(Image: Seattle U)
Friday, Capitol Hill will get a new option on the FM radio dial. KXSU, a station operated by Seattle University and part of a small wave of tiny, low-power FM stations planned for the city, will be live on the air at 102.1 FM starting at 10:21 A.M.
“Starting Friday, you’ll be able to listen in your car,” John Carter, faculty advisor for the station, said. The new signal will also give area merchants with old school radio set-ups another option beyond KEXP and will add a new hyperlocal voice to the area’s media options.
The school has operated a radio station since 1994 but it has only been available in the school’s dorms and online at ksubseattle.org.
UPDATE 2/26/16 10:30 AM: Here’s what the first 10 seconds sounded like, complete with dramatic silence before the call letters cracked to life:
The plan started in 2012, when the station had to get permission internally from the university. In 2014, the Federal Communications Commission granted 15 licenses for low-power FM stations in Washington, seven of which are in Seattle. Only one of the 15, Voice of Vashon, is on the air. Seattle University is poised to be the first of the seven Seattle stations to put its license to use.
Another nearby low-power station, the Central District-based Hollow Earth Radio has had a more difficult time raising funding for the low-power endeavor. The station, KHUH 100.3 FM, recently completed an Indiegogo campaign and was able to raise more than $27,000 to help cover startup costs such as putting up a radio tower and complete engineering studies. Continue reading →