If students enjoyed the concert featuring the bands Handle and The Dre Allen Project, held at Plaza Vaquero on Nov. 20, they should anticipate more to come.

One may not realize that this event was not only coordinated by ASGCC, but also the schools very own radio station
KGCC is a student-run Web-based radio station, created by and for students, to provide the campus with access to a variety of music and topics of interest to students.

It is also a course offered on campus for students who would like to learn about radio broadcasting.

“The DJ’s have a lot of freedom to create their own programs,” said Nalini Lasiewicz, communications director.

The station was put together as a credited course this semester to give students the opportunity to be further aware of the events and issues pertaining to the campus. Among the many DJ’s who run the station are Troy Robertson, Michael Pitts, Steve Avil, Ana Ferrano, Amy Beyleryan and Edson Aguilar. These students all bring a different flavor to the station, since the opportunity for creativity is wide open.

One of the first tasks for the station this semester is to inform the student body that the campus does in fact have a radio station. By putting together events, such as the concert on Nov. 20, the station hopes to encourage more students to join the staff.

In hopes of achieving this goal, the station is sorting out legal contracts, rights and clearances to give students the opportunity for direct access. With direct access, students can log on to the radio station from home. The idea is in the process of being reviewed, but once approved, the radio station will be launched over the World Wide Web.

“We have 30 hours of programming this semester, per week, and we’d like that to increase,” said Lasiewicz.

With the campus’ interests in mind, the station hopes to work together to provide students with further exposure to the resources on campus. Aside from keeping students updated on campus news, the station also plays a variety of music ranging from hip-hop, rap, rock, and punk.
Roberson, for instance, has a show, which airs Mon-Thurs 1 to 2 p.m., and on Wednesday nights, called “Tell All with Teroya.” During this show, Roberson gives students the scoop on events that took place during the course of the week and provides students with information on various celebrities.

“I don’t get too political,” said Roberson. “I just go into what is going on.” Teroya, a broadcast journalism major, feels that her experience with the station has taught her a lot in how to work with the equipment, and how to keep her voice together.

There are several other aired programs which students on campus can benefit from.

Ferraro and Beyleryan for example, have a show called “Focal Point,” which airs on the charter television channels. They take the synopses of what takes place on the show and include it during their time on the air with KGCC. The focus of their show is to promote new and upcoming musicians to the community. On the air with KGCC, Ferraro and Beyleryan play live music from the bands they interview on their show, giving both signed and local bands the opportunity to promote their music to a larger population.

“Next semester, its going to be huge,” said Roberson. ” I know that there are going to be lots of students who are going to want to come on board after they see the success [of the radio show] and how much you can learn.”

The radio station has several goals that it would like to achieve in the future. In the upcoming semester, Lasiewicz plans on putting together an international music show, where international students will be interviewed and then asked to bring in music from their cultures.

She believes the opportunity will be a great way for them to get involved with the larger student population. They are also planning on building archives, so if students miss a specific radio broadcast, they can just log on to the Web site and have access to the programmed archives.

“Also, we want to be able to raise more money to buy the digital recording equipment to go around campus and create programs based on what happens on campus,” said Lasiewicz. With this equipment, the radio station will be able to document and record jazz concerts, choir concerts, and other events taking place on campus.

With all the promotion, it may be easy to tell that students have a variety of plans to better the radio station in the future. The station plans to hold additional concerts, thus bringing a taste of the radio station to the student body. Music is one of their main focuses since many students on campus seek an interest in music.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for the students to learn how to do broadcasting and to get experienced,” said Lasiewicz.

The link for students who would like to access KGCC is www.glendale.edu/radio.