Station Spotlight: University of Minnesota’s Radio K

Thanks to Jenny Ackerson, program director, for answering the questions.

Tell me a little history about your station and where your station is now?
Radio K was born in 1993, growing out of duct-taped together (but still completely perfect) WMMR with its legacy 770 AM signal. Today we sit (completely student run) with over 60 DJs, 300 volunteers, and ever growing ambition and hold on the Twin Cities.

Radio transmissions at the University of Minnesota date to 1912.  The station is the 10th oldest station still on the air, beating out WHA at the University of Wisconsin Madison by a few hours. That also makes Radio K, KUOM,  the oldest licensed non-commercial broadcast station in the country.

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The Radio K studio in action.

What sets your station apart from other college radio stations?
Unlike many other stations, Radio K has the good blessing of having AM & FM signals, smartphone app, and an internet stream.  This helps us have a much broader dedicated fan base. We also have hundreds of in-studio sessions each year from local and national acts.

Why did you choose to work at the radio station?
I chose to work at Radio K because it is the place where I feel most comfortable, and more importantly it’s a place I found to dedicate myself to. It’s hard to find a place to work with your peers and create a really, really great product.

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The infamous K itself.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done for your station?
The craziest thing I’ve got to do for Radio K is (aside from DJing every Thanksgiving and Christmas for the past 3 years) would be the numerous escapades in our K suit (our mascot) — going to baseball games (and throwing out the first pitch even though the K doesn’t have arms!), marching in Gay Pride Parades, and scaring new volunteers at our back to school studio tours.

What’s the best part of college radio? And the hardest part?
The best part of college radio is actually picking all the music we play, that hand-picked touch gets overlooked sometimes. The hardest thing is the struggle to be located in a competitive radio market of really great music, and to be at the top of our game.

Want your station profiled for a Station Spotlight? Email Jessica.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]