From the radio to the classroom: KXTR makes big impact at Tarleton

BY ASHTYN HANSARD

Digital Media Director

Tarleton State University offers a plethora of different clubs and organizations to join on campus, giving each student a chance to explore a new opportunity to do something they love. If your passion is music, this may be the place for you.

Tarleton’s radio station has two main stations. The first is KTRL, which focuses on jazz and classical music.

The second is KXTR 100.7, also known as “The Planet,” a station that blends both hip-hop and rock music. For students, KXTR has much more to offer than music on your radio.

Lance McFarlin, the general manager, has been involved with the radio station since he was a student at Tarleton himself.

Starting out as a volunteer DJ for a class assignment, McFarlin fell in love with the radio world and soon became a student worker for The Planet. Not long after joining, he became the production director and then the student manager.

After a five year period of back and forth positions, McFarlin officially became the general manager of the station in 2018 and has kept his position since.

Throughout his time at the radio station, many changes have been made, one of the biggest being the format of the radio shows. Although KXTR is a hip-hop and rock station, the rules were pretty laid back when McFarlin joined.

“Some people were doing country shows or once, somebody did a reggae show,” McFarlin said. “It kind of had that typical college radio format, but that just doesn’t work in Stephenville very well, and we had no listeners.”

After enforcing a more strict song schedule, KXTR welcomed more popular hip-hop and rock music and it paid off with a great increase in listeners.

The Planet has also upped their game with the radio and their involvement on campus. Over the years, the station has advanced their equipment, allowing an easy radio shift for students looking to become DJs.

The Planet also brings a lot to Tarleton events by offering free music at public events and offering to air public service announcements. They also host their own game nights on the last Friday of every school month.

While the radio station has come a long way from McFarlin’s first day in the studio, he’s still always finding ways to improve the station. His biggest focus is bringing in volunteers.

“In the spring, we have way fewer DJs than we do in the fall. Our goal is to start recruitment in the spring, and then in the fall, have a lot more retention in the following spring,” McFarlin said.

He also expressed his hope for KXTR to stay on the air. Over the past years, many universities have been selling their stations because they don’t see the value in it. McFarlin respectfully disagrees and hopes for the students to see why.

“I hope the students see the value in it and just being able to come host a radio show. It helps your communication skills a lot. It helps your writing skills if you’re writing out your breaks, and it’s just fun,” McFarlin said.

Communication skills aren’t the only thing students can gain. When working a radio show, students can learn how to work an audio console, radio automation and about the emergency alert system. There’s also lots of skills with media in general that students can gain that can help them in their future careers.

McFarlin also notes that hosting a radio show can be a nice break for students, especially as work begins to pile up in the semester.

“You can just sit in a room by yourself for two hours, listen to music and tell other people about the music you like,” McFarlin said. “You can work on homework, or you can just kind of relax and turn off the lights while taking a break.”

Students of any grade and major are welcome to become a DJ for KXTR. Rock music is played from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., while hip-hop music is played from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.

On Feb. 9, KXTR will be hosting an event called “DJ 101,” a mass orientation for students that are interested in becoming DJs for the station. There will be two sessions, the first one from noon to 1 p.m. and the second one from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Mathematics Building in Room 125.