PRE-DRIVE Membership campaigns. Early-Bird Cards are available when we start announcing on-air that they are available, typically two months prior to each of our Spring and Fall membership drives. Our membership drives are always the last full week of October and April. Early-Bird cards are valid for six months and provide you with discounts to a number of featured KRCC underwriters and business members each month, as well as, make you eligible for our occasional gift certificate give-away at the beginning of each month. If you would like to see our current Early-Bird Card offers, click here.

 

I don't want to receive anymore membership renewal forms. How do I get you to stop sending them to me?

Please call the station M-F, 9am-5pm and ask to speak to Delaney, 719-473-4801 or 800-748-2727. He'll get your name removed from our mailing list. You may also email your desires to delaney@krcc.org.

 

Do you sell/rent/giveaway the names on your mailing list?

NEVER, EVER!!! We never have and never will.

 

What can I do if I win tickets, but can't or don't want to go to the concert? Can I get you to give me something else instead?

• If you can't go, please call us and tell us as soon as possible, so we can give them to someone else.
• If you don't want to go, please stop and contemplate why you called in the first place, decide if your insatiable need for winning contests warrants some type of intervention, then call us and tell us so we can give them to someone else.
• And, sorry, you get what you win...greed makes us testy.

 

For how long is my membership valid?

Memberships are valid for ONE YEAR; Early-Bird Cards six months.

 

ENGINEERING FAQ (FROM JOEL THE ENGINEER)

The lighter side of the Engineering FAQ
Why can’t Engineers spell. (or punctuate)
(Please note that the KRCC editorial staff left this response totally unedited for your reading pleasure).

There are two arguments for this question. The first is simply that we like to see the little red squiggly line made famous by our god and mentor Bill Gates. You see this splash of color in an otherwise, black and white document, is to an engineer, like sex is to a [illegible]. The other explanation is simply a left brain/right brain sort of thing. Seldom does the Engineer stand out as bold as he does in a setting of an NPR station at a liberal arts school such as CC. Generally the little mistakes go unnoticed in towns like La Hunta or Mani2 springs. However in the high academia wold surrounding KRCC I stick out like a sore thumb. It’s a good thing I have a set of talents virtually unknown to liberal arts types, like changing light bulbs, or they would have no use for me at all. Oh, by the way how do you pronounce Buena Vista?

 

Why does the KRCC signal come in on some radios in my house, but not others?
I get asked this a lot, usually from people who live on the fringe areas of our signal. The fact is that all radios are not created equal. Determining factors aren’t whether the radio is old or new, or even how much you paid for the system that houses your radio, but on the quality of the receiver. A case in point is a really great stereo system that gets lousy radio reception. What consumers don’t realize is that oftentimes a manufacturer may sell what seems like a great expensive surround sound system with all the bells and whistles, from 27.1 surround sound to circuits that change equalization when a comet flies by, but the real emphasis is on the audio circuitry rather than the radio receiver. This is why, generally speaking, I have found that factory installed car radios consistently seem to do a better job than most other radio receivers.

Another problem can be environmental factors blocking or interfering with a radio signal, such as sun spot activity. There can also be interference from things like motors, heaters, power lines and computers (to name a few) that can desensitize radio receivers. As a result, you may not hear static from the radio, but will end up with a situation where the radio won’t work in the basement, but will in the attic.

 

Some days KRCC comes in clearer than others. Why does this happen?

Once again, this is usually a problem with radios that have a marginal signal to start with. Generally speaking, weather has little effect on FM signals. However, I have noticed that a high overcast day tends to help radio reception in the fringe areas. Also, during certain times of the year signal propagation can change do to inversion layers in the atmosphere. Extreme precipitation and even seasonal vegetation has some effect if it is blocking the signal path.

 

Why doesn’t KRCC put a translator in my area?

I can assure you that KRCC would like to expand and fill in holes in its signal. However, each and every radio station, including KRCC, has to apply for and acquire a license from the FCC for each translator that it installs. This is a long, arduous process that starts with finding a place to put the new signal on the radio dial. Next, is finding map space for the signal. The FCC (also known as the flat earth society) has a plethora of determining factors to prevent interference among stations, which makes finding space pretty difficult. Even though you may not hear anything on a channel in a given area because there is a range of fourteen thousand foot mountains blocking other signals, in theory, the signal’s coverage map overlaps that area and prevents other licensees from being issued a frequency. Then, once a space is found, a station has to go through the process of saying it can exist in that area. After that, anyone can file for that license (and that means anybody), albeit wholly at his or her own expense. Presently, there are so many applications pending with the FCC that they are not accepting any new applications, and in fact haven’t been for over 7 years. KRCC still has some applications pending, however it is unknown if or when they will ever be granted.

 

I get another signal mixed with KRCC in some areas. Why does this happen and what can I do to fix it?

This is especially true in areas to the north. KUNC in Greeley Colorado operates on the same frequency as KRCC, and there are areas where the signals overlap – most notably Woodland Park and parts of Highway 287 in the mountains. Due to the extreme mountainous terrain and high elevation of transmitter sites in Colorado, signals sometimes get to unexpected places. In all of the cases I know of, these are areas that aren’t supposed to be covered by either station in the first place. It’s not a mater of stations operating illegally, rather just a phenomenon in some remote areas. As far as what can be done about it? Well unfortunately, not much. But sometimes just understanding how things work can make a huge difference in our expectations as radio listeners.

 

The lighter side of the Engineering FAQ
The following conversation really happened:
Listener: I get poor radio reception, so I went out and bought an antenna. I mounted it on my house, and it did not help a bit.
Engineer: what kind of a cable is running from the antenna to your radio?
Listener: (silence)……………………….Maybe I could try that.

 

The lighter side of the Engineering FAQ
How does radio work?

In KRCC’s case, we use a process called FM. Little is it known, to the non-license-holding-public, that FM stands for “frequent moaning.” Without this process, public radio would simply not work. FM fundamentals (frequent moaning) are best noted during the semi-annual membership drive and Garrison Keillor’s annual joke show. What isn’t known is that frequent moaning goes on constantly behind the scenes at the station. The other staff members have ample opportunity to moan about their respective jobs: Jeff about music, Delaney about the budget, and Greg about production…the list goes on. Everyone seems to moan a little about engineering, Alas, I have no one to moan to but the equipment. (staff note to Joel - the equipment is usually broken, so it’s not listening to you anyway).

 

The lighter side of the Engineering FAQ
What is the most common failure with broadcast equipment? (besides engineer malfunction)

It usually runs out of smoke. You see, nearly all electronic equipment operates on smoke. The most common failure is that the component case gets cracked and voila - all the smoke escapes! Although there are companies that re-smoke electronic components, these are generally not as dependable as newly smoked items. Also, some companies use smoke of questionable origin. After all I would have trouble sleeping at night thinking that the smoke I was using came from third world sweet shops used to fund Alkaida operations (sic – KRCC editorial staff left this last sentence unedited for your reading pleasure. If you are wondering whether or not Joel smokes, please contact KRCC’s Operations Manager, Mike Procell (mike@krcc.org), who used to work at a bong factory).

 

 

Image of a radio32k dial-up stream96k broadband streamHelp with streaming audio