Students from Cal State Long Beach will soon be on air after the hard launch of K-Beach 88.1 FM HD-3 on 2/13. Under the new contract that the on-campus jazz station KAZZ-FM signed, KBeach gets a portion of the KAZZ-FM (formerly KLON-FM) HD signal, KBeach radio advisor Danny Lemos told The Daily 49er.
KBeach’s switch from online to FM HD marks the first time a student-run station has gone live in 38 years, Associated Student’s Inc. Communications Coordinator Christina Esparza told The Daily 49er.
Supported and funded by ASI, KBeach FM HD-3 will give students the chance to compete with LA radio stations. “[The FM HD station] allows us to really get close to the real broadcasting responsibilities and experience,” Lemos said. “And really, on a resume that you were on FM in Los Angeles is a big deal.”
The station can be heard throughout the LA basin from Mission Viejo to Oxnard Valley by anyone who owns an HD radio. The addition of an FM HD station has even spurred talks of a new digital media department on campus, Lemos said.
“Right now it’s just a dream,” he said. “We have been looking into it, and we know there’s a lot of hurdles [like] staff, budget, accreditation. So we are talking about a good road.”
KBeach currently broadcasts all student material online at kbeach.org. However, all student programming from kbeach.org that fits radio criteria will air on the FM station after 4 p.m. on 2/13, Lemos said. “We will produce separate programming for the FM, and we will also repurpose programs. So, students will have something to shoot for.”
Communications senior and recently appointed KBeach program manager Eduardo Pineda, who hosts the show Lous M. Ferre on Wednesday nights from 5 to 6 p.m., said that the FM station launch will be massive.
“We are going to be heard by a larger demographic,” Pineda, who has been performing rap music since he was 14 years old, said. “I have a lot of music in mind. It’s different than what is on the radio … [current radio] becomes redundant; there’s nothing fresh.”
A special committee determines whether or not a program is worthy to be aired live, Lemos said. Students who would like to broadcast on the FM HD station must go through a workshop and send in a one-hour sample program as an audition.
Recently appointed GM and junior communications major Evan Dixon said the extra responsibilities that come with the FM HD station, like following the rules set by the FCC and sponsor promotion, will give students more motivation when producing programs.
Here are some of the shows:
Wed
Mornings on the Beach
9:00 AM to 10:00 AM
Generation Ecstacy
12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
Red-Bull Music Academy
1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
T.H.C.
3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
3 Up 3 Down
8:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Sex at the Beach
10:00 PM to 12:00 AM
Thursday
Mornings on the Beach
9:00 AM to 10:00 AM
The Academic and The Artist
10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
The Marc and Scott Show
9:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Drinking Buddies
10:00 PM to 12:00 AM
Friday
Mornings on the Beach
9:00 AM to 10:00 AM
In The Mix
12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
Soulection Radio
1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Wax on the Brain
4:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Beats Don’t Stop
7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
RBR-TVBR observation: It’s nice to see a communications program underscoring student-run programming vs. just plugging in the NPR news feed and playing Classical or Jazz the rest of the day. It’s also nice to see younger demos actually interested in the medium again. On a few college stations with “students” running the board and playlist, they’ve been going to automation in more and more dayparts, so the interest level has been a concern and indeed, that’s why many stations went to NPR in the first place. HD Radio could be a way to get college radio back on the air in many markets that are currently running NPR on the main signal.
