Thun
The Battalion
LIFESTYLES
4
Thursday, March 8,1990
Lifestyles Editor Mary-Lynne Rice 845-331
Brett Summers kicks back while
doing a station break and pre
pares the next cartridge to be
played. Summers plays instru
mental “avant weird” music on
the “Escape from Noise” show
Mondays at midnight.
k
Er
ism:
For
ANM
profess
Ip-to-d
Purlin
ANM (99.9 FM Ca
ble) gives Aggies an al
ternative music choice.
But few students know
about their own Aggie
radio station.
Alex Luke, FM adviser and
former station manager and mu
sic director, said KANM’s local
obscurity is ironic because the
station is well-known among re
gional and national radio circles.
“People are more aware of us
on a national level than you
would think,” Luke said. “When
we go to a state or national con
vention, people know about
KANM.
“KANM probably has a better
reputation than any other cable
radio station in the state,” he
said, “but no one around here
seems to know about it.”
Luke believes that the low
awareness of cable radio has
kept KANM from becoming a
locally prominent radio station.
Further, cable companies fail to
promote cable radio, he said.
Music director Tim Davis
said, “I don’t feel like it’s the ca
ble company’s responsibility to
promote us. I don’t think it
would hurt them (to promote ca
ble radio). It would be an extra
perk to buy a cable package.
“When I first heard about
KANM my freshman year, I was
freaking out, because music I
had been listening to for a cou
ple years was on the radio. I
didn’t have a TV, but I bought
cable so I could have it
(KANM).”
Program director Doug
Vaught said, “We don’t want to
limit the (DJs) to what we want.
By letting the DJ decide what to
play, we’re getting more variety
and perspective of what is out
there.
“The DJs can develop their
own style. A lot of people tune in
for a particular style.”
Formats range from classical,
Christian rock and jazz to heavy
metal, progressive and alterna
tive rock.
“We are a college alternative
station,” Davis said. “Our pri
mary goal is to serve portions of
the market that aren’t currently
receiving service from commer
cial radio. We want to make sure
people are getting what nobody
else is providing.”
KANM’s programing policy
excludes music that receives re
gional commercial airplay. Davis
explained that the station has
loosened this policy because of
the crossover to commercial air
play by bands traditionally
found on college radio.
“I don’t feel like we have to
abandon bands like R.E.M., U2,
Depeche Mode, The Cure,
based on the fact they are be
coming more widely accepted,”
Davis said. “We’ve loved them
forever, it’s just taken people
time to learn to love them also.”
With all the genres of music
featured, Vaught said it is diffi
cult to maintain continuity in
KANM’s programing. Still, the
block format helps the DJs be
consistent with their music selec-
Because KANM is non-com
mercial, more airtime is available
for music, Luke said.
“KANM is a more music-
oriented station than probably
any other station in town,” Luke
said. “Our main selling point is
that we’re alternative. We pro
vide anything that can’t be heard
already.”
For information about when a
particular genre of music is
played, call the station or pick up
the station’s magazine, “Alterna
tive,” which will be distributed
on campus at the end of the
month.
KANM not KAMU:
The most common miscon
ception is that KANM is KAMU
(90.9 FM radio).
Getting the two stations mixed
up is easy, considering the simi
lar call letters and the frequen
cies. However, KANM is a cable
radio station only, while KAMU
is transmitted on FM airwaves.
Further, KANM is older than
KAMU (which was founded in
1977), and is only associated
with the University. KAMU was
established as the University ra
dio station.
“KAMU receives money from
the government through the
University because it’s a Univer
sity station,” station manager
Beth Weissinger said. “We
(KANM) are as close as we can
possibly come to being indepen
dent.”
KAMU’s music format centers
on classical and jazz. The station
also features national news and
ethnic programs. KANM is a
strictly college radio station, fea
turing a wider range of alterna
tive music. Despite the differ
ences, confusion is common.
“People have a terrible time
distinguishing between the two
stations, Weissinger said, who
also works at KAMU. “People
will call KAMU asking for an un
derground band.”
Music Format:
Broadcasting 24 hours a day,
KANM schedules 56 three-hour
blocks each week. A DJ is as
signed to a show, and he or she
selects a specific music format.
The DJs play whatever music
they want within the chosen for
mat.
tions.
“It keeps DJs from wan
dering out of one genre,”
Vaught said. “It’s also
good for the listener to
know that if they turn
on a type of show,
they’ll get that specific
type of music.”
It , te'SISPv
Organization and Structure:
KANM is managed and oper
ated by Texas A&M student vol
unteers. Ten are in management
positions, 73 are DJs and about
50 are alternate DJs.
“I feel KANM is an
expression of some
special people on
campus,” Vaught
said. “KANM is
not a bunch of weir
dos playing music. It’s
a liking.”
Weissinger said, “We are
probably the most diverse orga
nization on campus because we
comprise people from the Corps
to fraternities.
“I can’t think of a group that
isn’t represented or hasn’t been
represented at KANM.”
The station is a student orga
nization and is independent
from Texas A&M, except for a
faculty adviser from the Depait# ar d>
ment of Student Activities. Junital:
“This organization is run foil^ 6 t
and by students,” Luke said.
always been that way since m ^ e ’
went on the air.” psion;
KANM is financially self-suf|yi n 8‘
f icient. Although the station ref ac ^8 r<
ceives no advertising revenue, I’P^io,’’
is financed by fund raising activ' pesn’t
ities such as concerts and t-shirt > e t you
sales, and semester dues paid by [ Fort
the entire KANM staff. Manage- peter
ment and DJs pay $15 per per-IK Pr
son and alternate DJs pay $5 Pirate
each. [ay f
Each semester, KANM orga-jounce
nizes a “big event” to raise letitifi
money for the station. Last ire tec
month, a two-day benefit at Club )r iden
Fahrenheit raised both money favesel
and student interest. Six Texas We
bands played in support
KANM. j le nce, !
Financial director Janina|°n’tw:
Hurtado said it was the most fi-| c °rto
nancially successful KANM ben-j Most
efit, raising more than $500 for linage
the station. pANM
°ther 1
History: fhat a
KANM first began broadcast-: So nnel
ing in October 1973. The stationr° the
is one of the oldest cable radio|M.
stations in the state.
At first, the station was a sub j
sidiary of Student Government
During the mid-1970s, the staj
tion broke away from Studentrhatwc
Government and has been run|°nsan
independently by students eveflptoKA
since. 1 "I do
The station has broadcast Fsatij
from some unusual locations str ive t
some
KANM has aired from a musk Nnd a
director’s apartment and from aiding
dormitory lounge. It also used to ration
broadcast from a barber shop! Weis
forkim
off campus. T . (
But KANM’s nomadic historyl e ^ent i
stalled, and the station has beeiir ao wa
based at the Pavilion smcer ers ona
March 1982. IRat]
• See KANM/PagdL
photos by steven m. noreyko
story by todd stone