City Anchorage, Alaska Branding 88.1 FM The Edge Format College Radio | Broadcast area Anchorage, Alaska Frequency 88.1 FM (MHz) ERP 155 watts | |
KRUA is a non-commercial educational college radio station in Anchorage, Alaska, broadcasting on the FM band 88.1 and online at kruaradio.org. The station is operated by students at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA). It is the only student-run station in Anchorage.
Contents
- Volunteers
- Student volunteers
- Community volunteers
- Alumni volunteers
- Intern volunteers
- Staff
- Funding
- Media
- References
Originally designated KMPS in 1987, the station ran off a small transmitter donated by Augie Hiebert of Northern Television, Inc. KMPS was a carrier current station, and the signal was restricted to telephone lines. This left the signal's range at only a number of target locations such as the on-campus housing complex.
The original broadcast schedule was sporadic as the station relied on student volunteer DJs to host programs on-air. It wasn't until the school year of 1990-91 that the UAA Media Board, along with the local FCC offices and the Anchorage Associated Broadcasters, Inc. began the documentation to create a non-commercial, educational station.
During 1991 KMPS was given authorization to initiate the construction of a tower-site for the fledgling station. 88.1mhz was provided as the station's broadcast frequency and after student media fees from UAA were raised, KRUA was able to gain its FM status. The original broadcast from KRUA took place at roughly 5 p.m. on February 14, 1992 with a transmission of R.E.M.'s "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" being heard across Anchorage. In February 2007, KRUA celebrated fifteen years of FM broadcasting with musical guests Cursive and The Paperchase.
As part of KRUA's licensing agreement and obligations, the station is available as an educational institution within the department of Journalism and Public Communications at UAA.
Volunteers
KRUA is run by student staff and a body of volunteers who are students and citizens of Anchorage. The show schedule format varies widely, and KRUA has volunteer programs that cover a large range of genres. Such genres include everything from indie-rock and heavy metal to dance and electronic music.
Student volunteers
Students who wish to be volunteers at KRUA must satisfy a number of requirements before being allowed to host an on-air program. Any student attempting to be involved must currently:
All current or returning volunteers must achieve these standards each semester.
Failure to meet these qualifications will result in a student volunteer being released from duties at the station. Student volunteers are required to fulfill a 3-hour-a-week obligation, and may not exceed more than 20 hours per week of volunteer work at the station. On-air volunteer conduct must adhere to all FCC/station policies. Trained student volunteers will be the first in line for open on-air positions.
Community volunteers
All community volunteers are required to undergo the same on-air training as student volunteers, adhere to the same FCC/station policies and must pay an amount equal to the student media fee taken with UAA tuition. After completion of training, they will be offered on-air positions only after the opportunity has been made available to student volunteers.
Alumni volunteers
Former employees and volunteers of KRUA who left in good standing can return as alumni at their previous level status after completing on-air training. Alumni volunteers are held to the same FCC standards as all others, but are exempt from paying the student media fee. Alumni will be offered on-air positions only after the opportunity has been made available to student volunteers.
Intern volunteers
Intern volunteers, those individuals who have been sent to the station to fulfill academic or vocational requirements, are required to complete the same on-air training and follow the same FCC/station guidelines as any other within the station. All interns are required to work 6 hours a week.
Staff
KRUA's student staff make up the entire body of workers at the station. Positions include:
Funding
As KRUA is non-commercial, it is funded through student media fees and donations through underwriting.
Media
The station has a news department, consisting of the News Director and reporters of news, sports, and public affairs topics. A show titled "The News Feed" airs every Friday at 4:00pm and showcases the news covered by the department each week. Podcasts of broadcast news programs are available on the station's website.