Fusion brings USU students new music, commercial free
Weber State has one. So does BYU. USU finally does, too.
Fusion HD3 is USU’s first official radio station and, for music director Erin Seymour, it has been a long, but worthwhile, process.
“We officially flipped the switch on April 15, but we have been trying to start this for a long time,” said Seymour, junior majoring in speech communication.
The station got its start streaming online, but when the FCC changed their royalty rules, Seymour said they were forced to shut down. Eventually, the station was able to get a grant through Utah Public Radio (UPR) for an HD station. Scott Anderson, program director of Fusion HD3, said there are several ways to listen to FusionHD3 including iTunes, the station’s Web site www.radio.usu.edu and through 89.5 HD3 on any radio that is HD compatible.
“Right now it seems like HD will become the norm,” said Scott, junior majoring in broadcast journalism, “but even if you don’t have an HD radio you can listen to in on your computer wherever you are.”
Friend Weller, broadcast engineer at UPR and USU radio course professor, said the transition to HD radio stations is occurring because it is more advanced technologically and provides a better listening experience.
“It is a better form of broadcast,” Weller said. “It’s a better signal and HD has no problem with the signals bouncing around. It figures out what you should be hearing and it gives us an edge.”
The support of UPR, Weller said, was essential in providing USU with an HD radio station that allows students to broadcast up to 24 hours a day with no commercial interruptions.
Cathy Ives, UPR general manager, said the pairing of USU and UPR was ideal for many reasons.
“I am delighted to get back to students being on air,” Ives said. “As National Public Radio has moved towards fine journalism, it hasn’t allowed for student learning. We have really gone 360 degrees and are letting students experiment and learn.”
Clark Anderson, station director, said none of this would be possible without UPR and credits them for bringing Fusion HD3 to life.
“Cathy is an excellent mentor,” Clark said. “She has let us know if we are doing something wrong, but let’s us learn for ourselves. If we didn’t have UPR’s support as mentors, we would be hitting walls left and right.”
Clark said he first became interested in bringing a radio station to USU when he started talking with Dave Hall, chief engineer for Fusion HD3, about the need for music education and variety in Cache Valley. Seymour also credits Hall with piquing her interest in a station.
“Dave had some ties with Noah Riley, who was ASUSU President at the time, and wanted to get a radio station,” Seymour said. “We talked about music and how there was a lack of knowledge on campus about different types.”
As music director, Seymour said her job is to decide what music goes on the air and her main goal is to educate students about the different types of music that are out there.
“We want to cater to all the students,” Seymour said. “It’s free form so the DJ’s can play whatever they want as long as it’s clean. We have some Top 40, but it’s mostly indie stuff.”
Scott said DJ’s are chosen each semester and no prior experience is required.
“My goal is to give as many people as possible an opportunity. Everyone who applied will be given air time. We fill all the slots and we also have a sub list for everyone who does not have a slot,” he said.
Scott said the station provides training for first-time DJ’s, but there is also a class through USU that students can take if they are interested. The course is taught by Weller and provides a platform for students looking to broadcast on the radio.
“It helps students create an entire program, as opposed to just playing a playlist,” Weller said.
Although Scott said some students find it difficult to make the transition to being on air, his goal is to make everyone feel comfortable behind the microphone.
“There’s a big difference between talking and talking on a mic,” Scott said. “To get everyone comfortable with what they are doing and letting their personality show through would be a big accomplishment.”
Seymour said the station relies on support from students in order to gain listeners and encourages them to make requests via e-mail so the station can play what students want to hear.
“If we don’t have it already, we will find it,” Seymour said.
Seymour’s job also includes keeping up with different local bands and record companies to get new music on the air first. In order to appeal to the local scene, Seymour plays local bands such as Joshua James and Kid Theodore every Friday from 11 a.m.- 1 p.m. For a complete listing of the DJ’s and the music they will be playing, Clark said to check the radio stations Web site.
Currently, Scott said the station is strictly music, with news and sports updates at the top of the hour. However, he said Fusion is open to news and sports broadcasts if they find the right people to host them.
“It takes a lot of talent to have an hour or half-hour talk show,” Scott said. “Right now, we’re just scanning the talent we have and if listeners are interested in that. I would like to start doing news shows, but if listeners just want music, we’ll stick to that.”
Ives said in addition to news programs, she hopes to see sports interviews and student recitals from the music department.
“We are walking before we run,” Ives said, “but those are on the drawing board.”
Clark said one of the best things students can do to get involved with the future of Fusion HD3 is simply giving their feedback about what is playing.
“The biggest difference between us and other local stations is that you’ll hear indie, punk, ska, country, reggae–everything,” Clark said.
Looking toward the future, Clark said he just hopes the station will grow enough to continue after the current staff graduates.
“I really have strong feelings about USU,” Clark said. “The education is phenomenal for the price and I am all about seeing USU grow. A radio station can help by giving students an opportunity for learning and experience before they go to the job field.”
For Seymour, the growing process has also been her favorite part of working at the station.
“Watching it go somewhere has been fun,” Seymour said. “My all-time favorite was this summer when bands started contacting me. We had our first interview with a local band on the phone and then the band Stars Align actually came into the station and did an interview. We got liners from both them saying ‘Hey this is so-and-so and you’re listening to Fusion HD3′.”
In the future both Scott, Clark and Seymour all agree that they would like to see students get exposed and enjoy different types of music as well providing a forum for what’s going on around campus-commercial free.
“We want to be the choice radio station that students turn to,” Scott said. “We want everyone to get educated about music and since we are a non-profit organization, you don’t have to worry about commercials. We fill that time by playing music and sending out announcements for local venues and organizations.”
-amanda.m@aggiemail.usu.edu