I love listening to radio stations in general, and my being a student here does not bias my critique. There are some things at UM-St. Louis that are not good.
The U is not one of them. Real radio strikes a balance between independent artists and what's hot.
The U is a really great radio station.
It is a non-commercial station, which is nice because there are no breaks in the music. It runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week and also broadcasts via their website, www.umslradio.com.
I must say that I am highly entertained by the U when I'm lounging around in the MSC doing absolutely nothing while I wait for my next class to start.
One of the things I love the most about the U is that it is very welcoming to new DJs and all kinds of people. Their DJs do not have to be communications or media studies majors.
Any person that wants to be a DJ can do so. I love the freedom the DJs are given to structure their own show.
Of course, the FCC has its rules on what can be played and said on the radio as well as the fines for violating them, but that doesn't have anything to do with the radio station.
I remember last semester, there was an incident where one of the DJs was saying some pretty derogatory things on air. He hollered, "what about my free speech?" on his little soapbox in protest to him getting fired. Yes you have free speech rights, but not on the radio. Duh.
The U does not have any restrictions on what can be said except for those provided by the FCC and of course bashing the school, its faculty, etc.
Many schools, even some in our University system, are fortunate enough to not be told what to do and say.
The other plus of The U radio station is that their music is awesome! It is not like other radio stations that only play one genre of music.
I love all different types of music. Some of my personal favorites include Nelly Furtado, Shakira, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lupe Fiasco, Chrisette Michelle, Shania Twain and Green Day.
I find the U very satisfying to all my musical tastes. I have also been invited to on air debates about everything from dating to campus living.
I was a student at both Saint Louis University and Mizzou before coming to UM-St. Louis.
When I lived in Columbia, Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Columbia College, and Mizzou all had radio stations and I listed to all of them. I also listened to the radio station Missouri S&T broadcasts via their website.
They all failed in comparison to the diversity of music played at The U.
None of them engaged in candid, unrehearsed debates on air about every day issues.
None of them played all kinds of music from every genre. I have never heard such freedom expression on a campus radio station and I think we all take the station for granted. Stop doing that.
Afton Anderson is a copy editor for The Current. This opinions expressed in this article are those of Afton Anderson, and not necessarily those of The Current.
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