Texas Southern University, the largest historically black university in Texas, has launched a student-run e-radio station that will expand its media offerings to the public and students.

The streaming station KTSU2, also known as “The Voice,” is a collaborative project involving students, faculty, and staff from TSU’s School of Communication, and has been in the works for the past two years, with students working on the platform since September, according to Rockell Brown Burton, interim dean for the university’s communication school.

The station, which launched in February, is another media offering in addition to KTSU 90.9 FM, the Houston university’s public broadcast station, which has been in operation for nearly 50 years. The e-station will allow students to gain hands-on experience from university staff, faculty and radio professionals in the age of streaming and digital media, Brown said.

“KTSU2 brings the element of young listeners,” said Symphony Webb, a TSU graduate student studying professional communication and media. “Being a millennial myself, I like to listen to all types of different music.”

The student-run streaming radio station goes beyond the standard jazz offerings of KTSU with a musical variety, including R&B and gospel, and features morning and afternoon shows both hosted by students.

Want to tune in? On the radio: KTSU-FM 90.9 Stream online: tsu.edu/ktsu2

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“Those shows bring a funky feel to the radio station and give listeners the chance to be interactive,” Webb said. “We also ask people what they want to hear” and feature topics tailored to college students.

In addition to music and entertainment, the 24-hour operation plans to feature radio dramas, university sports commentary, public affairs and news happening at TSU, within the Third Ward community and the greater Houston area, though Burton emphasized that “the news programs are going to focus on news that you aren’t normally going to get from mainstream news.”

Additions include a photographer and videographer on hand to capture important moments, a host of volunteers, a newly added sports team which will contribute to sports coverage and radio shows, and an app is in development, according to Webb. Students have spent about a year training with equipment and learning the process of production and programming for the station.

No new money was allocated for the streaming station, according to Steve Scheffler, a university spokesman. “Part of the university’s ongoing capital improvement plan includes upgrading our academic programs with the latest technology that gives our students real-world experiences,” he said in a statement.

It’s a place “where students can get the experience they need, and they build a foundation here,” said Webb, who has capitalized on her education and interests in social media by working as a social media and web director for the radio station.

“KTSU2 is more hands on,” Webb said. “You’re working side by side by your peers, not just someone who has been in the radio industry. You’re learning with your peers and people in your generation.”

TSU has a learning laboratory within the School of Communication, Scheffler said, and in partnership with KTSU, that includes the digital equipment needed for the online radio station.

“It takes everyone’s help to keep this radio station up and going and moving,” Webb added, emphasizing that though the e-station is student run, radio veterans, staff and faculty have been vital in equipping students with the tools and knowledge needed to work in radio.

TSU President Austin A. Lane called the launch of KTSU2 “a landmark day” in a release from the university.

“This project gives our students greater access to gain experience in the quickly-changing media landscape, and it will be another form of communication for the Tiger community,” Lane said.

Burton said the streamed station will make the university more marketable, will help with recruiting efforts, and will give the university a larger platform and the ability to reach global audiences.

“It positions us to be at the forefront of digitizing our production areas,” said Burton, who noted that areas of the communication building will be renovated to enable students to work on podcasts and to better cover stories remotely.

“This is just the beginning of it,” Burton said. “It’s going to be designed in a way that we can add and grow as the technology evolves and grows in the industry.”

To stream TSU’s student-run e-radio station, go to tsu.edu/ktsu2.

brittany.britto@chron.com

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