KANM is and has been the student radio station of
Texas A&M University since its inception in 1971.
Humble Beginnings
Formed by two communications majors in the back of a barber shop to play their favorite records for the ladies, it quickly evolved into a full-time affair.
Slight digression: in the late 1960s and early 1970s, FM radio was not nearly as prevalent or ubiquitous as it is today. Technical limitations and FCC foot-dragging meant only the most determined individuals could acquire an FM license. A cheaper and more viable substitute was cable radio, which, rather obviously, traveled via standard cable wires. A simple RF connection to a stereo and voilà! - music for the masses.
Back to our story in progress..
Our plucky duo used their own headphones, LP player, microphone, and music library to broadcast for 9 years, until they jockeyed themselves into a small office in The Pavilion, the on-campus financial center. (During this move, it has been alleged but never proven that the then-station manager burned all of the disco records.) An even smaller budget allowed for the purchase of several vinyl each year.
Current Status
This arrangement lasted until 1994, when the station was moved again to the John C. Koldus Building. About this time, the station's (student) management began looking seriously into acquiring an FM license, as they had finally become in vogue. One Eric Truax personally invested over $500 in performing an engineering survey and filing for a license. However, he was subsequently dismissed from the university for academic reasons in the spring of 1995, and made a quick personal decision: he shanghaied the as-yet-unborn station. Despite much protesting and fury, KEOS became an official FCC-licensed FM station in 1996, and KANM pressed onward in its unchanged state.
KANM used some of its meager funding to purchase an AM antenna in 1998 (1580 on the dial), and actively broadcasts over the Internet. You can find KANM's music (indie, punk, techno, metal, jazz, and rock) at http://kanm.tamu.edu.
This node has been created with help from various anecdotal interviews, informal publications, minutes from staff meetings, and the author's memory.
If you were affiliated with KANM in any capacity since its inception, please contact us at kanm@kanm.tamu.edu.