"KTRU Houston is operated by the students of Rice University, and the opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the faculty, staff, or administration of Rice University. KTRU is operated at a frequency of 91.7megahertz, with an effective radiated power of 50,000 watts. KTRU programming is under the supervision of the the board of governors; portions of our programming are mechanically reproduced. We now begin/resume our broadcast day. KTRU Houston."
The MRA has to be read when the station is turned on, off, and at 1:00 a.m. to signal the beginning of a new broadcast day.
I love being a dj for a college radio station. I am not a Rice student, but this is my fourth semester as a dj and this is one of the most satisfying things I have ever done.
The KTRU mission statement, more or less, is to play music that does not get played anywhere else, and to be commercial free. We are totally nonprofit, the only ads we read are station promos and public service announcements. WE ARE AN INDEPENDENT MUSIC STATION with no corporate sponsors.
CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF: we do not think popular music is bad, or that because something is popular it is not good enough for us. But rather we strive to give exposure to artists and music that would not get played elsewhere.
It is actually quite possible to hear the same song played more than once a day, as there are requirements as to what music can be played and what must be played. For example, each dj has to play a certain number of alternate tracks per hour they dj (an alternate track qualifies as anything not classified as general rock, ska, children's, or hardcore.)
A popular joke about KTRU and its djs (and college radio in general) is that we all sound bored and/or tired and/or stoned. The fact is, and the reason this is such a common occurence, is because KTRU strives to let the emphasis stay with the music, and not on the people producing it. We are not allowed to create "radio personalities" or special dj names. We are not required to disclose our names at all while on air. We are not allowed to make dedications or give "shout-outs" (psshaw, the nerve). Thus, if we sound boring, it is NOT a good idea to call up and harass us because not only do we have the freedom to make fun of your ass on air, but because we sound like that for the best possible reason.
Perks of djing for an independent station include that you get almost complete control over what you play and what requests you take. If I don't like a request I have the power to say NO. I don't have to play anthing I hate, and I don't have to deal with callers if I don't want to.
In addition, the exposure I get to new or different kinds of music is priceless. KTRU has the only radio shows in Houston dedicated to some genres, including Navrang, Scordatura, and Genetic Memory. The music library is a wealth of knowledge and experience. I have learned so much about people, places, and even myself from the exposure to these recordings.
Music is an amazing teacher of culture.
And a college radio station has random, silly plusses like the first Sonic Youth album on vinyl, cassette tapes of Sylvia Plath reading her poetry aloud, and a Japanese hardcore section! It's like a constant underground music party.
If I could get paid for working there, I'd never want to leave.