Spenser Judd
Graduation year and major:
2019 and journalism
Position at KCPR:
I was in KCPR for three years. I did a lot of content. I would go to shows outside of SLO, interview bands and write articles. Sometimes I’d help in the studio – interviewing bands on air. I was also a DJ that whole time. In my senior year, I got the position of stacks manager, so I was in charge of all the records.
Over the years, a lot of people neglected the records and they were kind of getting damaged because there’s just so many. People hadn’t sorted through them in years. It was my job to clear out some space for new records. It ended up not completely happening, but we did categorize all of our records and put them onto Discogs to see what we had.
There are a lot of old-school punk records and random bands from the 80s. We have some gems, like an original pressing of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” [and] “Check Your Head” from Beastie Boys.
Favorite part about working for KCPR:
My favorite part, as a journalist, was that I was able to go to shows. In LA, I would tell the venues I was a part of KCPR and they let me into shows that were 21 and over when I was 19 or 20. KCPR is a cool community. We have that connection with everyone through the music – connecting at actual shows outside of SLO and, using KCPR like a badge, having people in the industry recognize that.
Where do you currently work and what do you do?
Since COVID started, I’ve been a grocery delivery driver. There haven’t been any local news agencies I have been wanting to apply for because, within the past year and a half since I graduated, another journalism major from Poly and I created a media outlet where we are doing all the things I was doing at KCPR – going out and interviewing bands, documenting them and taking photos and videos. This new outlet, Clear Vision Collective, acts as a three-way multimedia outlet where we produce content.
We’re also a bunch of musicians. We released cassette tapes and will hopefully release records down the line. We also want [to] throw shows because I was in DIY bands in high school and in college, so I have that “know-how” of setting up shows.
How did, if at all, KCPR help or prepare you for your career trajectory?
KCPR pushed me to get to the level I’m at now. One of the years I actually got to go to the Desert Daze festival down in Lake Paris and cover a couple of bands. I went three years in a row and that’s where I created the idea of Clear Vision Collective with my friend Danny. When we started out, we just did articles but we’ve progressed [to] a weekly YouTube series called “Clear Vision Television.” We have a few episodes out. They are full of skits, interviews and really cool visuals. It’s an underground TV show with all different types of art and creativity.
