Student-Run Lancer Radio Making Waves on the Air
From left: PCC students Zack Elkhaldy, Bryan Hoyos, and Justin Bernal have a roundtable discussion during “The Play-By-Play” weekly sports talk show.
Since its modest beginnings in 1934, the Pasadena City College radio broadcast program has developed into a point of pride for both the college and the community. What began as a monthly broadcast from the Pasadena Presbyterian Church’s radio station has since grown into a full-fledged, student-run station with a loyal local and online audience. Rich in history and tradition, the PCC radio broadcast program is truly world-class and unlike any other curriculum offered at the community college level.
A Peek into the Past
Just a decade after Pasadena Junior College was founded, students and staffers began taking their voices to the radio waves. In 1934, the college started monthly broadcasts over KPPC, the Pasadena Presbyterian church’s radio station. These early broadcasts, featuring the biological science and music departments of the college, were given in place of the regular “Civic Hour” from KPPC.
The college began offering coursework in radio and broadcasting in 1936 with the addition of a radio production and technique course to the curriculum. More radio courses were eventually added each semester, eventually forming the Radio Division.
In 1942, the Radio Division classes featured an experimental program every Monday night on KPCS. In conjunction with the Chronicle, they produced a program called “Presenting Pasadena for Pasadena Preferred.” The program featured Pasadena history. Other Radio Division classes included PJC musical and dramatic groups. Students also participated in the CBS This Living World radio series during 1943-44.
With a student body tremendously interested in the medium, the college established its first radio studio in 1947. The station afforded students greater opportunities for creative expression and provided an additional means for advertising the school and its activities to the community. The initial AM radio studio consisted of a studio classroom, engineering room, work room, and reception room. As the college had no transmitter or broadcasting license, the studio fed programming to local radio stations for broadcast.
An FM station (KPCS) was added a decade later in 1957 with a transmitter purchased from KWKW. The studio and transmitter were located on campus and its signal reached metropolitan Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley. It held the distinction of being one of the few FCC licensed stations in the nation operated by a two-year college.
KPCS won dozens of national and local broadcasting award during the ‘70s and ‘80s. Reflecting the fact that the station was no longer under the auspices of Pasadena City Schools, the call letters were changed to the more appropriate “KPCC” at the end of 1971.
The campus radio station entered an unprecedented decade of growth in 1988, when the college replaced the low-power transmitter and radio tower that originally sat on top of the C Building with a modern, high-power transmission facility on Mt. Wilson. KPCC’s studios and offices abandoned their cramped quarters in the C Building in 1993 when their new facilities opened in the New Media Center. KPCC’s service area expanded to cover the area between northern San Diego County and Ventura County.
In 1999, the college contracted with Southern California Public Radio (SCPR), a subsidiary of Minnesota Public Radio, to manage the day-to-day operations of the station. Most music and some local programming were replaced by network programming from National Public Radio.
As a result of the change in management, KPCC’s role as a teaching institution changed. Although a handful of students from the Communications Division continued to serve internships in the technical side of the station operations, fewer and fewer students were actually heard “on air.” To compensate for this disappearing student voice, the college started a student-run, one-watt radio station (88.9 FM) in 1998. Also known as Lancer Radio, the station serves the educational needs for radio broadcast students.
Bruna Nessif, a senior communications major with an emphasis in broadcast journalism at Cal State Fullerton, found her passion for media while studying at PCC.
Through a combination of traditional coursework, hands-on training, and a dose of field work, PCC students are given a rigorous education not usually found or expected at a two-year institution. Additionally, students learn and work in a state-of-the-art facility once occ
upied by the number one radio station in Southern California. Studying radio broadcasting at PCC is as close to working at a real-world radio station as it gets.
“What sets PCC’s radio broadcasting program apart from those at other colleges is that we put students into practical, hands-on situations almost immediately,” said Scott Carter, a radio broadcasting instructor.
There are currently four classes that provide programming and operations to the station. TVR2B is an operations course that gives students the opportunity to operate the board for live shows and to program the station’s automation system. TVR14A and 14B are radio production classes that provide weekly music, talk shows, and news to the station. Finally, TVR120 is a radio workshop class that facilitates students’ weekly shows and teaches the writing and production skills needed to deliver live shows via podcasts.
