Students, faculty and staff are now able to hear KNSU’s broadcast in front of the Student Union after custodians spent more than a month redirecting and connecting the student radio station’s wires to the outside speakers.
Before two weeks ago, “The Edge” 91.5 FM had only one on-campus speaker between Talbot Hall and the Nicholls bookstore.
Joshua McKnight, station manager, said students will now be more aware if an emergency or a breaking news event occurs during the day, giving students a chance to respond quickly. Spreading news by word-of-mouth takes too long, he said.
“Students were being deprived,” McKnight said in an earlier release. “Students can now be better informed of what’s going on because students who (previously) heard us on campus were just walking between classes.”
Michael Cobb, KNSU disc jockey and Student Government Association senator, said students and the SGA have been requesting that music from the campus radio station be played in front of the Student Union for the past two years. Programming by the Collegiate Television Network, however, continued to be aired through the outside speakers.
Greg Evans, director of Student Union services, said although CTN owns the television monitors in the Student Union and Nicholls is obligated to air the network’s programming on the monitors, the University owns the speakers in front of the Student Union, giving the Student Union staff the option of airing anything it chooses.
“Re-routing the wires from KNSU, disconnecting CTN and resetting the frequency signals were a hassle,” Evans said. “The wires had not been touched in years. The complication of the process is why it took so long to make this happen.”
KNSU will only be aired in front of the Student Union during the Student Union’s regular hours from 7:30 a.m. and 9 p.m.
McKnight also said more exposure for the radio station gives students a better chance to win giveaways such as free concert tickets and passes. The station obtains tickets, sometimes as much as $90 in value, from promoters to several venues where the artist or band will perform.
“Many times students will be hanging out in front of the Union with nothing to do,” McKnight said. “But if they hear us, they can call on their cell phones to win those tickets. Many people look for free events like that to go to on the weekends.”
Cobb said he is thrilled that students are now able to hear KNSU in another location on campus and the radio station can gain more recognition.
“Now students can hear what they are paying for in an area where many students hang out,” he said. “It’s about time.