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KSLU
	Free-format/follows FCC Regulations and CMJ requirements
Ownership
Owner	Saint Louis University
History
First air date	1920 (as WEW), 1949 (as KBIL), 1983 (as KSLU)
Links
Website	kslu.slu.edu

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KSLU (Saint Louis University)

KSLU is the only on-campus radio station at Saint Louis University. The broadcast is a 24 hour webcasted feed from the studio located near the US Bank in the Busch Student Center. The studio offers many services, operations, and facilities including a production and recording studio, and Mobile DJ services available for hire to provide anything from simple loudspeaker rental, to a complete Live Disc Jockey service, all at varying prices. As of 1994, KSLU is also a College Music Journal station and has since been in complete cooperation with the publishing company.

History

The origins of KSLU began in 1920 when Saint Louis University licensed call sign, WEW; a faculty run religious radio station.^[1] This was the first radio station ever established west of the Mississippi River. In 1949, the Saint Louis University Communications Department transitioned the content of the station to a student-operated program, and with it, changed to a new call sign designation, KBIL.^[2] The new station only broadcasted to the local student population campus due to utility limitations. However, this was not entirely detrimental as the mission for the new student run station was to train students interested in entering the already popular profession of radio entertainment.^[3] KBIL gave students an opportunity to practice among an audience of their peers. In 1983 Saint Louis University changed their call sign when the Federal Communication Commission seized their name. Operating under the new call letters KSLU, the station has remained to this day.^[4] Currently the station broadcasts over the university cable network and the Internet because the license for the radio frequency was not renewed.^[5] This shift from traditional local broadcast now gives KSLU an international broadcast range and has gained the station significant campus recognition. In the 1990’s KSLU began to gain significant momentum. With popularity growing by broadcasting on campus cable, the mission of the station was shifting to mainly music broadcast. In 1994, KSLU gained benefits from becoming a College Music Journal station, which brought in substantial CD and audio contributions from the program.^[6] The station also continued to gain resources from donations helping the station modernize and establish more campus presence. Today the station is still broadcasting on campus cable and the Internet.^[7] When the University built the Busch Student Center, KSLU received space for a new and even more modernized studio on campus.^[8] The student body continues to grow KSLU radio and brings a variety of student run programming centered on all different varieties and genres of music for the Saint Louis University masses and internet listeners.

Current Operations

Production Studio

KSLU has and administers services from their production studio. This studio is equipped with multiple guitar and bass amplifiers, a few instruments, recording equipment, and a small box equipped to record vocal styling. Furthermore, the production studio includes an office containing all the major recording equipment connected to a computer outfitted for recording, sound editing, and publishing. KSLU members have also been known to temporarily donate their personal instruments to the studio for use. The Productions Director has jurisdiction over the use of all equipment in the production studio.

Mobile DJ Service

Mobile DJ is a service that utilizes portable live equipment to set up and provide music and commentary at any event. Equipment includes a PA system, complete with loudspeakers and speaker stands, a mixing board for sound fading and routing, microphones, and device connections. Mobile DJ evaluates and takes service requests from anyone through the KSLU website. Each request is evaluated and accepted or requested at the discretion of the Mobile DJ Director. All requests are also evaluated on their level of involvement. There are 3 involvement levels. Live DJ is for events where a DJ will be playing music for the sake of an event focused on the DJ. Such events mainly include different dances. Live DJ Services are currently charged $50 per hour. Background DJ is for events where the DJ plays music, but the general focus is upon other aspects of the event. Such events would include fundraisers, promotions etc. Background DJ events are charged $35 per hour. Finally, equipment rental is also offered, allowing groups to operate the equipment themselves without assistance from any KSLU personnel. Equipment rental is currently $20 per hour. Financially, a new option has been added to the pricing as of 2014. This pricing is for flash mobs. Due to flash mobs being generally short events, these events are not charged by the hour, but rather charged a flat rate of $20.

24 Hour Broadcasting

KSLU is mainly known for the broadcast studio equipped for broadcasting. A constant radio is broadcasted 24/7. During certain scheduled periods, KSLU members host shows on radio, and at all other times, an off-air playlist is broadcasted. KSLU also tends to host a promotional event known as the 24-Hour Broadcast. This event has KSLU members hosting shows for 24 hours straight. This results in the creation of simple one-timer shows. The broadcasted feed can be accessed from TuneIn. The proper TuneIn link can be found on the homepage of the current website.

