Amanda Hill

Colorado Daily

KVCU, CU's student-run radio station, is celebrating it's one-year anniversary today, kicking off it's celebration with not one, but two sets of birthday shows. Jim Musil, who has been a general manager at KVCU since August 1998, said that the listenership at the station has grown tremendously in the past year to 10,000. "There is a huge difference now," said Musil. "We have a waitlist of more than 20 DJs who want to be on the air. Before, we had people on multiple shifts and empty slots. We also got a lot of support from the Watt-Attack. We raised $21,000 in 10 days." Although CU has had a radio staion in the past, KVCU is the "new and improved" version, with their signal reaching from Ft. Collins to Castle Rock. "Only Being one year old, I'm happy with what we've done," said Musil. Ryan Shanley, a senior math major and marketing director for KVCU, has volunteered at the station for three and a half years. He has noticed a great improvement in the quality of programming. "We've gotten so many more listeners," said Shanley. "Our DJs have gotten a lot slicker. We've all gotten better at what we do. There has just been a huge improvement in quality."

The station is celebrating it's first birthday twice, both in Denver and Boulder. The first set of concerts, called the "Local Shakedown," will be at the Bluebird Theater in Denver. Hosted by DJ Andrew Murphy, the $5 all-ages shows will happen on Nov. 4 and 5. The first night will feature the Kalamath Brothers, the Down 'n' Outs, Sarina Simoom, and O'er the Rampart. At the Nov. 5 show, Space Team Electra, Munly, Hoochie and the Pin Downs will perform. The Second birthday celebration, call the "Rocky Mountain Pop Fest," will happen in Boulder. Scheduled for Friday, Nov. 12 and Sat. Nov 13, the shows will feature bands from around the country who have come to help the "fledgling station" celebrate. The 21+ show on Nov. 12 will be at the 15th St. Tavern with the Minders, Bright Eyes, Marbles, the Maybellines, Breezy Porticos and Josh Bloom. Saturday night's show is all ages and will be at Club 156 in the University Memorial Center. The second performance welcomes The Apples in Stereo, Dressy Bessy, Barcelona, Electrogroup, and Mates of State. Admission is $9 or $7 if you have "a license to rock," given to those who donated during the recent Watt-Attack fund-raiser.

KVCU is known for featuring indie music, ranging from industrial to electronica. "We think local music is really important," said Training Director and co-host of the Local Show Sharon Gatliffe, who has been with the station for a year. "We play independent music from smaller labels. It's music you don't hear anywhere else. It's quirky." Gatliffe says that she's glad she found her niche at the station. "It's been a big learning experience," she said. "It's been important for me because CU is so large. I was lucky to find this."

The station has gotten more and more student recognition, said Shanley. He wants, however, to dispel a misconception that many students seem to have. "When we go out to shows, people will come up and say that they really like us and that they hope we make it," he said. "A lot of people seem to think we're going under. We're here to stay. We're not going anywhere."