My Background
My interaction with WXDU has been on two levels. Since Hurricane Fran
knocked its tower down in September, much effort has been made to raise the funds to
erect new equipment. As former Vice-President for Media of the Duke University
Union (which provides the majority of funding for the station), I was present for many
"business" discussions. As a DJ at the station, I have experienced first hand the
interaction of the communities. The latter presence raises an issue of objectivity. My
Duke experience has been significantly affected by involvement at WXDU. This study
in no way attempts to achieve a fully objective and impartial conclusion, but rather it
seeks to flesh out what I already perceive to be unique and unusual. For instance, I
conducted no interviews with anyone who has departed from the station. The people I
interviewed are those who are still involved in the station, and therefore speak mostly
in favorable terms.
Ironically, however, hearing such positive answers in the interviews caused me
to question the opposite side of the situation. I found myself growing cynical with
some of the answers I received, for they were often almost too optimistic. But even
when I began to ask what was bad about the station, or what disappointed them, those
questioned had a genuinely hard time uncovering a quick answer. Consequently, the
answers may sound rosy and optimistic, but they are truly people's opinions.
Methods
For the text part of this project, I officially (meaning tape recorder in hand) met
with each person only once. Because of my involvment in the station, I did engage in
many general conversations that were not documented but formed a basis for my
questioning. The interviews began with a short discussion about the individual DJs'
life. We then moved into general questions such as his/her thoughts on college radio,
XDU's positioning within the Duke communtiy and within the Durham community,
and as mentioned earlier, what was negative about the station. From there I moved in
whatever direction we seemed be heading. By the end of the interview, however, I
ensured that I raised such questions as "What do you think is unique about WXDU?,"
"How has the antenna situation affected the station?," and "Why do you think WXDU is
necessary?" These questions were stable for all interviews to achieve some layer of
consistency.
In getting these interviews ready for it's presentation stage, it became necessary
to edit the results. I removed the questions, but it is still fairly apparent what the
individual discussing. Especially, since most people tended to answer the quesitons
before I asked them, within the context of another answer. Some answers have been
restructured, but I was careful to maintain their context.
Originally, I was going to visit each dj at his/her show and photograph him/her
in the physical radio station. After about ten subjects, I began to grow inhibitted by the
small space. How could I keep it creative for over fifty people? I wondered, since I was
focusing on the wide variety of personalities there, why was I using a space where
everyone basically served the same purpose? I decided to switch to a limited number of
people and go to their workplace or home and take their picture in their own personal
space. These photos were then coupled with their images from the station..
There was no set process for me to choose subjects for the limited study. Some of
them were selected for their tenure and knowledge of the station, while others
represented a new perspective. I talked to both student and community members alike.
Many of them are board members because they volunteered to talk to me. This study
represents a small cross-section of the station but does not exhaust the diversity.
Conclusion
My experience at WXDU has been just that: an experience. This independent
study has allowed me to expand my knowledge of the station by interacting with its
members in a more personalized manner than I had before. Although I do come away
with a slight cynicism at the present optimism (which I have also retained), I have
gained a new respect for the incredible diversity of people that are involved at the
station.