Musical Event Planning

KSLU furthermore plans musical events throughout campus. Most large events are generally located in the Billiken Club within the Busch Student Center. Events range from simple open-mic nights and Mobile DJ Showcases, to concerts done by generally independent artists that come into contact with the Station.

Executive Directors

KSLU has a hierarchy of leadership, with primary leaders, and a group of directors meant to oversee different specialized committees.

General Manager

Essentially the president of KSLU, the General Manager oversees all operations occurring in KSLU and maintains the highest level of authority.

Operations/Station Manager

Essentially the vice-president of KSLU, the Station Manager carries mostly all of the responsibilities of the General Manager, but is more directly involved in all the operations, and maintains the second-highest level of authority.

Committees

KSLU has many committees or departments dedicated to specialized tasks within the entirety of KSLU’s operations. Each committee has a director leading and administering for the committee under whom all committee members work.

External Music

The External Music Department is responsible for collaborating with College Music Journal and acquiring new tracks and albums that the station can play.

Internal Music

The Internal Music Department acquires the new tracks and albums from External Music and categorizes and organizes them by labeling, rating, and inserting the tracks into music playlists in the broadcasting studio so that radio hosts may utilize them.

Promotions

The Promotions department advertises KSLU and all of KSLU’s hosted events throughout campus, aiming to increase the station’s reputation and popularity and produce large attendance and participation in events.

Programming Director

The Programming Director ensures the continuity of broadcasting. Certain aspects of this continuity is verification that show hosts practice good attendance and reliability with their show, and verification that show hosts play a certain mandated number of CMJ additions.

Events

The Events Department is responsible for creating and organizing KSLU related events throughout the campus. Certain responsibilities in these operations would include collaborating with the proper on campus services needed to secure spaces and acquire necessary resources.

Recruitment

The Recruitment Department engages in advertising KSLU directly to the newest students to the campus in order to spark interest and recruit new members.

Training

The Training Director trains acquired recruits to properly operate the equipment in the broadcasting room, and the Mobile DJ equipment. The Training Director may also give insight into how the station operates.

Mobile DJ

Mobile DJ receives and accepts requests by different campus organizations and private parties to provide live music in different events. Such services range from simple equipment rental, to a complete Live DJ.

Sports Broadcasting

Sports Broadcasting conducts projects to broadcast commentary of live sports throughout campus.

Webmaster

The Webmaster designs and maintains the KSLU website. This website offers a link to the broadcast feed on the homepage, and offers historical information about the station, personnel information, show scheduling, and a link to complete a Mobile DJ form, amongst many other things.

Reviews

Reviews maintains the quality of radio shows by developing, maintaining, revising, and administering a rating system designed to score and grade shows based on quality, and provide feedback for radio shows to improve.

Finances

The Finance Director maintains budget and handles all monetary concerns, including the sending of invoices for any services for which KSLU makes a profit.

Production

The Production Director is responsible for maintaining the equipment in the recording studio. Furthermore the Production Director is also involved in directly upgrading studio equipment, and administers and directs recordings for all projects. Such projects include recordings by third party groups, including artists, and recordings by KSLU members for the purpose of their shows.

Local Music

Local Music is responsible for maintaining contact with the surrounding community of local bands, artists, and producers, and is the primary source to invite artists for recordings, interviews, and other events.

Billiken Club

The Billiken Club Director is responsible for managing, overseeing, and organizing events hosted in the Billiken Club, the most utilized venue by KSLU, and maintaining contact with those responsible for administering its use.

Photos

The vocal booth in the Production Studio.
The Broadcast Studio.
Some of the equipment.
CD shelves housed in the Common Area.
A drum set housed in the Production Studio.
Shelves of New Release CDs in the broadcasting Studio. Also pictured: Turntables for use in the broadcasting studio.
Packed Mobile DJ equipment.
A view of Microphone 3 and the mixing board in the Broadcasting Studio.
The Computer system for the Production Studio.
Some of the equipment in the Production Studio.