SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) – The Mass Communications Department at Western Iowa Technical Community College (WITCC) is expanding its curriculum with the launch of a student-led, low-power FM radio station.
The station has a low-power FM construction permit from the FCC, an honor bestowed every 10 years.
“This is something I've wanted to do for about the last 10 years,” said program coordinator Chris Mansfield, “so I was very excited when I got the notice that we'd been selected to get the building permit.”
The station will be called KWSR and will be an expansion of the currently streaming program “Comet Radio.”
“It's great to have a streaming station and have it all work, and students are learning a lot,” Mansfield said, “but to broadcast it and have people listen to it on their radios at home or in their cars gives it a little more legitimacy.”
This expansion will teach students more than just how to produce a successful show.
“You learn things like time management. You learn how to set up and communicate with people. You get the opportunity to share the music that's important to you,” Mansfield said. “On the technical side, once you understand how it works, you can take advantage of it.”
But students aren't the only ones who can enjoy the art of radio broadcasting.
“The door is open, and if someone wants to come in and host a show or have one of our students come in and share some airtime, we're all for it,” Mansfield said. “This is a resource for the university and the community, and we can really step out there and invite other people in the community to share their stories.”
WITCC plans to have KWSR fully operational by the end of 2025. Listeners can tune in at 94.3 FM.
