One of the studios of KTXT looking in from the third floor hallway. Photo by Reece Nations.
By Austin Laden
Up three flights of stairs and behind two sticker ridden doors is a community of music, sports and film lovers trying to preserve and revive a dying form of mass media – college radio.
Derrick Ginter is lead engineer and general manager of KTXT-FM The Raider 88.1. Ginter plays a vital role, along with student volunteers and employees.
The new mission for the station is one rooted in teaching and learning, Ginter said.
“Very few of my students actually make it into radio or broadcast,” he said. “But the students that do participate in our program come away with real experience on a real radio station.”
Ginter said the mission of the station is more important now than ever before. By getting involved through deejaying a show, participating in special events and continually requesting new additions to the station’s song library, volunteers like Emily Watson make up the heart and soul of college radio stations.
A cutout of Derek Ginter greets students outside his office door. Photo by Reece Nations.
“Prior to joining KTXT, I didn’t really know college radio was a thing,” Watson, a freshman creative media industries major from Cedar Park, said. “After joining KTXT, my perspective on college radio definitely did shift. It’s very important to have something like this at colleges– for kids to be able to express themselves and learn and get the experience.”
Watson, a who runs an hour block of programming on Thursdays, said she sees the need for college radio stations like KTXT to adapt to the ever-changing digital landscape.
“One thing college radio can do to stay modern and appealing is probably just having more music options,” Watson said.
Ginter said he sees the need to adapt the station as well, citing the internet as the biggest factor for college radio stations’ declining popularity.
“Thanks to the internet… there are countless options, you have multiple paths,” Ginter said. “You’ve got podcasting, you’ve got Spotify, Rhapsody, iTunes. Has radio declined? Yes, but it’s still important.”
Despite occupying a smaller role, Ginter said college radio is still a key component of the overall media landscape. College radio may not be as large as it once was, but it is still resonating with students worldwide.
Trinity FM, the student-run radio station of Trinity College Dublin, is the only college radio station in Ireland. In Dublin, 57% of 18-to-24-year old’s and 72% of people from older generations indicated they still tune into radio at least once a week, according to a study conducted last year by Joint National Listenership Research.
Last year, the media research firm Nielsen reported 91% of United States adults older than 18 years still listened to AM-FM radio monthly, according to the organization’s annual audio-focused report. As of July 2023, Nielson rated radio as the top mass reach ad-supported audio medium and indicated that 65% of listeners engage with radio outside of theirs homes, most commonly in their vehicles and “on the path to purchase.”
A volunteer student radio show broadcasts live from the third floor of CoMC. Photo by Reece Nations.
New York University’s WNYU-FM, another student-run radio station, has succeeded in the digital media age with its continually replenishing talent pool of hosts and ability to showcase local talent.
WNYU’s lineup of shows features a robust array of programs, and new students are recruited to the station each semester, according to its website. Although college radio may not be the most prominent or well-known media platform these days, those who have experience with it express the same sentiments Ginter does.
“You have more choices than ever to get your entertainment,” he said. “But we’re still here, which is what’s surprising to me. Even [with] the media landscape being the way it is, with all the options and choices the internet brings you, we still have radio. We’re still here.”
About Reece Nations
