COLUMN: Aggie Radio great – if only we could hear it

You’ve probably heard of it, but the number of people who have actually heard it is much more limited. When it comes to Aggie Radio, it seems the most common question asked by prospective listeners is, “What station is it on?”

    That’s where the confusion sets in, because Aggie Radio can’t be found on any AM or FM frequencies around Logan. The only way to get Aggie Radio, other than online streaming, is to have an HD radio, which is another confusing device that next to nobody owns.

    Aside from the lack of availability, Aggie Radio appears to be a part of Utah State University that could be on the verge of a rapid rise to prominence if the pieces fall into place for it all. HD radio is not going to be the avenue that a university radio station uses to rise to the campus mainstream, however.

    While Aggie Radio currently has a diverse lineup of themed shows, DJs and sports talk as part of its programming, its shortcoming is the lack of availability. As things stand, the immediate future looks like it would probably be, at best, a developmental period of time for the station. HD radio hasn’t and isn’t catching on, here or anywhere, anytime soon, and while online-exclusive streaming offers plenty of flexibility at low operating cost, it doesn’t get the music and talk shows into anybody’s traditional means of listening to the radio.

    With the Federal Communication Commission’s current moratorium on new FM radio licenses, the immediate future of Aggie Radio appears to be at a stalemate, but not without a glimmer of hope. If Utah State’s student-run radio station can grab an FM frequency when that moratorium is lifted this year, there’s no reason why it couldn’t become one of the top radio stations in Cache Valley from day one, given the abysmal choices in FM radio currently found in this valley.

    Not only that, but it would provide more real exposure to running a radio station for the students involved with Aggie Radio and within the JCOM department, a valuable asset for people hoping to tap into that branch of broadcast media.

    Basically, Aggie Radio is a good idea, and one that we hope sticks around. Hopefully, it can become something much bigger than it currently is, and give an actual voice in broadcast media to and from the student body that can reach across the entire Cache Valley. As for now, we would love to listen to Aggie Radio on a regular basis, we just can’t.