Lancer Radio recently inherited KPCC’s studio after the station moved to a new facility off campus. “Our move over into KPCC’s old space has made it possible for our students to run two live shows at once, while also giving students the ability to edit and mix pre-recorded pieces for upcoming shows,” said Sarah Barker, instructor of television and radio production and co-faculty advisor for Lancer Radio. “In that sense, we are operating much like a commercial radio station. This kind of experience and sense of real broadcast “pacing” is invaluable in preparing our students for the “real world” marketplace in a very competitive industry.”
PCC currently offers Occupational Skills Certificates in Radio Broadcast Operations and Radio Production, Certificates of Achievement in Radio Production and Broadcast Journalism, and official certification by the Society of Broadcasting Engineers.
On-Air Programming
“I think one of the most remarkable things about Lancer Radio is that it is truly a student-operated station,” Barker said. “We are not affiliated in any way with National Public Radio or American Public Media, which means everything you hear on Lancer Radio is student-
produced, -written, and -performed.”
In addition to the four courses that provide programming for the station, students who have completed required courses are able to produce their own shows as well. Lancer Radio’s schedule currently includes more than 10 shows, one of which is produced and hosted by PCC faculty. In addition to student programming, Lancer Radio Station Manager Valentino Rivera provides sports coverage at various PCC sporting events.
The current Lancer Radio line-up includes several music shows featuring up-and-coming bands. The musicians are invited into the studio for an interview and performance. “Voice of America,” which is hosted by John Samuel, is a weekly talk show addressing veteran’s affairs. “Over Coffee,” which is hosted by Dot Cannon, as well as “The Connor Bubble, which is hosted by PCC faculty member Joe Connor, are two weekly current affairs programs. “The Play-By-Play, currently hosted by Justin Bernal and Zack Elkhady, is a weekly sports talk show.
“Although a student-operated station, the radio courses offered at PCC are exceptional and prepare these students to produce good radio and good content,” Barker said. “I have had several experiences with listening to my students’ programming and thought to myself that this is something I might hear on a public radio station.”
Alums on the Air
“Many employers are absolutely blown away at how much experience and familiarity with procedures and equipment PCC students have when applying for jobs,” Carter said. “PCC teaches hands-on performance with industry-standard audio editing and automation software, as well as common broadcast hardware. Lancer Radio puts the classroom training into actual on-air experience.”
Bruna Nessif, a senior communications major with an emphasis in broadcast journalism at Cal State Fullerton, found her passion for media while studying at PCC. She was initially drawn to psychology, but quickly switched gears after taking a br
"Studying radio at PCC changed my life,” said Victoria Martinez, another former PCC radio broadcasting student. Here she is with actor Channing Tatum at a Power 106 event.
oadcast news writing course. “That class changed everything; I felt like I finally found my niche,” Nessif said. As she delved deeper into broadcast journalism, she began taking radio classes as well. As a student in Carter’s radio workshop, Nessif had her own half-hour show, “The Dish,” that was broadcasted live each week. “It was primarily about love, sex, and dating,” she said. “It was definitely a class that has impacted my life to this day and Scott Carter, who instructed the workshop, has become my mentor.”
Nessif recently interned with E! News and is currently freelancing for E! Online. She also serves as the vice president of the Society of Professional Journalists Fullerton chapter. After graduating from college this spring, she hopes to land a job as a television and radio personality.
“Studying radio at PCC changed my life,” said Victoria Martinez, another former PCC radio broadcasting student. While studying history at the college, she interned at KPCC and KOST. “Once I got the basic radio skills from PCC, I was able to slide into a position at KFI, Los Angeles’ number one talk station.” With the skills that Martinez acquired at PCC, she was able to support herself while finishing her bachelor’s at Cal State Los Angeles. Following graduation, she landed a job in Portland working on a morning show and hosting her own Saturday morning show.
Proud Past, Global future
From a rigorous curriculum to cutting-edge technology training, graduates from the PCC radio broadcast program receive an unparalleled education. This skill set not only translates to success on the job, but to solid achievements in the real world as well. PCC is extremely proud to instill students with the skills to succeed and to redefine employer expectations at every turn.
PCC Math Team Quietly Racking Up Awards
Members of the PCC Math Team (first row, from left): Tianshi Bai, Zihao Yan, and Dr. Jude Socrates; (back row, from left) Devin Corr-Robinett, Yile Zou, and Huan-Pong Tseng.
Pasadena City College is well-known in the community for its Tournament of Roses Honor Band, the success of the women’s basketball team, and its impressive transfer rate to four-year institutions. While all of these achievements deserve the spotlight, it’s about time that one of the college’s lesser-known and equally winning traditions is showcased.
