SHREVEPORT, LA -- Shreveport-Bossier residents will soon hear 12 more hours of new Public Radio programming each day thanks to an agreement announced today (Thursday, Jan. 6) by LSUS Chancellor Vincent J. Marsala and Centenary College President Kenneth L. Schwab.
The agreement ends months of negotiations involving the Red River Radio Network, headquartered at LSUS, and the student radio station, KSCL, at Centenary. The stations and their campuses have agreed to share time equally on KSCL's 91.3 FM frequency, with National Public Radio and Public Radio International programming offered from 12:01 a.m. until noon each day, followed by KSCL's student programming from noon to midnight.
Though they will share the same frequency, the two entities will have separate call letters. Red River Radio's call letters, yet to be determined, and the sharetime agreement are subject to the approval of the Federal Communications Commission. The schools hope to be sharing time on the air by mid summer.
The agreement also means that students will benefit from additional radio experience and professional expertise, upgraded facilities and an expanded broadcast area for Centenary student programming.
At the noon meeting of the Red River Radio Advisory Board, Schwab called the agreement a win-win situation. "We think it represents what higher education ought to be doing -- working together rather than competing with each other. Both our students and our community are the beneficiaries when we do that."
Marsala said, "LSUS took a leadership role in 1984 bringing Public Radio programming to this area. That step led to the creation of a four-station network, one of the largest of its kind in the country." He added that the new programming will give listeners additional choices.
Under the agreement, Centenary will seek FCC approval to modify its current transmission facilities to upgrade and expand signal reception. LSUS will be responsible for obtaining appropriate studio-to-transmitter facilities for the provision of Red River Radio programming.
The new Public Radio programming will be in addition to Red River Radio's current offerings. Public Radio in this area began on the LSUS campus with KDAQ in 1984. Since then, the station has expanded to include four stations under the Red River Radio umbrella, including Alexandria, La.; Lufkin, Texas; El Dorado, Ark.; and a translator in Grambling, La.
Centenary has been the licensee of its noncommercial educational radio station, operated as a student activity, since the mid 1970s.
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