After recently being rejected for a low power FM radio station, Missouri Southern faculty members are still unsure of whether they will apply again.

The initial application was submitted in January 2001, but the University didn’t receive a response until December of 2004. Dr. Jay Moorman, communications department head, said Southern applied at the same time as four local churches, and the permit was given to one of those churches.

“Low power radio stations are fairly new, so the rules are still unclear on whether or not the University could apply a second time or get an extension on the first application,” said Judy Stiles, general manager of KGCS.

That is the reason why nothing has been done recently to attain a LPFM. Although there are some alternatives to low power such as lowering the effective radiated power from 100 watts to 10 watts, it would cut the service range from about 3.5 miles down to less than a mile but would still cover all of campus. The original application called for a change in wattage. Other alternatives would be to get a leaky cable radio station or a carrier current radio station, both of which do not require a permit. But they would still have to be approved by the University and require some funding.

“It would give the communication majors a little more practice in doing different things than they do at KXMS,” said Matt Hite, senior political science major. “It would be a big boom to our community and especially to our communication majors, because they would actually have some practice doing some programming and also some production work, and other associated jobs that they are not getting to do now.”

He said the station would not just be a benefit to the on campus students, it would also provide entertainment to students who live close.

“There are a lot of the students off campus that would receive this station and listen to it as well,” Hite said. “There is a need there that isn’t being fulfilled by the corporate radio stations around here.”