KGRG Concert Rocks the Campus
By: Ryan Childress
Staff Writer
May 10, at Lindbloom Student Union (SU), Green River College’s radio station KGRG celebrated its 30th anniversary with a rock concert.
The self-proclaimed modern rock station at Green River celebrated its anniversary on May 10 by hosting local bands, such as The Home team, The Lightweight Champs, Cashing in Karma.
The station’s current format is contemporary rock n’ roll and has been going strong ever since 1989.
They have stuck with the current rock n’ roll for longer than most students have been studying here, which is an accomplishment to celebrate with the college.
KGRG started out by playing what some would today call modern classics but back then it was considered the biggest hits. KGRG featured music by the majorly popular bands, Rolling Stones and Nirvana. In fact, Nirvana actually played in the Lindbloom Student Union back in 1989.
While it may be a surprise to many, the anniversary concert took place on the same stage Nirvana performed their music on.
The concert itself was a celebration but it is more than that to the station, as it acts as a fundraiser for the whole radio program for the year.
The radio and digital-media courses offered here at GRC offer chances to students to go on the live air and see what it is like to be an actual radio DJ. Green River college offers a multitude of classes in the radio and digital media. In future quarters, students will see changes to classes.
Not only are some classes being merged together to create a more efficient Media department, but students are also getting an additional five classes added to the roster. As the world of media is constantly changing and expanding our media department, Green River’s own KGRG station is growing as well.
The new media courses vary depending on where your interest lie. The new courses offered range from podcasting, working in media, to being on air at KGRG.
While the whole media department is changing, the core of KGRG remains unchanged with many professors being here from the near beginning, such as Charlie Harger and Tom Krause.
The station has not lost its touch as it is still student-run, just like it was back in the day.
Students can still tune in like the old days to the station either on the KGRG Tune In app or on your personal radio at 89.9FM.
“Here at KGRG we are almost entirely student-run with a few help with our head of the station Tom,” said the leading student director at KGRG.
KGRG is not the sole station here at Green River, as the college also has a sister station, KGRG1, that also plays classic alternative. The classic alternative gives its listeners a glance into the past KGRG, as some of the tracks played on the Alternative station were the same tracks played on the past KGRG.
The main difference between the two stations is the music type. In addition, the stations differ in how the shows are produced.
KGRG1 uses only recorded voice tracks to announce songs and future plays, while the KGRG main station does live shows with actual radio DJs.
Arthur O. Dillon, the head of KGRG1, said that the concert for the anniversary “had a turn out of about 50 people”.
Tickets at the concert costed a flat rate of $15. With 50 people who attended the event, the concert helped raise over $750 towards running the station.
While KGRG just passed its 30th anniversary, it looks like that it is here to stay. Plug in your headphones or crank that radio up to eleven and rock out.
