KCSU-FM

Last updated
KCSU-FM
Frequency 90.5 MHz
BrandingStudent Run Radio 90.5
Programming
Format College radio
Ownership
OwnerBoard of Governors of the Colorado State University System
History
First air date
September 26, 1964
Call sign meaning
Colorado State University
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID 62435
Class C3
ERP 10,000 watts
HAAT -108 meters
Links
Public license information
Webcast Listen Live
Website kcsufm.com

KCSU-FM (90.5 FM) is Colorado State University's non-commercial, student-run, campus radio station licensed to Fort Collins, Colorado. KCSU broadcasts at 10,000 watts, reaching east to Greeley, south to Longmont, and north to the Wyoming border. KCSU a 501c3 non-profit organization affiliated with Rocky Mountain Student Media Corporation and is one of the largest college radio stations in the country. The KCSU broadcast signal reaches over 250,000 people.

Contents

Format

KCSU is music intensive, focusing on college and alternative musical genres. KCSU also provides newscasts, sports updates, a public affairs talk show, and Public Service Announcements (PSAs). However, there are three different show formats that make up the majority of KCSU programming.

History

“This is KCSU FM, 90.9 megacycles, in Fort Collins, Colorado, the voice of Colorado State University.”

September 21, 1964- The above introduction was the first statement ever made over the air by KCSU. KCSU began as a student operated station and broadcast at 800 watts from a transmitter located at the corner of Prospect Road and Shields Street. KCSU broadcast Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to midnight. Programs first heard on KCSU included jazz and classical music, news, interviews and public affairs.

September 1977- KCSU changed from student management to a professional station, and the station began airing 18 hours a day, 365 days a year. The change to professional management occurred after financial problems surfaced and students complained that student managers and staff were no longer representing the music and programming interests of students.

March 1, 1981- Professional management adopted a classical format with a strong commitment to news and information. This new format set the stage for problems with the student population, which continued to fund the station with student fees without a voice in programming choices.

September 1983- KCSU boosted its signal from 2,400 watts to 10,000 watts and changed from 90.9 MHz to the present-day frequency of 90.5.

July 1995- In response to student complaints about programming and budgetary problems due to insufficient financial support in the Fort Collins community, KCSU shifted from classical programming to an adult album alternative format in 1992. The change was not enough, and the Campus Radio Committee was formed in the fall of 1994. The Campus Radio Committee recommended that KCSU change from an entirely professionally run, public radio station to a campus radio station with a blend of student program management and professional operations management and advisers as of July 1, 1995.

July 27, 1997- A massive flood hit Fort Collins and Colorado State University was extensively damaged. The destruction of the radio station’s studios, equipment and offices, along with all of the Student Media (Campus TV, The Rocky Mountain Collegian newspaper, and the Silver Spruce Yearbook at the time) forced the station to relocate to the annex at the old Fort Collins High School.

August 20, 1997- Three weeks after the flood, KCSU resumes broadcasting using donated and salvaged equipment. KCSU began broadcasting from an old garage, affectionately called the “bus barn”, and staff dealt with, security issues, DJ and listener dissent, and a hurt public image caused by lower broadcast quality as a result of the flood-damaged equipment. Despite these setbacks, KCSU won several radio awards and the title of the Fort Collins Coloradoan’s Best of Fort Collins.

January 5, 1999- KCSU moved back to campus and became operational at its current location. KCSU resumed broadcast operations in a new, state-of-the-art radio studio, one of the best equipped in Colorado. Broadcast quality dramatically improved thanks to new digital signal processors, better production equipment, and a new broadcast board. New production facilities and a performance studio were added to KCSU, as well as new office space.

August 1, 2008- KCSU and the rest of Student Media (Collegian, CTV, College Avenue) became a 501c3, not-for-profit organization independent from the University called The Rocky Mountain Student Media Corp.

May 4, 2013- KCSU and the rest of Student Media began their move to their temporary home while the Colorado State University Student Center undergoes renovations.

May 10, 2013- At 12:36 PM MST, KCSU began broadcasting from its new location, 706 S College Ave. Suite 207.

September 22, 2014- KCSU Returned their broadcast operations to the Lory Student Center after renovations to the building were completed.

July 2017- KCSU established our new mission statement: "The mission of KCSU is to train students to collaboratively operate a radio station that creates and delivers content that informs and inspires our listeners."

See also

  1. "Facility Technical Data for KCSU-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colorado State University</span> Public university in Fort Collins, Colorado, U.S.

Colorado State University is a public land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado, United States. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University System. Colorado State University is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". It was founded in 1870 as Colorado Agricultural College and assumed its current name in 1957.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WXDU</span> Radio station at Duke University

WXDU is a non-commercial campus radio station broadcasting a college radio format. Licensed to Durham, North Carolina, United States, the station serves the Research Triangle area. The station is owned by Duke University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WHUS</span> Radio station in Connecticut, United States

WHUS is a non-commercial educational FM college radio station. It transmits with 4,400 watts on 91.7 MHz from the main campus of the University of Connecticut in Storrs to audiences in eastern Connecticut, southern Massachusetts and western Rhode Island. WHUS operates as a campus-focused station that features members of the student body and the local community.

