Search

ARCHIVES
CONTACT US
WORLD NEWS

Settin' up KAMP

Surprise - the university has its own radio station! Well, it's not a radio station per se. KAMP can't be heard with any radio, not in a car stereo and not even from a radio in Arizona-Sonora - a residence hall no more than 50 yards away from the radio studio in the Park Student Union.

That's because the station currently has no frequency. Instead, KAMP relies on television and the Internet to broadcast its programming.

To hear KAMP, students can tune in to TV-20, a cable channel broadcast throughout the dorms. Listeners can also pick up the station at http://kamp.arizona.edu and hear the station while surfing via Real Audio.

But the station received new hope in achieving an actual radio signal Sunday at the KAMP retreat at the Varsity Clubs of America Suites Hotel.

Caroline Diep, KAMP's elected student-at-large, said the station received word that KAMP may be able to receive a low-frequency AM radio signal sometime this year.

Low Frequency Coalition representative Michael Bracy told the students Sunday that the Federal Communications Commission will vote on a proposal today that would allow 1000 non-commercial stations like KAMP to broadcast via low-frequency (10-100 watt) signals up to 3 1/2 miles from the station.

If the proposal passes, Congress must approve it as a bill.

KAMP lost its license for broadcasting at the 1570 AM frequency a year ago because of an interference conflict with 1550 AM.

But for the time being, the only way for the general public to listen to KAMP programming is online.

"That's where the future of radio is - the Internet," said D.J. 12-Inch, whose name is an obvious indicator that the KAMP staff is allowed to choose their own aliases. He's also known as undecided sophomore Scott Seltzer.

"We get people calling in from Pittsburgh and stuff," Seltzer said.

That sounds like a false boast, but Seltzer speaks the truth, at least when referring to his station's callers.

On a recent "Nastyland" show, which Seltzer cohosts with D.J. Nasty (Also known as business freshman Scott Davenport), two Internet listeners called in - both were from Texas.