Seattle history was made in the basement of a dormitory on Seattle University’s campus last month. The school’s radio station, KXSU, is the first of several new low-power FM stations to broadcast in Seattle.
Thanks to a license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), KXSU is now streaming music and programming on 102.1 FM. While the license was granted in 2014, it has been a long process leading up to initial broadcast.
In 2011, the FCC announced that it would allow stations to apply for low-power FM frequencies across the country. Seattle University was one of many that applied soon after. The school was awarded the license two years later and a construction permit to build a tower on top of the Campion dorm building.
Because KXSU is a student-run club, the station is able to receive private funds from the university. In presentations to the university about why funding was necessary, KXSU emphasized the community benefits on and off campus.
“Legitimizing the radio station as a real station helps connect the university with the community,” said Shannon Phelps, general manager for the station during the application process, from 2014-2015. “It opens up possibilities for more classes in media and public speaking.”
Future programming is to include radio theater, sports and news broadcasts.
“KXSU will help amplify and expand community programs such as Seattle University’s Youth Initiative and Law Clinic, and help increase the university’s civic engagement by providing a voice for the university in the community,” station Faculty Advisor John Carter said in a press release from the university. Programming such as the Cultural Language Bridge program, which helps international students practice English, will continue to be supported by KXSU.
Low-power FM stations are reserved for educational and noncommercial broadcasts and only have 100 watts of power covering no more than ten miles (KXSU is expected to reach seven miles).
The licensing is limited and filing periods occur sporadically. It has been 20 years since the last call for applications, Carter said. From this latest crop of applications, seven other stations were approved in Seattle.