The media are experiencing a digital revolution. Substantial research has been conducted on digital technologies as they change television, print, and commercial radio. However, very little is known about the current digital adaptation in college radio. From increased online consumption, to podcasts and social media, college radio is also embracing digital technologies.
Educational engagement is important in college radio. Alternative and academic structures are being significantly influenced today through digital transformation. The college radio system has faced a number of funding and administrative tensions between stations and their universities. As these tensions continue to affect the growth and development of college radio, they should be studied.
This study investigates the use of digital technologies in two college radio station case studies. The Kotter Eight Steps of Organizational Change Model is used to analyze the change process. This model is used to analyze an urgency to create change, the role of group collaboration, and how organizational visions are established, communicated, and used to create and anchor change. Issues of leadership, decision-making, and personal and group agency are also examined as part of each station’s theoretical implications.
Through qualitative in-depth interviews and college radio station in-person and social media observations, this dissertation seeks to answer the question of how administration, staff, and management have incorporated digital media into college radio. This research also serves as a platform for a current look into how college radio is changing and can guide future research about station digital use and organizational change.