Centralia College Radio Station KCED Soldiers On

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Look toward the back corner of Centralia College’s Washington Hall on a Thursday evening, and you’ll see one room with a light on. You might even notice someone shuffling about, moving into and out of the room.

Inside that room, David Montoya pulls down the microphone, prepares to speak and hits a red button that immediately lights up a signal above the door showing that he is on the air.

“Hey everyone, David J here bringing you ‘Synthetic Rhythms’ on another Thursday night,” Montoya says, beginning his two-hour radio show before transitioning to a pulsing beat and introducing a remix from A Tribe Called Quest.

Welcome to KCED, a radio station powered by Centralia College and its students. 

Tune your FM radio to 91.3 each weekday evening and you might catch a live DJ — many times a student working to hone his or her craft — broadcasting in an open format from 7 p.m. to midnight.

Montoya, 32, of Centralia, began hosting “Synthetic Rhythms” weekly under the on-air moniker “David J” just this past quarter. His show is quite the deviation from the station’s normal format of alternative and pop. As the show’s name implies, Montoya spends two hours each Thursday evening bringing a seamless mix of electronic music to those willing to listen.

Last Thursday, Montoya’s show started off with a remix of A Tribe Called Quest before diving into some house music from DJ Armand Van Helden. He generally tries to keep his show optimistic in nature, playing music that people can get up and dance to.

It’s something Montoya says provides him a calm he can’t get elsewhere.

“Each set I make tells a story, and goes with a general theme,” Montoya explained. “For me, I want to carry an upbeat mood. After a rough past, this is what I need to keep my mood up.”

 

KCED is the little engine that could in the world of Lewis County radio. Broadcasting from the back of Washington Hall and using a low-power transmitter, the signal on average only travels about 15 miles in each direction, but it’s been bringing music faithfully since the station first went on the air nearly 40 years ago. Its mission differs from commercial stations in that KCED serves as a launching pad for students to learn the inner workings of a radio station. 

The Chronicle reported in a February 1975 article that KCED would begin humbly, operating from 4 p.m. to midnight Monday through Friday. The station played shows such as “The Shadow” and “The Whistler,” and also syndicated programs from such famed DJs as Wolfman Jack.

In the early days, students put needle to records — an art form in itself — to pump out the tunes to the Twin Cities. But as times and musical styles change, so does the technology, shifting from such bands as Electric Light Orchestra on an LP to the New Radicals on a compact disc. Now, all the station’s music is stored on computers in the studio, and one of those computers serves to automate programming when students aren’t on the air.

KCED maintains facilities comparable in size and technology to several other radio stations. Students can utilize two production booths, one news booth and the studio itself, where the music originates and aspiring disc jockeys learn to prepare for shows, operate a radio board and intro music tracks — all while adhering to a set format that adheres to Federal Communications Commission guidelines that require stations to identify themselves frequently.

Wade Fisher has overseen the college’s radio and television production classes since the early 1990s. As a former radio professional himself, he has a soft spot in his heart for a medium many would say is dying.

And scores of students still do too.



“We still average about 20 to 25 students in each class cycle, and they’re people that just have that desire to go on-air at a commercial station someday,” Fisher said. “This time, we’re down a bit to about 15, but it comes and goes every few years.”

 

The fact that students remain interested in terrestrial radio as a medium is a bright spot for an industry that has had to compete with the advent of portable music players, Internet radio stations and, most recently, smartphone apps that allow for unlimited streaming. The ability to instantly stream or download a song has largely replaced the need for many to simply wait for a song to be played over the airwaves.

But even with changes in consumer habits, waves of students that pass through Centralia College continue to involve themselves with KCED in some capacity. Even if some never go on air, they get valuable experience that serve them well in the communications field in general, Fisher says.

“I get a lot of people here who want to become sports broadcasters,” Fisher noted.

Montoya is one of those students who feels similarly passionate about radio. After weeks behind the board each Thursday night at KCED, he says he’s beginning to see radio as a way for him to express emotions to the world through the music of others.

“I’ve had a passion for music since I was a kid,” Montoya said during a break in his show Thursday. “Doing this now gives me a whole new outlook on life.”

KCED’s open format allows the show’s host to play music of their choosing, provided it is legally acquired and falls within FCC broadcast guidelines — “no F-bombs,” Fisher says — and can be played through the studio’s equipment. Montoya uses software on his laptop to virtually mix tracks together, creating a sometimes hour-long seamless mix that focuses more on the beats than someone behind the microphone.

The airwaves have provided Montoya, formerly from California, a vision for a career path he hopes keeps him behind the microphone for years to come.

“I’d really like to start out as a DJ and work my way up to become a program director or station manager,” Montoya said. “I’m finding this is really something for me.”

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Christopher Brewer: (360) 807-8235