Making Waves: Student-run stations increase publicity
Kelly Kasparie
Issue date: 2/17/05 Section: TruLife
Radio waves are heating up friendly competition between two Truman radio stations.
Senior Jonathan Thacker, KTRM 88.7 The Edge station manager, said The Edge has been operating for about 30 years with different call letters and Dobson Radio, now known as 107.5, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this March. In recent weeks, 107.5 began promoting new radio shows and lectures by putting up numerous posters around campus.
Sophomore Greg Bellville is the 107.5 assistant manager and a disc jockey.
"It is just everything is just happening right in such good time that we just figured go all out and put all of our cards on the table and help get our name out there bigger," Bellville said.
DJs at 107.5 recently began a sex talk show every Wednesday night from 8 to 10 p.m. as one of their new shows.
Because107.5 is not under Federal Communications Commission regulation, the station has a low-signal strength that extends about five miles outside of campus.
"Our signal serves our campus purpose, and pretty much where you go in Kirksville you can get it," Bellville said. "You can get it pretty much all the way to Wal-Mart, and not too many people go too far past Wal-Mart."
Senior Sean Bagniewski, 107.5 station manager, meets with managers and directors once a week to discuss new ideas.
"We keep our eye on the way college radio is going across the country, and that is the way we format our radio station," Bagniewski said. "Across the country the most popular shows are the sex call-in shows."
Bagniewski said 107.5's slogan, "The way college radio should be," is reflected in the station's DJs. Bagniewski said the station had about 15 DJs when he started working with the radio station three years ago. It now has more than 45.
The DJs play music from noon to midnight each day, and a computer randomly selects music for the overnight hours so music always airs.
The DJs are allowed to play music from their own collections or from the computer music library.
Senior Jonathan Thacker, KTRM 88.7 The Edge station manager, said The Edge has been operating for about 30 years with different call letters and Dobson Radio, now known as 107.5, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this March. In recent weeks, 107.5 began promoting new radio shows and lectures by putting up numerous posters around campus.
Sophomore Greg Bellville is the 107.5 assistant manager and a disc jockey.
"It is just everything is just happening right in such good time that we just figured go all out and put all of our cards on the table and help get our name out there bigger," Bellville said.
DJs at 107.5 recently began a sex talk show every Wednesday night from 8 to 10 p.m. as one of their new shows.
Because107.5 is not under Federal Communications Commission regulation, the station has a low-signal strength that extends about five miles outside of campus.
"Our signal serves our campus purpose, and pretty much where you go in Kirksville you can get it," Bellville said. "You can get it pretty much all the way to Wal-Mart, and not too many people go too far past Wal-Mart."
Senior Sean Bagniewski, 107.5 station manager, meets with managers and directors once a week to discuss new ideas.
"We keep our eye on the way college radio is going across the country, and that is the way we format our radio station," Bagniewski said. "Across the country the most popular shows are the sex call-in shows."
Bagniewski said 107.5's slogan, "The way college radio should be," is reflected in the station's DJs. Bagniewski said the station had about 15 DJs when he started working with the radio station three years ago. It now has more than 45.
The DJs play music from noon to midnight each day, and a computer randomly selects music for the overnight hours so music always airs.
The DJs are allowed to play music from their own collections or from the computer music library.