WRPI is a non-commercial free-format college radio station run entirely by students attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and staffed by community members and students. WRPI broadcasts every day with an effective radiated power of 10,000 watts, serving listeners in Albany, eastern New York, western Massachusetts, Vermont, and online via live streaming. The studios are located in the basement of the Darrin Communications Center and the FM signal is broadcast from North Greenbush. Programming includes a wide range of music, cultural and public affairs programs, live bands, special events, and sports simulcasts, particularly of RPI hockey, football, and baseball. WRPI has a large record library dating to the origins of the station, estimated at 43,800 albums, and a large CD library, dating to the start of the medium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCDB</span> Radio station in Albany, New York

WCDB is a college radio station located at The University at Albany in Albany, New York. WCDB currently broadcasts at 90.9 FM with a signal covering the Capital District and reaching parts of Western Massachusetts. The station is staffed completely by students and student alumni, operating on a 24/7 schedule. WCDB's programming includes a wide range of alternative music programs. The station is available worldwide via streaming on their website.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KRFC</span> Community radio station in Fort Collins, Colorado

KRFC is a community-based radio station in Fort Collins, Colorado. The station is owned and operated by Public Radio for the Front Range. The station's programming includes music of numerous genres, played by volunteer DJs. Some news, information and syndicated shows are on the schedule as well. Although similar in funding strategies to a traditional public radio station, KRFC is not a member of any of the major networks such as NPR or Pacifica.

WVCR-FM(88.3 The Saint) is a variety hits radio station located in Loudonville, New York, owned by Siena College, and primarily staffed by students from the college. The station broadcasts on 88.3 MHz at an effective radiated power of 2,800 watts from the Heldeberg Mountains in the Town of New Scotland. In addition to simulcast programming at www.wvcr.com, WVCR is perhaps the only non-commercial licensee to emulate the variety hits format made popular by the Jack FM approach in the Capital Region. The format is very popular in the region with a very diverse selection from classic 1960s hits to current hits of today—something of a 2,800 Watt iPod for Baby Boomers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KUCO (FM)</span> Radio station in Edmond, Oklahoma

KUCO is a classical music radio station serving the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, area, owned by the University of Central Oklahoma. Studios are located at the UCO at Santa Fe Plaza development in downtown Oklahoma City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KUGS</span> Radio station at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington

KUGS is a college radio station in Bellingham, Washington, United States, owned by Western Washington University (WWU). It is managed by WWU students and broadcasts from studios in the Viking Union on the WWU campus in Bellingham and a transmitter atop Sehome Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KZUC-LP</span> Radio station in Edmond, Oklahoma

KZUC-LP is the student radio station on the campus of the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Oklahoma. UCentral Radio applied for an LPFM license in November 2013 and was awarded a construction permit by the Federal Communications Commission on February 24, 2015. UCentral Radio is part of the UCentral student media network at the University of Central Oklahoma.

KVCU, branded Radio 1190, is a college radio station affiliated with the University of Colorado Boulder. Operated by CU since 1998, the station broadcasts from studios in the basement of the University Memorial Center on the CU campus.

KVOD is a public radio station broadcasting a classical music format. Licensed to Lakewood, Colorado, it serves the Denver metropolitan area. The station is owned by Public Broadcasting Of Colorado. Its programming is broadcast on other stations around Colorado including 91.9 KCFP in Pueblo, 103.3 KPRU in Delta, and 90.5 KVOV in Glenwood Springs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wyoming Public Radio</span> Public radio network in Wyoming

Wyoming Public Radio (WPR) is the statewide public radio network in Wyoming, and is licensed to the University of Wyoming.

WONU is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Kankakee, Illinois, United States, and serving the region south of the Chicago metropolitan area. It is a non-profit, listener-supported station owned and operated by Olivet Nazarene University, which is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois. It airs a Christian Adult Contemporary radio format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WUVT-FM</span> Radio station in Blacksburg, Virginia

WUVT-FM is a non-commercial FM radio station in Blacksburg, Virginia, serving Montgomery County, Virginia. It is licensed to Virginia Tech and is operated by The Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech. WUVT-FM is largely student-run and broadcasts a free form radio format. The radio studios and offices are located in Squires Student Center.

KLZ is a commercial radio station licensed to Denver, Colorado. It airs a conservative talk radio format and is owned by Crawford Broadcasting, with studios on South Parker Road in Aurora. It is the oldest radio station in the state of Colorado, and one of the oldest in the United States.

KRCC is a public radio station in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is owned by Colorado College and operated by Colorado Public Radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KMSA</span> Radio station at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, Colorado

KMSA "Music for the Mavs" is a college radio station at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, Colorado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KLRC</span> Radio station in Siloam Springs, Arkansas

KLRC is a non-commercial FM radio station licensed to Tahlequah, Oklahoma. It serves sections of Northwest Arkansas, Eastern Oklahoma and Southwest Missouri. KLRC broadcasts a Christian adult contemporary radio format and is owned by John Brown University. It is simulcast on KLAB at 101.1 MHz in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, as well as FM translators 99.1 K256BG in Bentonville, 101.1 K266BS in Van Buren and 103.5 K278BG in Springdale. KLRC and KLAB use periodic on-air fundraisers to seek support from listeners for the running of the stations.

KHVU is a non-commercial radio station in Houston, Texas. It is owned by Hope Media Group, which owns Christian AC-formatted KSBJ, and airs a Spanish-language Christian adult contemporary radio format. The studios and offices are on Treble Drive in Humble, Texas, near Bush Intercontinental Airport, and the transmitter is located off Sorters McClellan Road in Porter.