With a passion for music at the helm, Texas A&M’s student-run radio station has been welcoming new and old staff members to their studio this semester, along with a new faculty adviser.
KANM DJs continue to bring their underground music to the surface as its members are encouraged to explore new sounds that everyone can tune into.
Instructional assistant professor of sociology and KANM adviser Warren Waren said the station sees a lot of students who want to share their passion for specific genres of music.
“I’m delighted that students not only have a lot more opportunities to hear new music, but like what we do at KANM,” Waren said. “I think it’s really helpful and healthy for young people to be passionate about music and to share it.”
Applied mathematical sciences senior Shelby Thompson is a longtime member of KANM, now serving as station manager. Thompson said the station’s staff focuses on presenting a wide variety of new music for students to discover.
“It’s a lot of people who appreciate more underground music, so they really want to find artists that they think other people will enjoy and spread that,” Thompson said. “Inherently, more people that join tend to like underground, but there’s definitely variety when it comes to that.”
Since its return in 2017 after a year-long hiatus, Thompson said the station hopes to remain strong.
“We had a really well-established radio for a while and then it kind of fell apart and so we’re kind of in the process of bringing it back and redefining who we are, which is pretty cool,” Thompson said. “I’m really lucky this semester that a lot of the officers are really proactive in their roles.”
KANM opens doors to the radio industry, and students with majors and minors of all kinds are welcome to join. New members of KANM help bolster the station’s reputation and bring their own unique perspectives to the station with their own shows. Thompson describes her first show at KANM to be initially overwhelming, but quickly grew comfortable that semester.
DJs vary at KANM yet are encouraged to be themselves, even for those who have on-air personalities. KANM includes specialized shows and even podcast shows. Shows with co-hosts can sometimes clash in music taste, but some are alike and eager to work together.
Psychology senior and new member Sam Clark was excited and worried before her first show. Despite her fears, Clark expected to be at ease working alongside Thompson, a friend she’s had through her years at A&M. Clark reminisced on how she believes music to be the basis of their friendship. She looks forward to the time they’ll have together airing their show, and reflected on the positivity of the community at KANM.
“The radio itself has been a really cool thing to bring friends together,” Clark said.
KANM is on the air 24/7 on kanm.tamu.edu where the show schedule can be viewed.
Shelby and Sam’s show, sam and bee’s buzz, airs every Wednesday from 7 to 8 p.m.
