In the heart of Kent Campus Center is 88.9 KSTM, a student-led radio station located in Kent, which plays a variety of music around the clock. It also has a variety of shows led by Simpson College students who can talk about whatever they would like.
On the radio, students can share their thoughts, express creativity, play music and let every student have a chance for their voice to be heard. The station has a small radius, so its content mainly appeals to alumni, students and faculty who may be tuning in.
Senior Caden Kingery, Radio Manager of the station, allows anyone to start a show or help out with KSTM.
“Anyone can start a show, anyone can go in there,” Kingery said. “Some people don’t even do shows where they’re talking about stuff. They’ll just go in there and put on their own songs in the queue to run it to their liking.”
If a student decides to start a show, the process is relatively simple.
“All they’ve got to do is email me and then pretty much I give the rundown on how to do it, how to record it if you want to, put their name down on the schedule and then they can just start doing it whenever they’re ready,” Kingery said.
The radio station allows students to be as creative as they would like and express any thoughts they may have, within certain rules and guidelines set by the national government.
“Yeah, so when they express their interest and I show them around, I have them sign this contract that basically just says they’ll follow the FCC guidelines, which is pretty much just the overall government guidelines,” Kingery said. “So, you won’t swear or promote anything that would cost people money.”
Kingery recently stepped into the role of manager at the beginning of the school year, but has been a part of the station for many years. He said he’s had good connections to get him to where he is now.
“I’ve known the past two radio managers, and I’ve had a show on air since my sophomore year,” Kingery said. “I’ve always been connected to it, and my closest friends have been some of the radio managers, so that is how I got connected.”
Kingery has big goals for the station to allow it to succeed, get more recognition and draw more interest from students.
“I want to see maybe a show every day, which is a bit ambitious, but maybe a show every other day,” Kingery said. “Just a broader range of what shows are talking about right now.”
Another option students, faculty and staff have is recording podcasts in the podcast studio. The content recorded in the podcast student doesn’t go on air.
88.9 KSTM continues to give students a voice, and there is always an opportunity for more students and newer content to be shared out to the people of Simpson College, and the Indianola area.
