Radio Študent (RŠ)

Established in 1969 by the Student Organisation of the University of Ljubljana, Radio Študent (RŠ) is one of Europe's oldest and strongest non-commercial, alternative urban radio stations, attracting over 200 contributors to its high-quality non-commercial programming every year.

RŠ stands out as the foremost presenter and critical evaluator of actual global music events with its characteristic form of music criticism, heartfelt and absorbed presentation of liminal, edgy, marginalised and socially provocative music from the world, ranging from all alternative forms of rock, jazz and improvised music, avant-garde and folk music, experimental music, contemporary DJ and electrophonic music. It is broadcast on 89.3 MHz (500 W) UKV stereo, covering Ljubljana and its surroundings (500,000 potential listeners). Since 1998, Radio Študent programme is available to listen online.

Student forever (Radio Študent), 2009 by foxyteeen on YouTube

Background

"It started broadcasting its programme in 1969, when it was founded by the Association of Students of the University of Ljubljana, which was eager to present local students, who had also woken up during the turbulent year of 1968. However, from its beginnings Radio Student has been one of the few local asylums of alternative independent journalism and the only electronic media open to new waves in various fields of culture. In the 70’s it was most widely listened to because of the music it broadcast. It was the first radio station in the region to introduce and play extensively progressive rock, soul, ECM jazz and new jazz.

It was also the first wider regional radio station introducing D.J.s, who presented and reviewed the latest high quality alternative musical releases. The explosion of punk rock and indepedent musical production of the late 70’s and the beginning of economical and political crisis in Yugoslavia in the early 80’s gradually shifted the primary attention of Radio Student to social and political issues. The 80’s were a period of the quick rise of the highly and widely respected Radio Student practical school of journalism, which does not only lay emphasis on bringing down the walls of the taboos and on freedom of speech, but also on the journalist's ethic principles. In the 1990s during the bloody war in ex-Yugoslavia RŠ broadcast a dedicated programme for refugees in Slovenia.

The reputation of Radio Student in the wider Slovene region has been always high also due to its specific school of announcers (who have always added strong personal flavour to the programme moderated) and sound technicians (who also give significant personal touch to the programme by their hilarious use of radio jingles and their vivid interest in radio puns)."

Programme

Due to the variety and range of these contributors, many innovative cultural, political and social initiatives have sprung from the activities of Radio Študent. RŠ programming policy fuses community radio and public service concepts. From its earliest days the station has promoted civil society initiatives, particularly in connection with urban lifestyles, freedom of speech, independent thought, libertarian values, cultural diversity, social critique, tolerance, social solidarity and human rights.

It has 17 hours of its own programme throughout the week and 14 on weekends, with over 200 regular contributors: journalists, art and music critics, D.J.s, announcers, technicians etc. The majority of them are students, and a number of them are highly respected intellectuals, journalists, artists and university lecturers.

Projects

Since 2001 Radio Študent has set out to discover and encourage young and relatively unknown Slovene musical artists and bands that show originality, creativity and the potential to evolve into respected Slovene innovators – an important initiative in this area is the Radio Študent Club Marathon, an annual six-week Autumn tour by six selected bands to 20 clubs in Slovenia, which promotes young talent and introduces new genres and musical developments to the wider public as well as to the music industry. The station also offers a recording studio service for young bands and runs its own publishing programme - the Radio Študent Records.

Since 2010 Radio Študent and Kino Šiška organise in March the TRESK Festival, an annual showdown of music and record labels. TRESK features a flea market, record label presentation and merchandise, round tables (topics: What threatens the development of concert venues in Slovenia?, Innovative types of publishing: Emergency exit or ...?), electronic live-acts and gigs. The best designed Slovenian record or compact disc cover, flyer image and the best concert photograph of the previous year are awarded.

RŠ collaborates closely Mariborski radio Študent (MARŠ).

International cooperation

RŠ collaborated with non-commercial community radio stations from Banja Luka, Belgrade, Mostar, Novi Sad, Sarajevo, Sombor, Skopje, Zrenjanin, Zurich, and Basel on the Crossradio Initiative, project to encourage cultural dialogue, and to promote the plurality of media while supporting freedom of expression.

The educational mission of Radio Študent is also important; during 2004/05 Radio Študent participated in the EU-funded European Pilot Model for Practical Training for an All-Round Broadcaster, a training project for young people interested in journalism and broadcasting.

a member of international radio art network Radia (http://www.radia.fm/).