College Radio Impact College Students During and After School

By Jourdan Bazley
Blog Content Contributor

Getting involved in college is one of the best things that a student can do for him or herself. As someone that is going to be out in the real world to find a source of money and uphold a style of living, being prepared to enter into a job will really help the transition.

Texas State’s college radio station, KTSW 899, the other side of radio, takes preparing and acquiring students well above average in the workspace. Who better to talk about college radio and what it gives to them, than the students that listen and produce the content for college radio?

Students involved in college radio gain job experience and build a portfolio of not just content, but also skills that will transfer to future jobs. Blog content contributor Cain Hernandez sparked my interest in the qualities that college radio can give to employees when he shared that since working at KTSW, his “time management skills have improved”. Not only has this aspect been something that is consistently said throughout staff, but is also something that will be beneficial any future career. What are some other ways that college radio can give to and benefit the students involved at Texas State?

From student executives to student employees and volunteers, friendships grow at KTSW, alongside life long connections. Other Side Drive Host Ian Coleman commented on what KTSW has given to him.

“When I first started at KTSW, I did not have many friends at Texas State, but now I know nearly everyone at KTSW,” Coleman said. “The people that I work with are going to be great references when I apply for jobs. The experience I have earned is another thing that I wouldn’t have without KTSW.”

Office and Traffic Manager Samuel Herbert also said, “I have made a ton of friends, got my internship and have learned so much more than my classes could ever teach me.”

As students at KTSW work hard to become successful in what they do, doors continually open for career advancement. As Herbert said, college radio has brought his experience up to a standing that got him an internship over all the other applications that were put in right on top of his. Both experience and skills go hand and hand, but the great thing about skills is that they can be applied to any job that you are in, regardless of how far you go in radio. Hannah Bennett, KTSW’s promotions director, has gained valuable management skills.

“This is the place that a lot of us gained an understanding of deadlines, the responsibility of a 25+ person staff and holding others accountable in the workplace,” Bennett said.

College radio gives students a place to explore who they are, and grow into who they will be. Bennett said, “If you don’t start now, you’re late in the game. Now is the time to mess up, to make connections and have an amazing time.”

Not only does KTSW keep you involved while you are enrolled at Texas State, but the things that students gain from working at the station are taken far beyond school. Texas State Alumni and freelance journalist Reynaldo Leanos Jr. now applies what he learned at KTSW to contribute to Public Radio International’s Global Nation and The World, NPR’s Latino USA and KUT’s Texas Standard. As a freelance journalist, Leanos Jr. shared how KTSW gave him skills that have carried over to his current career. 

“I learned how to sign-up for press releases from the city government, police department, local organizations and etc,” Leanos Jr. said. “I learned how to find sources that I could talk to about topics to possibly get story ideas from. Covering these stories through KTSW helped me get over my nervousness when interviewing someone. I also learned a lot about making my deadlines.”

Alongside Leanos Jr. is KTSW alumni Hannah Rucker. Rucker currently works at KLBK News as a reporter/multimedia journalist and shared what KTSW gave her.