In 2009, WSU Vancouver’s first student radio station, Koug Radio, was launched. Koug Radio offered around-the-clock internet streaming service and 10 different program formats with a wide range of topics. Supplying the latest and freshest music to hit the airwaves, students could add their own personalized flair to the organization by becoming members of Koug Radio with custom talk shows, podcasts and musical segments.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused Koug Radio to vanish and dismantle operations. WSU Vancouver’s Office of Student Involvement saw many employment turnovers – including Koug Radio’s former advisor. Kylie Sickles, a junior in the DTC program and now the current Station Manager, stated that the program had lost a lot of institutional knowledge.
The revival of Koug Radio involves implementing a similar structure to the previous iteration of Koug Radio, where DJs and podcasters will have hour-long segments. DJs can choose from various music genres or gear towards a specific educational avenue. According to Sickles, podcasters can talk about pretty much any topic as long as they adhere to certain broadcasting restrictions.
“We are not looking to have podcasts that are necessarily political or religious just because it is a university radio station and a state university radio station at that, but there is still a lot of freedom there,” Sickles said.
One of the ongoing struggles with bringing the program back to life is reclaiming its old website domain or creating a new one. Currently, anyone who wishes to learn more about Koug Radio will be hard-pressed to do so if they visit their official website, because the domain ran out earlier in the semester. According to Sickles, no one had been responsible for renewing it. According to the Whois website, the Koug Radio domain was picked up by an overseas firm based in Jiangsu, China. From the looks of it, the site appears to be riddled with advertisements now, a far cry from the former glory of Koug Radio. Luckily for the program moving forward, they have their archives stored on WordPress, an open-source content management system for websites, so their contents can be easily transferred to a new website.
Most mainstream podcasts have largely transferred to streaming platforms like YouTube, Spotify, and SoundCloud. When asked about the possibility of utilizing streaming services for uploading podcasts, Sickles stated that it would be wonderful to upload Koug Radio’s content, especially podcasts and special DJ and radio segments.
“I would love to look into giving them as much autonomy with their creations as we can. Because, at the end of the day, this is the creation part of Koug Radio. A lot of the creation part really happens in this podcasting and DJing sector. Where students are coming in and devoting their time to sharing their interests and their love of either music or specific topics with other students,” Sickles said.
Sickles is also looking to collaborate with the KUGR Radio program at WSU Pullman. The aim is to establish connections with KUGR to combine their streaming platforms, have radio festivals and make guest appearances on each other’s broadcasts.
Currently, Sickles is looking to hire a programming director, a social media director, and a tech director. She also mentioned that these applications are getting finalized and sent out on the University’s hiring platform, Handshake, and the school’s Coug Presence webpage. As soon as they have a programming director, Koug Radio will look for student DJs and podcasters.
“I would love to look into giving them as much autonomy with their creations as we can. Because, at the end of the day, this is the creation part of Koug Radio.” – Kylie Sickles
“I am wildly excited to get some DJs and podcasters because they are the people that bring all the sparkle to Koug Radio. Hopefully, doing some more events, not just DJing but also creating and sponsoring events. Just getting out there and being involved on campus, having a real presence, and connecting with students,” Sickles said.
The pandemic resulted in the loss of several major clubs and student organizations on the WSU Vancouver campus. However, students are now more driven than ever to be a part of the campus community culture, and the resurrection of Koug Radio will be another chance for students to get involved. With ambitious goals and a clear vision, the program aims to make a big splash in 2023.
Shawyan is a junior studying computer science at WSU Vancouver.