The Radio Manifesto

Jen Knapp
Laura Tereshko
Courtney Whitehead

The Allegheny Radio Commission's 1963 logo...

... and the 2004 logo that is impossible with the current structure of WARC.

WARC: Our Collective Statement

We are group of white, middle class college-aged women who are actively seeking to open the minds of the music industry and our peers to the struggles of female independent artists in the radio industry. Along with this, we recognize that the industry is narrowly constructed around a patriarchal framework.

The Hidden Truth

There seems to be a reality that exists in the radio industry where women struggle to make a name for themselves. These women try to break the stereotypes of "chick" music without going against their beliefs or conforming to the "MTV commercialized track." However, the industry itself has not been constructed in women's favor. From record companies and promotion companies to music directors and individual DJs, the entire structure of the music industry is patriarchal.

The Allegheny Radio Commission: Closer to Home

WARC, Meadville's only alternative radio station, is a completely student run organization on Allegheny's campus. It has come to our attention that WARC does not often play music by women artists. They tend to play mostly male independent artists. WARC can be viewed as a "boys" club, a reflection of the broader music industry with a staff comprised primarily of male students. Unless the female staff members are assertive and bold in personality, their opinions will not be recognized in decision making as much as their male peers' views.

Statement of Commitment

Our statement of commitment is not only to promote women artists on our campus radio station, but also to actively engage our peers in helping us break down the barriers that faced by female artists. Our intentions are grounded in our beliefs for the ideal situation for females in the radio industry. We believe that women deserve equal airplay. We believe women deserve equal treatment in the music industry as a whole. We believe that women deserve to have a say in their promotional material. We believe that women deserve more opportunities to hold executive position across the board within the industry.

Proposal for Change

To facilitate these concerns, we feel that WARC needs to:

• encourage DJs to actively seek alternative women artists.
• encourage DJs to vary their play list.
• encourage more females to get involved with both DJ-ing and the Executive board.

We also feel that it is imperative for the music industry to:

• create a friendlier environment for women artists.
• actively promote female artists in more positive light.
• employ more women in decision-making positions.
• work to dissolve the negative "chick" music stereotype.
• to encourage females in the industry to branch off into other genres of music other than singer/songwriters.
• to work to make the industry more welcoming to female artists.

Plan of Action

After contacting various promotional companies about their company operations, we compiled our results and intend to provide them with our unfortunate findings revealing the lack of airplay and promotion received for female artists. Along with this, we would like to reveal to them the lack of women's voices within the very industry in which they take part.

We are currently working to raise awareness within our college community and most importantly with the DJs and executive board of WARC. It was through compiling WARC's alternative charts for the month of March, that we discovered the vast inequality and made that information available to the WARC staff.

Closing Proclamation

This investigation has revealed a significant concern and it is up to future students of WARC to lead the movement toward a more equal representation of men and women among the radio waves.