The radio station at Montana Tech is up and running again. The station was automated during the spring and summer months but is now fully staffed and has completed necessary renovations to better serve its audiences.
KMSM (103.9 FM), which is owned by the Associated Students of Montana Tech (ASMT), has hired Halley Jalbert, Montana Tech Civil Engineering student, as the station manager, Miles Jaqua, Metallurgical Engineering student, as its assistant director, Maren Tanberg, Geological Engineering student, as Music Director, and Carson Coleman, Geological Engineering student, as a morning DJ. The station also has a new faculty advisor,Nick Hawthorne, Assistant Professor in the Technical Communication Department.
Over the summer, upgrades were made to the space to allow the station to run mobile. They will broadcast live from their first event this Friday, September 26 when they call the Montana Tech Hockey vs. Utah State game at 7:00 p.m. from the Butte Community Rink.
Other improvements to the station includes: ability to have 3 live mics during a radio show; live phone interviews; streaming from laptops, iPods, phones, etc.; CD and internet capabilities; and better sound quality. "These improvements allow the station to maintain the facility on our own, in an improved and convenient way," noted Jalbert.
The station currently has 16 DJs, with 12 of them being Montana Tech faculty, staff, and students. The station currently has 16 different shows running.
"We are thrilled to be up and running again," added Jalbert. "We are getting involved in more on campus and community events, such as working with ASMT to inform the campus about happenings at Montana Tech and in the community. We are especially delighted to team up with the Montana Tech Hockey Team to produce live remote broadcasts of the games."
The station was assigned the KMSM-FM call letters by the Federal Communications Commission on January 3, 1973.