KNSU, in collaboration with the Student Government Association, will conduct a survey of students in the spring semester to gauge student satisfaction with the radio station’s format. Though there is no projected date for the survey, SGA President Olinda Ricard said it will likely be conducted in early spring.
During a recent SGA Senate meeting, Director of Student Rights and Grievances Shawn Little said in his report that students have been complaining about KNSU. Several senators expressed concern over KNSU’s format, stating KNSU is not meeting the needs of the students that pay for the station. A meeting with KNSU followed, and the plan for a survey resulted.
Little said the goal is to have a radio station students are more involved with.
“We are going to advertise so that all students are included in this survey,” Little said. “We realize we can’t please everybody on campus, but we have to try to get the majority.”
Josh Crosby, KNSU station manager, said the survey will benefit the station because it will show if students’ opinions have changed since the last survey in 2001 and will show how the station can be improved.
Lance Arnold, KNSU adviser and chair of broadcast journalism, said the 2001 survey showed most students listened to alternative and rap/R&B, with 8 percent more students listening to alternative than rap.
Arnold said a misconception among the SGA was that KNSU does not serve the needs of the students, but he said KNSU serves Nicholls better than other university radio stations in Louisiana.
He said the radio station at UNO plays classical and jazz music along with National Public Radio news. KRVS at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette plays Cajun, Zydeco, blues, jazz, swampop and other music created and played in south Louisiana, Arnold said.
The campus station at LSU plays alternative like KNSU, Arnold said, but only offers specialty programs, which feature other genres, from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
KNSU had a specialty show policy similar to KLSU prior to 2002 when these shows could be aired during prime time hours. KNSU eliminated a requirement in 2004, which stated that disc jockeys had to volunteer for at least one semester before having a specialty show, Arnold said. Since fall 2004 KNSU has not turned down any specialty shows, he said.
Specialty shows can play any genre of music allowed by KNSU, which includes pop music, techno and dance, R&B, rap, hip-hop, classic rock, country, heavy metal and local music. These shows can also feature sports, comedy and free speech (conservative or liberal), Arnold said.
“If students want diversity in the programming of KNSU, all they have to do is walk through the door,” Arnold said.
Arnold said KNSU will be advertising for more volunteer DJs with a variety of backgrounds and musical tastes.
Along with having specialty shows, if there are interested volunteers Arnold said KNSU has suggested playing Top 40 music for four hours during the afternoon, which will possibly be broadcast in front Bollinger Memorial Student Union.
“If a rap song is in the Top 40, we’ll play it. If a country song crosses over and breaks into the Top 40, that’ll be played,” Arnold said. “I won’t say that everybody will like it, but I guess it will be less offensive. We’re not going to please most of the people, ever.”
He said the format of the station is not likely to change, however, because a radio station has to have an identifiable format, or it will not get promotional materials from record labels, tickets or other materials from venues that have concerts.
“If we are playing every single type of music all day long, we are not playing enough of any type to warrant getting those materials,” Arnold said.
Arnold said playing in front of the Union will benefit students more than just giving them music to listen to.
“If we get played in front the Union, we can advertise for students to become DJs and do the specialty shows, which will give us different genres of music,” Arnold said. “Maybe down the line, once KNSU becomes more accessible, we’ll be able to reflect the diversity of the campus better.
