Monday, January 8, 2001

A Professor of English Broadcasts From His Own Internet 'Radio' Station By JEFFREY R. YOUNG Douglas Rowlett has turned his English-department office into a virtual radio station that broadcasts continuously on the Internet, offering a mix of poetry readings, lectures, and popular music. He plans to deliver entire courses over the Internet radio station. Mr. Rowlett, a professor of English at Houston Community College-Southwest, set up the station last year as a supplement to his traditional literature courses, and he encourages students to prepare radio programs as class projects. Other courses in the department have also used the radio station, including a creative-writing class. Anyone in the world can listen in live or hear archived student programs by tuning in to the World Wide Web site for the station, which is called HCC Southwest Internet Radio. Much of the time, the station practically runs itself, serving up preprogrammed sets of songs. Other times, students crowd into Mr. Rowlett's office to produce shows. "I do get a few grumbles" from colleagues in nearby offices who wonder what all the commotion is, says Mr. Rowlett. "We just close the door." So far, programs have included student readings of poems by Allen Ginsberg, Ezra Pound, William Carlos Williams, and others, as well as readings of original writing by students in the creative-writing course. Mr. Rowlett plans to use the Internet radio station for distance education, delivering all or part of future classes by audio online. "There's nothing worse than reading someone's lecture," he says, referring to online courses that rely on printed lectures by professors. "People like hearing. They like the voice. And when you're listening to it you, can hear the audiences' response and pick up humor and sarcasm." Creating the virtual radio station was cheap and easy, says Mr. Rowlett. The professor used the computer in his office as the server, and he downloaded free software from Real.com to manage the broadcasts. Prospective listeners must download the free Real Player software to tune in. "This whole thing cost about $500 to put together," he adds. "We have a $79 Radio Shack mixer and a $100 microphone." So far, the audience has consisted mainly of parents and friends of the students, Mr. Rowlett says. "Internet radio isn't like a regular radio station, where people can spin the dial and run across your show," he adds. "They have to know you are there, know what the address is, have the time to go to a networked computer, and have the computer skills necessary to actually be able to listen." Many college radio stations, as well as commercial ones, have begun setting up Internet radio stations to rebroadcast their existing programming online. But as the technology to run Internet radio stations continues to become cheaper and easier to use, more individuals and professors may take to the virtual airwaves. Background article from The Chronicle: College Radio Stations Put Their Programs on the Web (2/28/1997) Easy-to-print version E-mail this article

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