The University of Denver’s student-run radio station, KVDU, powers up this fall with an ambitious staff and a positive new mission to conquer campus one listener at a time despite consistently low numbers of listeners in the past.
After a massive remodeling project and the addition of the latest equipment, the station is in fine working order.
The staff structure also underwent some changes with the appointment of two new station managers. Seniors Will Dugan and Wilson Standish, are attempting to up the number of listeners with a new marketing driven approach to running the station.
According to Standish, “Good music isn’t enough. A station needs to be marketed in a unique way.”
From stickers and T-shirts, to old-fashioned word of mouth, KVDU aims to increase visibility on campus. Dugan and Standish understand that many students opt for iTunes these days, but hope to get people to choose KVDU when working online.
Becoming a KVDU DJ is now easier with recruiting events in the dorms as well as at campus-wide events like the Housing Fair. This is being done to attract more new people to increase the variety and number of shows the station offers. Now the station features jazz, hip hop, electronica and jam shows in addition to the standard indie rock fare of collegiate radio.
In the past, the station has been a favorite with a smaller music-minded crowd. This year, the station aims to expand that demographic. The new goal is to get students from outside the station excited about sharing fresh music with one another through KVDU listenership.
“You can listen to mainstream radio and iTunes, but KVDU plays music that the staff genuinely loves and wants to share,” says Standish.
An important part of this idea lies in the easy accessibility of listeners to influence what is played.
“We aren’t commercially driven so everyone has a hand in what is played,” says Dugan.
Now that the station has added an in-studio phone line, AIM account and soon a Web cam, listeners can truly be interactive with the DJ’s.
“Two station managers will help to run the station in a more DJ-friendly way,” according to Dugan.
The new managers encourage the DJs to make the station successful by getting creative with contests, show promotion and giveaways.
“We have learned from past mistakes, so this year we are stepping back and trusting the staff to do great things,” says Dugan.
Senior DJ Raquel Villanueva is optimistic that the staff will rise to the challenge. She believes that the new marketing plan will really help boost listener numbers.
“If we give people a good campaign and a good reason to listen, then we will rock this joint,” she says.
With a broad grin she adds, “plus we give away tons of free stuff and people love free stuff.”
