NEWS

Drury radio station carving out its place on FM dial

Claudette Riley
CRILEY@NEWS-LEADER.COM

Correction: This story originally had the name incorrect for news director Erin Hotchkiss.

Jonathan Groves, station advisor for KDRU Radio, records a program at the Drury University Radio station on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2017.

Drury University has long been home to an internet-based radio station that was broadcast, through a complicated antenna system, in various campus buildings.

The reach and the impact were severely limited, however. Jonathan Groves, chair of the communications department, believed the student-run college radio station could be so much more if it were available on the FM dial.

He envisioned a learning laboratory for students that provided a format for experimental storytelling, public affairs journalism and independent, local and lesser-known music.

"There is a void in the media market in Springfield, and what we want to do is help fill that and that's from a music perspective, a news perspective, an information perspective," said Groves, who advises the students who run KDRU 98.1 FM. "How can we use the resources of the students of the university to fill this gap in the community?"

To figure out how to accomplish that goal, Groves is working closely with adjunct professor Kent Otto, station manager Clayton Baumgarth, news director Erin Hotchkiss and students in the Drury broadcast organization and Radio Activities courses.

"This is something that will unfold over the next year or two," he said. "It's not something that you can snap your fingers and make happen."

The process of moving the Drury radio station from internet-only to FM was expensive, complicated and time-consuming. It took more than three years.

The university jumped through the hoops necessary to get the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, license required to broadcast a low-power FM station, which has more freedom than commercial-based radio stations allowed to operate above 100 watts of power.

It also spent an estimated $10,000, with help from the university's Student Government Association, to obtain the additional equipment needed.

Kent Otto, an adjunct professor at Drury University, works with freshman Calah Shields on radio programming on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2017.

"This first year, we wanted to nail down the format and what our role was in the community," Groves said.

That role is still developing.

Listeners who tune in can hear a wide variety of music, syndicated news updates and weekly shows produced by students.

"Any show that you hear is going to be completely thought up and done by students here at the school," said Baumgarth, 21.

He added: "We want to provide students the opportunity to do what they want, build on their own shows but always with the end goal of going deeper than surface level."

Each week, Baumgarth hosts a "talk show" that typically includes a monologue and on-air games. "It's very lighthearted. It's a place for my friends and I to hang out and talk on air."

Hotchkiss, 22, a junior in strategic communications, hosts a weekly "time warp" show featuring music from the 1960s and 1970s.

Erin Hotchkiss and Jonathan Groves work on sound bites for a story at the Drury University Radio station on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2017.

In one show, she discussed her personal vinyl collection, In another, a day before the inauguration, she played patriotic and protest music from the era.

KDRU broadcast the university's annual Christmas Vespers choral concert, a radio play and participated in local music showcases.

Students who want to get involved with the radio station must first take an introductory Radio Activities course offered by Otto. Instruction ranges from the FCC rules to how to operate the equipment. It is open to students in any major.

Otto said experience in radio can help students gain a wide variety of technical and interpersonal skills that can make them more marketable in the workplace. For example, they learn how to communicate effectively, engage in community outreach and produce content.

"The reality is, the art of just being a radio deejay is not going to provide you many post-college opportunities," he said.

Otto, who has been involved in radio since he was a teen, curates the playlists for an electronic music showcase that starts at 9 each night.

"That, in particular, is not something that typically works well on commercial radio because advertisers don't always get behind it," Otto said, noting it's a better fit for low-power FM. "It gives us a unique opportunity to cater to a specific audience in town."

KDRU is also interested in showcasing Springfield area bands and musicians.

Groves said for the university's radio station to thrive, it must set itself apart from other options. In time, he wants the station to actively produce public affairs journalism based on issues, such as poverty, that are important to the Springfield community.

With Hotchkiss, he is exploring the following: "What are things going on in the community that you aren't hearing elsewhere? How can we provide a forum for that?"

This year, the close-knit broadcast station crew set up a second production studio across from its headquarters in the Shewmaker Communications Center. The goal was to create a recording and production place that will allow the station to develop journalistic content.

Groves explained that over time, the goal is to have a team of reporters providing content that is of interest to the university and Springfield as a whole.

"It's this idea of filling this gap in the community," he said. "That is what our goal is."

From left, Clayton Baumgarth, Erin Hotchkiss and Jonathan Groves record a program at the Drury University Radio station on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2017.

Want to join?

The Drury University Broadcasting organization, called KDRU, includes a student-run radio station. It meets at 3 p.m. on Tuesdays at least once a month in the Shewmaker CommunicationsCenter.

Students can join by enrolling in Radio Activities 141 to gain experience, for at least one semester, in how to operate and manage the KDRU radio station. After that, students can enroll in other classes to stay active or work at the station as a member of the organization.

The campus adviser is Jonathan Groves. He can be reached at 417-873-7347 and jgroves@drury.edu.

Want to listen?

A weekly schedule for KDRU shows includes the following: 

  • Mondays  — 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., The Hangout Sports Podcast, hosted by Ben Fisher and John Miller
  • Tuesdays  — 5 p.m., The Front Page, hosted by Clayton Baumgarth, Jonathan Groves and Erin Hotchkiss; 6 to 8 p.m., The Catch Up, hosted by Clayton Baumgarth
  • Wednesdays  — 4:30 to 6 p.m., The Deb and G-Chrome show, hosted by Alec ‘G-chrome’ Presley and Deb
  • Thursdays  — 4 to 6 p.m., Timewarp Thursday, hosted by Erin Hotchkiss
  • Fridays  — 2 to 4 p.m., Billboard Blurbs, hosted by Max Prater
  • Every night  — 9 p.m. to 3 a.m., Electricity Radio, curated by Kent Otto.