UP's campus radio
By Emily Sitton
Underneath the moss-covered roof of the brown house behind The Commons there is a flurry of energy.
KDUP, the University's student-run radio station, has returned to the airwaves this semester with new shows, disc jockeys and activities. Another Battle of the Bands competition is planned for this semester and a recording studio is planned for next year. The station has renewed an underwriting partnership with local coffee shop, Anna Bannanas, too.
"We're always thinking about what we can do to make KDUP better," said senior Leanne Paredes, KDUP promotions director.
One step in that direction is the recording studio. UP students will have the chance to rock and roll in the new studio, perhaps as soon as next fall.
The idea of an on-campus recording studio has been in place since last year, and the station recently purchased some of the equipment - a computer with audio software for recording, a mixer board and instrument microphones.
Staff, faculty and possibly community members will have access too, under some plans for the studio, although students would have a discount, said senior Erik Thorsnes, general manager of KDUP. Contracts and cost for using the space, located in the station basement, are still in the works, according to Nate Sherfinski, the radio station adviser.
"Ultimately, the timeline is that we'll have had those conversations and be at an actionable point by next fall," Sherfinski said.
Before the studio can open, the basement must be soundproofed to prevent recording from interfering with radio shows.
"That's kind of the last hurdle," Thorsnes said.
To leap over the hurdle KDUP has to raise more money. The money is coming partly from ASUP funding, the University administration and possibly from underwriting. The exact amount needed is currently unknown to station management because of the continuing research about the studio.
But the larger barrier to progress is choice. The station management must choose from several types of soundproofing that vary in price. The station is working with a professional engineer to decide which type to use.
"There is the Cadillac way to do it or the garage way to do it," Sherfinski said.
Meanwhile, music and news are still moving over the airwaves. Students can tune in to the lineup of new and returning shows on the internet at http://kdup.up.edu or switch the dial to 1580 AM.
The show SLAM, an acronym of the DJs' first names, returns this semester with a new name and one new member, but the same music and style. Last semester the show was called SLAK.
SLAM features all types of rock music from classic to the occasional heavy metal, but it is primarily a talk show.
"Last semester we had a podcast, so we would record what went on during breaks and bill it as the "uncensored" version," said sophomore Samuel Harris, SLAM DJ.
The show is on Sunday from 10 p.m. to midnight.
While listening to a show you may hear the product of one of the station's new endeavors, underwriting.
"It was not something I tried to push forward, but something I just fell upon," said Paredes, the promotions director.
Underwriting is not an advertisement, but is a purely factual support statement. The business pays the radio station and a support statement for the station is recorded. The business can support a regular program, multiple programs or a KDUP on-campus event.
Paredes found some old paperwork about underwriting with Anna Bannanas coffee shop and gave them a call. They accepted.
"They support us with donations and we support them with getting their name out on campus," Paredes said.
The money raised from underwriting could fund the recording studio, station development or on-campus events.
While money is always an issue, the real key to success for KDUP is dedicated employees and volunteers.
"An overwhelming amount of our content is produced by volunteers," Sherfinski said.
These volunteers include all of the 65 DJs who have shows on the radio this semester. In addition to their shows the DJs must put in three volunteer hours a semester. These hours include recording public service announcements, screening new CDs, volunteering at KDUP sponsored events, screening shows for content or recording news reports.
Junior Erika Breton is one such volunteer. Breton and junior Alyssa Reget host the show A and E, an acronym of the DJs' first names, on Thursdays from 10 p.m. to midnight. The show features humor, banter and Indie music from bands like Noah and the Whale or Miniature Tigers.
Breton plans to finish her volunteer hours by screening new CDs which includes listening for obscenities, writing a summary of the CD and who the artist sounds like.
"You get to listen to music and hear it before other people do," Breton said.
Another way DJs volunteer is to help with events for the station like the upcoming second annual Battle of the Bands. Applications for the April 2 event are due March 23 and are posted on the station's Web site. Information is also available under the events section on the station's Facebook group, KDUP 1580 AM.
Students can become a part of KDUP by applying to be a DJ or offering their input by calling into shows.
"Every once in while, when somebody calls in or tells me they listened, I feel like I'm actually entertaining people, which is probably one of my favorite things to do," Harris said.
A schedule of this semester's shows and more information on underwriting is online at KDUP's Web site.
