90.5 the Kat, Sam Houston State University’s radio station, known for informative and entertaining content, celebrated its 40th birthday on Monday.
On Oct. 7, 1973, KSHU got its start as a small time radio station broadcasting out of the Peabody Library with only 10 watts of power, just enough juice to reach the edges of on-campus listeners, according to Debbi Hatton, the station’s current faculty adviser.
The birthday passed quietly without much celebration by the station, but for students in the mass communication department, the station is important as a learning opportunity.
“The station has provided an opportunity for all kinds of students, not just mass communications majors to get hands on experience,” Hatton said. “It has also acted as a first start for many students’ news careers.”
The station now reaches almost all of Walker County, and it has become an information hub for both students and residents. The day-to-day content is planned and executed by students like Trent Scott, who has worked at the station for four semesters.
“Working there is a blast. It’s the best part of my week, whether it be hosting or scheduling,” Scott, the current student radio director, said.
The station gained local fame for live-broadcasting about Old Main as it burned down in 1984, despite the Peabody Library itself in danger of catching fire, Hatton said.
KSHU has expanded and added a Spanish-language station, known as El Gato, in the spring of 2012.