KSJS
Encyclopedia
KSJS is a college radio station that broadcasts 24 hours a day from the campus of San Jose State University
in San Jose, California
, USA. It went on the air on February 11, 1963, with only 85 watts of power. The studio is located in Hugh Gillis Hall, easily accessible to RTVF majors. Originally, its transmitting antenna was installed atop the Walquist Library Building on campus, but broadcasting range was adversely affected due to the nearby Bank of America Building's superior height. Today, however, its transmitter atop Coyote Peak broadcasts 1500 watt
s, allowing the station to be heard by the entire Santa Clara Valley
and much of the San Francisco Peninsula
. Currently, the station features five musical formats: urban, electronic
, subversive rock, rock en Español
, and jazz
. It also has a variety of specialty broadcasting, including Radio Ethiopia, Mecca One, Celluloid Dreams, and the Disco Funk Explosion. The station is almost entirely student-run, and was one of the first radio stations in the nation to stream
its programming over the Internet
.
KSJS carried regular news programs produced by San Jose State's Radio-Television News Center, which had been started by Professor Gordon Greb in 1957. The programs in the 1960s included a world and national news program, broadcast shortly after the daily sign-on, and "Spectrum," a college news program with emphasis on San Jose State news.
From the 1970s through the early 1980s, KSJS was heavily-formatted, with students learning to "talk up" records, play public service announcement
s at appropriate times and even "backtime" songs to a top-of-the-hour newscast from Mutual News. In recent years, the station has taken on more of a free-form approach. KSJS has been named "Station of the Year" twice by the National Association of College Broadcasters.
Notable alumni include Kim Vestal, a longtime San Jose radio star, currently on KRTY
; Craig Bowers, production director at KGO-AM in San Francisco; Steve Scott, drivetime news anchor at WCBS-AM in New York City
; Mark Nieto news and traffic anchor at KMVQ-FM
in San Francisco; Lynn Gold, weekend news anchor at KLIV
; and Tony Kovaleski
, an investigative TV reporter at KMGH-TV
in Denver.
San José State University
San Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...
in San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, USA. It went on the air on February 11, 1963, with only 85 watts of power. The studio is located in Hugh Gillis Hall, easily accessible to RTVF majors. Originally, its transmitting antenna was installed atop the Walquist Library Building on campus, but broadcasting range was adversely affected due to the nearby Bank of America Building's superior height. Today, however, its transmitter atop Coyote Peak broadcasts 1500 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s, allowing the station to be heard by the entire Santa Clara Valley
Santa Clara Valley
The Santa Clara Valley is a valley just south of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California in the United States. Much of Santa Clara County and its county seat, San José, are in the Santa Clara Valley. The valley was originally known as the Valley of Heart’s Delight for its high concentration...
and much of the San Francisco Peninsula
San Francisco Peninsula
The San Francisco Peninsula is a peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area that separates the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. On its northern tip is the City and County of San Francisco. Its southern base is in Santa Clara County, including the cities of Palo Alto, Los Altos, and Mountain...
. Currently, the station features five musical formats: urban, electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
, subversive rock, rock en Español
Rock en Español
Rock en español is the Spanish-language rock music. While the term is used widely in English, it is used in Spanish mainly to distinguish such music from "Anglo rock." It is a style of rock music that developed in Latin American countries and Latino communities, along with other genres like...
, and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
. It also has a variety of specialty broadcasting, including Radio Ethiopia, Mecca One, Celluloid Dreams, and the Disco Funk Explosion. The station is almost entirely student-run, and was one of the first radio stations in the nation to stream
Streaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider.The term "presented" is used in this article in a general sense that includes audio or video playback. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather...
its programming over the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
.
KSJS carried regular news programs produced by San Jose State's Radio-Television News Center, which had been started by Professor Gordon Greb in 1957. The programs in the 1960s included a world and national news program, broadcast shortly after the daily sign-on, and "Spectrum," a college news program with emphasis on San Jose State news.
From the 1970s through the early 1980s, KSJS was heavily-formatted, with students learning to "talk up" records, play public service announcement
Public service announcement
A public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...
s at appropriate times and even "backtime" songs to a top-of-the-hour newscast from Mutual News. In recent years, the station has taken on more of a free-form approach. KSJS has been named "Station of the Year" twice by the National Association of College Broadcasters.
Notable alumni include Kim Vestal, a longtime San Jose radio star, currently on KRTY
KRTY
KRTY is a commercial radio station located in San Jose, California, and broadcasting to the greater San Francisco Bay Area, from San Jose to Marin County, on 95.3 FM. KRTY airs a country music format.Listening Options...
; Craig Bowers, production director at KGO-AM in San Francisco; Steve Scott, drivetime news anchor at WCBS-AM in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
; Mark Nieto news and traffic anchor at KMVQ-FM
KMVQ-FM
KMVQ-FM is a broadcast radio station in San Francisco, California in the United States. The station, known as "99-7 Now", broadcasts a Top 40 format with a Rhythmic lean....
in San Francisco; Lynn Gold, weekend news anchor at KLIV
KLIV
KLIV is an AM radio station in the San Francisco Bay Area based in San Jose, California. The station operates at 1590 kHz on the AM band. It is owned by Empire Broadcasting, and is headed by News and Program Director George Sampson.-Programming:...
; and Tony Kovaleski
Tony Kovaleski
Tony Kovaleski is an award-winning investigative reporter at KMGH-TV in Denver, Colorado where he has worked since 2001. Kovaleski was born in Iron River, Michigan and attended San Jose State University.-Professional Career:...
, an investigative TV reporter at KMGH-TV
KMGH-TV
KMGH-TV, channel 7, is the ABC-affiliated television station in Denver, Colorado. The station itself is usually branded as "Denver's 7", but its newscasts are branded as "7 News". It broadcasts its digital signal on VHF channel 7 from a transmitter located in Golden, Colorado...
in Denver.