What is a UC student?

During the week of April 9th we were discussing what constitutes a "stereotypical" UC student in tyring to determine who we are speaking to as a station. What do our listeners like to do on the weekend? What 'trends' are they following/ are big now? Where do they hang out? Have they ever even heard of Bearcast? All things that at first would seem very simple to answer, but once I started thinking about it, I mean like really thinking about it I was at a loss. I could not narrow down one image or even a few image of the average UC student. I started first by thinking of my immediate friends, what they liked to do, etc and I quickly realized that even trying to place them all in one category was difficult, so how was I supposed to generalize the likes and dislikes of 30,000 people? The UC student population is very diverse, which is a good thing, but when it comes to marketing for a radio station it seens to become a not so good thing. One solution discussed was to conduct focus groups, which would allow in depth discussions and hopefully some answers to the bottom line question: how do we reach out and become involved with the majority of students, not just the minority that already listen to Bearcast? I think the idea of conducting focus groups is a great way to get real answers as to what we need to do to make a connection with students, because in the end if we do not connect then we cannot survive as a station.
After reading Ramsey's interview with Douglas Rushkoff; "Making Radio Relevant Again" he made a comment that really stuck with me in stating: " What can I do today to actually make someone else's life better?". All I could think is what a simple question, that if answered truly would make a difference in the perception and overall reception of a DJ or a station in general to listeners. I do not think that many DJs or station managers ask themselves this on a regular basis or at all. When stations only look at numbers, reach, etc thats all they get. They don't get a face, a name, a personality or anything that they need to make a connection with their listeners. Radio is obviously in need of a change, they are in need of a fresh approach and all stations, including Bearcast are included in this need for change. At Bearcast, we have an advantage in this need for change in that; we don't have to worry about experimenting with new shows, ideas or formats and losing numbers or adverstising dollars as larger stations do. We have another advantage over other stations in that those involved with Bearcast are young, ambitious, creative and eager to try out new formats and test out various marketing campaigns. At Bearcast we have the unrestricted freedom to really connect with our listeners, the freedom that we most certainly would not get as an entry level DJ at a mainstream station or even as an established DJ for the most part. My hope for the future of Bearcast is that we take these advantages and stretch them as far as possible, becasue soon enough we will be part of the larger mainstream of the radio industry, and what would be more appealing to a future employer than someone who can say, yeah, I developed this new format or this sort of strategic marketing and guess what it worked and guess what I can bring that to your station and it can work for you.