Located in the basement of Maucker Union, 94.5 KULT-LP is a student-run radio station at UNI. There are nearly a dozen student DJs, including Isabel Robbins, AJ Gibson, and Kai Cowell. Robbins, a graduate student, has been on-air for just three weeks. Gibson is a seasoned DJ with five semesters of experience under his belt. Cowell started just this year.
Robbins’ involvement with KULT started when she attended the Communication and Media Open House, where she discovered that graduate students could join the station. Having previously enjoyed guest appearances on radio shows at Wartburg College, where she worked in the Communication Department, she decided to try it out at UNI. “I’d had so much fun at Wartburg, so I wanted to do my own show here,” she explained.
Gibson’s introduction to the station was a bit more casual. “During my sophomore year, a buddy of mine invited me to co-host alongside him on his segment, and I thought, ‘Why not?’” he said. After his first experience on-air, Gibson was hooked, and he and his friend have kept their on-air partnership going ever since.
Cowell began listening to KULT in high school when his friends hosted shows at the time. “Since then, I knew this was something I wanted to be a part of to showcase my love for music,” he stated. He reached out to the station manager and was swiftly coached through the process.
When it comes to inspiration for their shows, Robbins, Gibson and Cowell each have their own unique approach. While Robbins’ calls her segment “The Dealer’s Choice,” she has been experimenting with weekly themes, drawing from her favorite music genres of the ’70s and ’80s. Previously, Robbins did a Muppets-themed episode where she had her husband on as a guest.
“I like to add history to my episodes too,” she shared. She explained how she tells stories, such as the backstory of ‘Heart of Glass’ by Blondie, a song that took the band seven years to finish.
Gibson’s show, however, is very open-ended. “My buddy and I talk about anything and everything going on in our lives, as long as it’s radio-appropriate,” he laughed, adding that he keeps a notebook of potential topics. He said that their show often feels like a podcast, with personal stories and conversational segments sprinkled between the songs they choose.
On the opposite spectrum, Cowell’s segment is dedicated solely to music so he doesn’t tend to talk much. “I do love to research artists I’m showcasing and hopefully give people new artists to gravitate towards,” he shared. Each DJ also has a very different routine for their program hour at the station.
“I make a script of all the songs I want to play that take place within an era of my choice, it is usually about 10 songs,” states Robbins. She also said that her inspiration comes from songs that she has a strong connection to or songs that she used to listen to a lot.
“I used to work at a grocery store, and certain songs I heard became part of me,” she said. Robbins starts her episodes by explaining her personal connection to the songs, then she continues on to explain the history behind the songs and then she fills the rest of the hour with song requests from listeners if they fit her theme.
Gibson likes to keep things more spontaneous. His show airs at 2 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. After setting up, he and his co-host kick off the hour with Spanish Flea, their signature opening song. They then share their “roses and thorns” for the day, talking about one good and one bad thing that happened, which usually sparks a continuous conversation. They also try to mix in a couple of songs every 15 minutes.
Cowell begins his showdays by making a playlist and cover for his Instagram page. After his morning classes, Cowell makes his way over to Maucker, where he sets up for his segment. “Each Monday, Wednesday and Friday, there is a different segment name, so I make sure to introduce myself, my show, the station and which segment I will be playing that day,” he said. To fulfill his hour segment, Cowell likes to share tidbits about the song or the artist. After he leaves the studio, he makes sure to follow-up on Instagram with a post to help advertise the show and link the playlist that was on-air that day.
Both Robbins and Gibson agreed that the idea of being on the radio can seem intimidating to newcomers. “People think it’s scary,” Robbins said, “but in reality, you might only have 6-8 listeners at a time. It’s not as scary as it seems.”
Gibson echoed Robbins sentiment, noting that he and his co-host often invite friends onto their show, and while guests might be nervous at first, they quickly relax and enjoy the experience.
Cowell wishes more people knew the station existed in the first place. “I know so many people who hate the idea of choosing what to listen to or endlessly scrolling through their Spotify to make a new playlist,” he said. KULT provides students the opportunity to hear new music, stories from across campus and the platform to showcase their own voices on the airwaves.
94.5 KULT-LP is available to listen to at all times via any FM radio or online at https://kult945.caster.fm/.
