The University of Northern Iowa’s student-run radio station, KULT, relaunched itself into the atmosphere Thursday on Maucker Union’s rooftop.
Commons Collective, a local jazz quintet comprised of UNI students, opened the launch party.
The idea to restructure and revamp KULT came to students who ran the radio station during spring semester 2014.
“We’re the same radio station, we just have a new look and a new quality of sound,” said Luke Hansen, music and program director for KULT. Hansen also appears on air as a host for the talk show Gaydio.
Since remodeling KULT, volunteers have been working on redesigning their website, changing line-ups, finding local DJ’s, bands and talk show hosts and using resources to update some of their equipment.
KULT has also changed its slogan from “KULT: Everything UNI” to “KULT: Ahead of the trend,” Hansen said.
“I think they have very big plans and I’m excited for them,” said Ally Bair, sophomore public relations major. Bair hosts the talk show Ally Ba Ba for KULT.
Rhys Talbot, one of KULT’s leaders, said KULT decided to keep their green and black colors and will use a mascot at student events to help promote KULT’s new sound.
Talbot said some funds for the reprogramming have come from Northern Iowa Student Government, but a lot has come out of the pockets of student volunteers working at KULT.
“We do it for free and out of our hearts,” Talbot said.
KULT’s new programming includes recording local bands in studio and more news, campus life and sports stories.
Talbot said KULT hopes to broadcast live.
KULT looked to how other student-run radio stations around the country flow and function to help guide and structure their new direction.
“We’re looking forward to thrusting KULT out in the open and people can see it’s a revitalized radio station,” Talbot said.
Students who work at KULT have come a long way, but hope to keep reaching higher.
“We’ve really done a lot of work without the help of the university,” Hansen said. “We had a goal and we’ve been reaching for the stars.”