Meet the PCC Math Team.
Led by Dr. Jude Socrates, PCC professor of mathematics, the college’s Math Team has placed first in the nation at the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges Student Math League Competition (AMATYC) a total of eight times in the past 22 years (1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2006, and 2008). Additionally, the team has placed in the top three every year since it began competing.
Members of the team have transferred to the nation’s top colleges, including UC Berkeley, UCLA, Caltech, and M.I.T. to earn degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math. With so many impressive accomplishments under their collective belts, it’s surprising that they’ve flown under the college community’s radar for so long.
The Field of Competition
Founded in 1974, AMATYC is the only organization exclusively devoted to providing a national forum for the improvement of mathematics instruction in the first two years of college. AMATYC has approximately 2,500 individual members and more than 100 institutional members in the United States and Canada. The national competition is comprised of two “rounds” that are held in November and March with approximately 160 schools participating in each.
The Home Team
Socrates has been serving as PCC’s team moderator since 1994. He joined the faculty of PCC a year prior after finishing his Ph.D. in math at Caltech. “The moderator is in charge of receiving the exam materials, organizing the administration of the exam, recruiting the students, and making sure that all of the rules are followed,” Socrates explained. “Students have exactly 60 minutes to answer 20 mostly multiple choice questions at the algebra, trigonometry, and pre-calculus level.” The topics covered include logic, counting, probability, algebra, graphing, trigonometry, and open-ended problems. While upwards of 30 to 90 students participate in the AMATYC at PCC, only the top five students in each round are chosen to represent the school as the math team.
“My colleagues and I recruit students from the upper-level math classes that we teach,” Socrates said. “Students from trigonometry onwards are encouraged to participate, although the students who eventually score are usually in the calculus level.”
Hongyue Zhang, a chemistry major at PCC, has been a member of the Math Team for the past year. “I love math and I wanted to challenge myself,” Zhang explained as his reasons for joining the team. “There are always things that I can learn from other team members.”
With such a talented and hard working pool of students to draw from, and a moderator with a keen sense for talent, it is almost certain that the PCC Math Team will continue to thrive in the future.
Filmmaker John Singleton Named Honorary Chair of Capital Campaign for the Center for the Arts
John Singleton, acclaimed film director and Pasadena City College alumnus, has been named the honorary chair of the Center for the Arts capital campaign. He joins the campaign as PCC looks to augment and complete the state-of-the-art building as a student and community resource with community support.
“PCC is very important to me because without PCC I never would have gone onto film school and eventually become a filmmaker and realize my dream,” Singleton said. “The arts are the savior of any society and to have a great new facility where resource access is available for students would just be a phenomenal for the community.”
Singleton, who is best known for his 1991 Oscar-nominated film “Boyz in the Hood,” studied film at PCC in the mid-1980s. He took his first cinematography class under PCC instructor Jack Akien and later transferred to the University of Southern California to earn a bachelor’s degree in Film Writing. His body of work includes such movies as “Poetic Justice,” “Higher Learning,” and “Shaft.” In 1992, the then 24-year-old Singleton became the youngest person, and the first African American, ever to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director.
“When I attended PCC and took a cinematography class there, I learned the foundation of camera work, editing, and how to make a film work.” Singleton said. “That class really got me thinking about was possible for me in film.”
“We are very humbled and honored to have someone of John’s stature as honorary chair of the Capital Campaign for the PCC Center for the Arts,” said Dr. Lisa Sugimoto, interim vice president of College Advancement. “We at PCC are very proud of his accomplishments and his willingness to be involved with the institution he credits for his start in filmmaking.”
Singleton will be working with Preston Howard, the general campaign chair, for the college’s $3.5 million Center for the Arts capital campaign. The unnamed, 69,000-square-foot building will encompass studios, classrooms, laboratories, auditoriums, rehearsal halls, music practice rooms, teaching studios, a music resource center, black box theater, art gallery, rehearsal hall, sculpture studio, ceramics lab, printmaking studio, metals/jewelry lab, graphic design studio, product design studio, illustration lab, painting, drawing and design labs, digital media labs, open air terrace/patio spaces, stock rooms, film/sound stage, photography studio and labs, division shops, indoor and outdoor gathering spaces, and offices.
“There is still time to be involved with the campaign and make a positive difference in the lives of our students,” Sugimoto added.
For more information and on ways to contribute, call (626) 585-7468.
