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Elk Grove Citizen

A freewheeling 'audio sandbox,' Sacramento State student radio KSSU celebrates 30th anniversary

Apr 08, 2022 12:00AM ● By Sacramento State Media Advisory

Charlotte Barna, an Anthropolgy major, helms the microphone during her DJ shift at KSSU. Students who are part of the volunteer staff come from various academic backgrounds. Photo courtesy of Sacramento State/Andrea Price

A freewheeling 'audio sandbox,' Sacramento State student radio KSSU celebrates 30th anniversary [2 Images] Click Any Image To Expand

SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - Sacramento State’s student-run online radio station KSSU will celebrate 30 years of broadcasting to the campus community and beyond on April 8 in the University Union.

KSSU has served as a radio industry training ground and student sounding board since it launched on the airwaves in 1991. More than 3,000 Sac State students have worked at the station.

It now is heard via the internet from its studio on the first floor of the University Union. Each semester about 40 student volunteers, not all looking for broadcasting careers, learn a wide range of skills related to broadcasting, advertising, engineering, programming, journalism, and other fields.

“This is our audio sandbox,” said KSSU advisor Aaron Wall, student services coordinator for Associated Students Inc. “Students play music that they love and talk about topics that interest them.”

KSSU offers news, talk shows, music and interviews, sponsors campus events, and hosts podcast workshops. It has become a consistent Sac State presence, broadcasting remotely from a variety of university and student events.

During the pandemic lockdown, KSSU maintained its connection with the campus community as DJs worked from makeshift studios at home.

“We didn’t have a single pause,” said Wall, a 2020 Sac State graduate who began his career at KSSU as a volunteer DJ. 

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