Radio Club ready to launch USU student-run station

By Dannon Loveland

March 18, 2008 | Utah State University will soon have its very own student-run radio station.

"Radio is an exciting media format and it is much different than others out there" says Clark Anderson, who will be the radio station's director. "With radio you can reach people's ears... other forms of media target the eyes but radio is something special."

USU's Radio Club started in 2006 by a small group of enthusiastic students who felt a need for USU to have a student-run radio station. In order for the interest in radio to last longer than the club leadership, Clark Anderson and others in the club had to connect the radio with academics and the University.

Last Fall, USU started a radio class as part of the Journalism and Communications department. The numbers have been fairly few but those who have been involved in the class say that it has been a great learning experience about how to run a radio station. Friend Weller, who teaches the class, says that it is something the university really needs for the sake of students and for the sake of the radio industry. USU radio is now a part of ASUSU under the direction of the PR director.

College radio is the "life force" for a college says Lyonel Gammon, the promotions director for the radio station and also a broadcast major here at Utah State. "It's hard to fathom a university without it," he says.

Gammon says it is such a great asset and it can be used to facilitate the college in so many ways, such as being used as a recruiting tool, sharing research, and broadcasting sporting events. Gammon says he hopes to eventually have the student radio station playing around campus such as in the Fieldhouse, Quickstop, and Bookstore and on the campus shuttles. He says that it can be a way to get information out to students rather than just putting up a banner in the TSC or a spot on the back of the Statesman.

One big problem for the students is getting information out. "I don't know how many times I found out about an event on campus that I want to attend after it actually happen" says Jennifer Albretsen, a student. The new radio station, which will be known as Fusion will be a place that students can tune into to stay connected and find out about what is happening on campus.

"The station is really open to ideas and suggestions from students;" says Anderson, "this is, after all, a student radio station."

The programming will include a mix of talk and music. "One of the reasons we chose the name fusion" Anderson says "was to get across the idea of a fusion of different styles." He says the programming will include whatever the students want.

"Just from talking to people we have had a lot of requests for indie and local music. Hopefully we will be able to eventually broadcast live concerts or have studio concerts. Utah State does have a bit of a local music scene and the radio is a great way to get it out" says Anderson.

One big push for this new student run radio station is that a way has been made possible to get the station out on the air. It is HD radio. ASUSU and the Radio Club helped Utah Public Radio get a grant to purchase new equipment to broadcast in HD. HD, which stands for hybrid digital, radio makes it possible to broadcast three signals on the same frequency and the students have been given the third channel to broadcast on.

"We are on the cutting edge" says Gammon. The one issue with this is that in order to listen to the broadcast you need to have an HD radio receiver. "It is so new that not many people have HD receivers, but once we get a listener base that will change," Gammon says, "having the student-run radio station will give people incentive to get one [an HD radio]."

The radio station should be broadcast online starting after spring break, says Gammon. The kickoff to HD is scheduled for April 15.

"Because we are using UPRs broadcasting license, we have to be very careful" Gammon says, being under UPR means if we mess up it could jeopardize their license. We need to take baby steps and do nothing to foul up, says Gammon.

Auditions have been held for DJs and many people have come out to try their hand (or should it be mouth) at being a radio DJ. The radio stations program director, Scott Anderson say that over 30 people have auditioned and that auditions have had to be extended to accommodate all that want to.

"We are seeing the need for radio to reinvent itself" says Weller, who is also UPRs chief engineer. Radio is in a giant quagmire with so many alternative entertainment options such as iPods and satellite radio, Weller says. Students now have an avenue to help be a part of that change.

For more information about how you can be involved please e-mail usuradio@gmail.com.

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