KANM
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
KANM Student Radio is the student-run radio station of Texas A&M University. It operates at 1690 AM as a Part 15 unlicensed campus AM station, on campus cable television channel 88, at 99.9 cable FM on Bryan/College Station Suddenlink cable, as well as serving several audio streams via the Internet.
Student radio at Texas A&M began in 1971 as BCS Radio, a student-run cable FM station operating at 89.1 that originally was a for-profit venture that quickly became a non-profit station. Student Government took an interest in forming an official student radio station, and in 1973 the remnants of BCS Radio and the student government station were consolidated into Student Government Radio, which began operation at 107.5 cable FM in 1973. These early operations were located in the back of a barber shop off campus next to Midwest Cable's head-end. At the time, cable FM technology had risen in popularity as a cheap way to start a small radio station. The station primarily consisted of Top 40 music of the era.
In 1976, due to perpetual financial shortfalls, student government support for the station was discontinued and a student organization called KANM was officially formed to take over where SGR left off. To this day, KANM is still only a recognized student organization and receives no funding from the University.
KANM eventually moved to a study lounge on north side and changed frequencies to 99.9 cable FM. In the early 1980s, KANM was given its own office space on campus at The Pavilion, and was given a small budget with which to purchase new equipment and music. In 1989, the University made appropriations for a new console and turntables, and was in talks to purchase a local AM station, KAGC, for $50,000 for KANM, but the owner later decided not to sell (in 2006, this station was sold for $768,000 [1]). In 1992, the radio station moved again, this time to the John J. Koldus Building.
In 1991, a serious attempt to acquire an FM license was made by the station. A group of KANM students and university staff - led by Eric Truax, a graduate student - formed an independent nonprofit entity, Brazos Educational Radio, to protect the proposed new broadcast station from control by the Texas A&M Board of Regents. In 1992, the group filed the paperwork for a position on the FM spectrum in College Station. During this time the board of directors of Brazos Educational Radio consisted of Truax, Beth Weissinger, Mark McCann, Janina Hurtado and Heidi Halstead. All were KANM DJs and held positions as station staff.
However, friction developed between newer student members - who wanted only student participation - and the earlier members who favored both student and community participation. A series of meetings was held in 1993 and 1994 in which the student organization KANM was offered the opportunity to manage the proposed hybrid student/community radio station, but the new KANM student management rejected the offer. Brazos Educational Radio and the old KANM management were forced off campus. The Federal Communications Commission granted them a permit to broadcast in 1994 and it went on the air off-campus in March of 1995 as KEOS 89.1 FM (incidentally the same frequency as the original BCS Radio), with a mix of Texas A&M students, staff and community members.
In 1998, KANM began broadcasting as a Part 15 Campus AM station and became among the first college radio stations to stream audio via the Internet, using Real Audio.
In 2001, KANM replaced the barber shop on campus in the basement of the Memorial Student Center, bringing it full circle with its humble beginnings in an off campus barber shop.
In 2002, KANM switched to SHOUTcast streams, including a high-bandwidth 192kbps SHOUTcast stream that is still one of the highest bandwidth college radio streams. Also in 2002, KANM redesigned their website, becoming one of the first and only college radio stations to have a live updating playlist system. Later, Windows Media and Ogg Vorbis streams were added, as were metadata updates for the SHOUTcast and Ogg Vorbis streams.
In 2006, KANM began broadcasting on the campus cable television system, with its live on air playlist as video content.
