90.5 The Kat Reformatted

Sam Houston State University’s student ran radio station, 90.5 The Kat, underwent a dramatic change this summer in terms of the type of genres it plays.

 

The Kat now only plays classic rock in the mornings, college rock in the afternoons, and hip-hop in the evenings. The Kat’s HD2 station plays classical in the mornings, jazz in the afternoons and Spanish in the evenings.

 

Together, Mass Communications Professor LeeAnn Muns and the Department of Mass Communication worked to make the radio stations more appealing to SHSU students as well as Huntsville natives. According to Muns, the purpose of the genre shift is to improve listeners’ response.

 

“If you haven’t tuned into our main radio station in quite some time, you might be surprised,” Muns said. “A lot of students were like, ‘You all play bad music. We don’t want to listen.’ Well, we listened to Sam students, and we’re trying to play what you all want to hear.”

 

Each month, Muns receives popular CDs and top music from different record labels. What students would usually hear on a Houston or Dallas radio station will now be streamed on 90.5 the Kat and its HD2 station.

 

“The type of music that you hear in a club, you will hear on 90.5,” Muns said. “If there’s something you would like to hear, all you have to do is shoot me an email. We’ll take care of you and get it on the air for you.”

 

Of course, any music with obscene language is prohibited due to guidelines put in place by the Federal Communications Commission.

 

“Even though we’re an educational radio station, we still have to follow and abide by the FCC rules,” Muns said.

 

However, Muns reassures listeners that the music will be up-to-date and something they enjoy.

 

“If it’s not a good song, we’re not going to play it,” Muns said. “If it’s something I’m unsure about, I’ll have a group of students come in, I’ll play the song, and I’ll ask what they think about it. They’ll say, ‘yeah, we like that song’ so it’s not just an old lady picking out the songs.”

 

In addition to commercial free music, the new station will offer public service announcements so students can stay informed.

 

“When you’re driving around for two hours looking for a parking space, you can listen to some good music all commercial free, and you’re not paying whatever it is for satellite,” Muns said.