My First Krlx Show

In the basement of Sayles, there is an unassuming door to one of the coolest places on campus. KRLX is Carleton’s student-run radio station. It has been broadcasting 24 hours a day since 1948. Each term, students can sign up to host their own shows for 30 minutes to an hour by themselves or with their friends. Most people play music, but others do comedy shows or interviews. This fall, my three housemates and I decided to do our own radio show to show off some CD’s from our house’s CD collection.

For first-timers like us, only the early and night shifts are usually available. We woke up bright and early on Friday mornings to make it to Sayles by 5:30 AM. But fear not! Walking across campus before everyone else is awake is a real bonding experience. Also, I truly believe that all music sounds best when you listen to it sleep deprived in the KRLX studio. And once you put in the time for a term or two, you can get a better time slot. 

There was a bit of a learning curve in the operation of the CD player. It took us a few tries to figure out how to change the songs, and to change from one CD to the next. Sometimes, we play mixtapes from our parents’ collection—we don’t always know what is going to play from these discs! Every week, there is an unexpected song that plays that delights us as well as, hopefully, our listeners. 

We get more listeners than we thought we would! A couple weeks ago at around 6:00 AM, there were 16 loyal audience members listening to A Taste of Owens (our show). That number may or may not include several members of our extended families, but there definitely were some actual Northfield community members listening in as well.

You can listen too! On the KRLX website, give it a listen, and get some recommendations from some super cool student DJs. And if you happen to wake up before the sun rises this Friday, make sure to tune into A Taste of Owens’ last fall show.

Jess (he/him) is a junior English major and Creative Writing minor from Milwaukee, WI. He works for Admissions and Off-Campus Studies, blogging up a storm. On campus, he can be found on the Bald Spot with a book, next to the CD player in the Record Libe, or along the trails of the Arb on a late night run. He is a big fan of Carleton’s spring term and dining hall vegetarian sausage. As far as Northfield coffee shops go, he remains loyal to Goodbye Blue Monday.