Fifty-two years ago, from a tiny storage room in Ridgeway Commons, the KUGS radio station made its first broadcast. The station has evolved in many ways, but has stayed true to its roots, still being a completely student-run and physical media radio station.
Every day, Bellingham locals can tune their radios to 89.3 FM and find a piece of Western waiting for them. Each DJ heard every hour is a student volunteer who personally curated a playlist to put on the air. Currently, KUGS has 64 active student volunteers.
“Students come in here with the same energy year after year: a deep interest in music,” said Jamie Hoover, who has been the general manager of KUGS for over 25 years.
KUGS is the second radio station in the country to stream online, meaning listeners can tune in even without access to a radio. This digital advancement does not take away from how intentionally analog KUGS is. KUGS is committed to remaining an all-physical station, only playing physical media like CDs and vinyl.
The KUGS studio has more than 2,000 vinyls and 15,000 CDs, with their collection growing each day, according to KUGS music director Sylvia London.
KUGS’ staff, including their general manager, music directors, sound engineers, marketing coordinators, production assistants and volunteers, are almost entirely students.
“Becoming a volunteer is super easy. Come by the studio, talk to Jamie, fill out a form and you’ll be added to the list,” London said.
The station being completely run by students creates a sense of familiarity for listeners. Listening to the radio and hearing music and voices from fellow students makes the listening experience feel personal in a way that a larger, commercial station might not.
“I’ll be driving and listening to 89.3, then suddenly I’ll hear the voice of some kid in my geology class coming through the speakers introducing the next song,” sophomore Western student Genevieve Lilly said. “It’s nice hearing people you know on the radio.”
Listening to KUGS gives people the opportunity to learn about local news and events, and to paint a picture of what Western is like through students’ music tastes.
From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., 89.3 plays their show titled “Music for the Masses,” in which each hour a student DJ plays new music of their choice that has come out within the last year. Volunteers at the studio get the opportunity to create their own radio show centered around different music themes.
“I get responses from folks saying they like hearing the different voices on air and the different variety of music tastes,” Hoover said. “That’s the vital point, and it keeps it interesting.”
KUGS makes a deliberate effort to feature local bands and artists on the radio station. The station even has its very own recording studio designated for bands to record CDs. Bands have left their mark on the studio by adding their names to the wall in the recording booth.
KUGS sound engineer Sean Atkins works with the Bellingham and PNW bands in the studio.
“Some local bands don’t have CDS of their music so they record here and we burn a CD for them. We really try to get local sound on the air,” Atkins said.
In 1974, KUGS hit the airwaves with just 10 watts of power; today, it has 950 watts, expanding the channel’s reach to the greater Bellingham and Whatcom County area.
“Having new technology over the years has made broadcasts smoother and allowed us to reach more people. We still have a ton of the old equipment in the engineering room,” Atkins said.
Lewis College professor of mass communications, Robert Rabe, explained the changes in radio laws and the importance of college stations.
“The Telecom Act of 1996 undid a lot of regulations and allowed for radio monopolies, bigger stations buying out smaller ones. It’s definitely hurt a lot of local stations. It’s very important for college radio stations to keep broadcasting and keep connecting to their community,” Rabe said.
DJs aren’t the only ones who have a say in what goes on air. If listeners want to recommend some of their favorite tracks, they can send a music submission and request to KUGS music directors.
As they state on their website, KUGS’ mission statement is to continue doing what they have done for the last 52 years:
“To provide programming that encourages a greater understanding of the human differences and cultural pluralism within the university community and the world we live in.”
Katherine Rogers (she/her) is a reporter on The Front’s campus life beat. This is her first quarter on The Front. She is a second-year visual journalism major. Outside of the newsroom, she does concert photography for local artists. You can reach her at katherinerogers.thefront@gmail.com.
