Silence, a click and the on-air sign lights up. Friday, April 8, 2022, will mark the 30th year that DJs at Sac State’s radio station, KSSU, have walked into the studio to start the day’s show.

Founders and Sac State alumni Jim Bolt and Chris Prosio are among the multiple individuals that will be on the panel at Friday’s anniversary celebration at the University Union. 

Bolt and Prosio first began talking about starting the station between 1988-89. As students at the time, Bolt was studying marketing and media, and Prosio studied communications and media production. 

Prosio said that during his time at Sac State, he found an interest in radio after he interned at KRXQ Radio, which is now Sacramento’s 98 Rock FM. 

Bolt was also part of the Union Network for Innovative & Quality University Entertainment program where he said he was immersed in the music scene at the university and had connections from around campus. 

Their idea turned into reality after the pair attended the first meeting of the Associated Broadcasting club, of which they were founding members, where they shared their plans with the rest of the members. 

“We clearly do not have all of the answers and we have a lot of hard work ahead of us,” Bolt said. “So we founded the Associated Broadcasting Club and the program advisor of UNIQUE, Dean Sorensen was his name, became our formal mentor.”

The radio station they created was the first of its kind at Sac State. First known as KEDG “The Edge,”  the station played music from genres such as punk and dance music and with help from the administration, ASI, the State Hornet and others, it began standing on its own feet in early 1991. 

A short couple of months later, the station finally aired at the former Sacramento State library location on Sept. 10, 1991. With the cable system of radio broadcasting, the signal reach of the station went from around the library to the dorms by the University theater.

Gallery • 2 Photos

Photo courtesy of Jim Bolt

An article by Michael Pipe Jr. published through The State Hornet features the airing of the KEDG radio station on Sept. 20, 1991. The article features a photograph by Rachel Orvino portraying Assistant Program Director Dave Blondi as he hosted one of the station's rock shows.

“That was the original station. You could listen to it on campus; you could listen to it in the dorms,” Prosio said. 

Prosio said that before the station reached the internet, it was only accessible while on campus. 

KSSU began streaming its shows on the internet in 2005 when streaming radio online was not popular yet. 

The radio station is currently home to multiple radio shows, all run by students, and offers DJ services to everyone in the community. 

“It is interesting how that has morphed,” Prosio said. “Where we thought our station should go with our 1991 ideals and where it is now, I can speak for myself that I am very proud of where KSSU is. I think that its programming is diverse and I think that it is very cool that we still have students there.”

As a part of the Associated Students Inc. at Sac State, KSSU provides students with DJ experience and training, practice in using radio equipment and networking opportunities. 

“I think that just the fact that there is a student-run radio in the first place is really cool,” said undeclared third-year student and DJ Austin Aragona. “When it first started, it was a bunch of students wanting to start a radio and now here they are 30 years later, so that’s pretty special.”

Students like fourth-year anthropology major Charlotte Barna volunteer to DJ at KSSU.

Student DJs receive a one-hour slot per week, according to Barna. They are allowed to fill that slot with music, commentary and more.

DJs can fill their shows with their preferred genres and eras of music with their playlists.

Fourth year business administration major Teena Walker has been a DJ at KSSU for two semesters. She said that she has always wanted to DJ and has a lot of fun running her shows. 

“Every three weeks I have one particular genre,” Walker said. “One week I will have ‘70s music, the second week I’ll have ‘80s and ‘90s and the third week I’ll have ‘90s and 2000s.” 

Barna went on to describe what students and other listeners can gain from listening to the shows. According to her, the volunteer DJs are all different, so the music and personalities allow for more student voices to be heard. 

“I think that [students] get a wide variety of ideas, genres of music and different types of people and voices,” Barna said. “There is a very diverse group [of DJs], so I think that that is the biggest takeaway. You get to hear all of it.”

“I think it definitely left a legacy here at Sac State for a long time,” Walker said. “I think the station is incredible and I am really thankful for everybody.”

Not having accounted for the changes in technology over the past three decades, the team said they are excited about their anniversary celebration and are happy to see what has been accomplished since they graduated. 

“I’m just very proud that what Jim, myself, and the rest of the team had established is still there,” Prosio said.