Patrick Donohoe, left, programs a playlist while Jed Smentek listens to the broadcast at KUST radio.

KUST Radio: A new look and listen

There is a new feeling in the air at KUST radio this fall. The station has a new studio look and location, and plenty of new programming.

KUST, a University of St. Thomas-sponsored club, is an internet-based radio station. KUST also airs on Channel 6 on the campus cable system, but the Web is where it really gets its power, allowing friends and family from outside of UST and the Twin Cities the ability to listen in on a daily basis.

This past summer the radio facility was moved from Loras Hall on south campus, to the lower level of the O’Shaughnessy Educational Center (OEC Room LL10). It is now located just down the hall from the UST television studio, and like the TV studio the radio facility received a major upgrade with state-of-the-art equipment over the summer. There are plans to further expand the radio facility next summer to include a separate production room and to add to the new audio equipment.

Thirty-five different shows being produced at the station on a weekly basis, with some 75 active participants. Most of the shows focus on music, but there are a couple of talk and sports shows too, and a radio drama is in the works as well.

Dr. Ellen Riordan, assistant professor of Communication and Journalism, is one of the co-advisers of the station. Riordan says the vision of the department is to eventually see a convergence of the three student-run media on campus – The Aquin, Campus Scope and KUST Radio. In addition, she would like to see more innovative thematic programming and a daily news program added. She would also like someone to do a “vinyl hour,” with actual LP records being spun on new, but traditional-style turntables. The other co-adviser of the station is Brian Brown from University Relations.

Another unique part of KUST radio is that it isn’t just open to students. Faculty and staff currently have several shows on the air and others are being encouraged to join in as well. If you would like to make a pitch for a show of your own, send an e-mail to KUST@stthomas.edu and they’ll send you information on how to submit a proposal.

If you would like more information about the radio station in general, check out the KUST Web site, and if you want to listen to KUST, go to its Web site and click on “listen live.”