Following a year and a half of struggles and triumphs, Gustavus’ student-run radio station broadcast for the first time since its collapse in October 2010.

Tune in to stream KGSM at kgsm.blog.gustavus.edu.  For questions about KGSM or the recording studio, contact Holmes at aholmes@gac.edu.

Complete with a new state-of-the-art station and recording studio, conveniently located in the lower level of Beck Academic Hall, KGSM seems to be coming back from a rough past.

KGSM lost its radio tower in the tornado of 1998, which was too costly to replace.

“It completely changed the structure of KGSM. We’re now an Internet-only station since we don’t have a tower to broadcast over air waves,” KGSM General Manager Junior Amelia Holmes said.

The station went completely online following the tornado disaster, but last fall the stream collapsed and was once again out of budget. Even through rough patches, the core of KGSM has lived on.

In previous years, the KGSM studio was a small, closet-sized room tucked away next to the Womyn’s Awareness Center. With the crash of the stream last fall, which was primarily due to old computer programming that was no longer capable of broadcasting, KGSM virtually became a nonexistent organization, with the exception of a few students.

The majority of staff graduated last spring and Holmes wanted to bring KGSM back. With previous experience as a student DJ, she brought a new look to the program. Holmes revamped and renovated KGSM policy and started anew.

“We had to rebuild the station from the ground up,” Holmes said.

The KGSM staff moved out of the old station and into the spacious new studio in Beck Hall in early September of this school year. Along with a brand new recording studio, the station is also furnished with a new switchboard, monitors, headphones, computers and speakers, which were all warmly welcomed by the KGSM DJs.

The studio is a sanctum of broadcasting and performing. KGSM invites anyone interested in a two-hour recording session into the studio for a small fee.

Since the tornado, KGSM has streamed online. Junior KGSM Web Designer Nick Hamberg drafted the site to allow streamlined simplicity and ease for listeners. A new feature of broadcasting this year is that DJs will be able to record every show, which will then be available for download as a podcast. These will be collected into an archive on the website for future reference. This means that listening live will no longer be necessary. Shows can now be enjoyed on the go.

This year KGSM has grown to include over thirty student DJs, creating a large team of DJs and staff members. DJs choose to host a show either alone or with a co-host during a weekly airing time slot of two hours. Shows feature everything from talk, to drama, to music and are largely concentrated on the evenings of weeknights. A KGSM playlist broadcasts at all hours when shows are not airing.

In the process of debuting the stream from the new studio, KGSM hosted a Launch Party in the Courtyard Café to celebrate this long-awaited achievement. It was a chance to mingle with the DJs, learn about KGSM and eat some Frost-Your-Owns. Prospective DJs were encouraged to sign up and learn more about the KGSM experience. Gusties who weren’t interested in hosting a radio show were encouraged to tune in and listen.

Sophomore Jacob Borgmann, a loyal listener to A Prairie Home Companion for the past decade, joined KGSM this year because he has “always been interested in radio.” Borgmann plans to “narrate a good adventure story” during his late-night show.

Senior Max Beyer became a student DJ because of his “weird dream to become a voice actor.” Beyer hosts a show with Senior Wade Underwood, which will spotlight Gustavus talent with live, in-studio performances.

“Our shtick is to play any type of live performance from the KGSM studio. Kind of like an open mic,” Beyer said. “We want to do everything and anything, from playing music to reading poetry or children’s stories, just so long as it is live.”

Sophomore Yiyi Chen recently joined KGSM with plans of a Chinese-themed show, bringing a taste of international music to the station.

With a wide variety of programming and a strong base of DJs, the future is bright for KGSM. Next fall they look forward to participating in College Radio Day, a national association of college radios.

“It’s an opportunity for us to unite with dozens of other college radio stations across the country,” Holmes said.

KGSM also looks forward to expanding and reaching a broader audience.

“Everyone listen,” Holmes said. “We want to reach as many people as possible.”