‘Roll Over Beethoven’

Clint+Denisco%2C+junior+mass+communications+major%2C+will+be+playing+more+modern+music+on+KXMS%2C+Missouri+Southern%E2%80%99s+classical+music+radio+station%2C+alongside+Kimiya+Simpson%2C+junior+mass+communications+major.+This+is+the+first+time+students+have+been+allowed+to+make+playlists+outside+of+classical+music+and+broadcast+them+on+air+at+the+radio+station.%0A

Nathan Carter

Clint Denisco, junior mass communications major, will be playing more modern music on KXMS, Missouri Southern’s classical music radio station, alongside Kimiya Simpson, junior mass communications major. This is the first time students have been allowed to make playlists outside of classical music and broadcast them on air at the radio station.

Students will be suprised to hear more modern music on classic music station KXMS this weekend with the premier of “Fridays,” a student-run music block.

“We’re going to try and mount that this coming Friday,” Jeff Skibbie, manager of KXMS, said. “It’s going to be a regular feature of our Friday schedule between now and the end of the semester, and we’re going to have two students who will be playing pop music between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. We’re talking the entire gamut from the Beatles to hip-hop.”

Skibbie said the idea has been kicked around for some time but previously never came to fruition.

“This was something that Jay Moorman broached originally, and we talked about when we should do it and ultimately now that he’s gone we are continuing with the idea and thought Friday afternoons might be a good time to put it on and we’ll see what happens with it,” he said.

The two students running the program will be freshman mass communications major Kimiya Simpson and Clint DeNisco, junior mass communications major, who said he is excited for the kickoff of the program.

“It’s my first time, so it’s a good way to do it because it’s a short time period and this time I don’t have a lot of duties except for to bring my own playlist, be able to talk about it and know the dials a bit,” he said. “It’s a good start and it should be fun.”

The two have not worked together before, but Simpson has previous experience as a DJ for the local Club Vibe and wants to bring some of that energy to the station.

“I hope that me and Clint can be the voices of MSSU radio, and I love the school so I’m trying to make it better if possible,” Simpson said. “People don’t listen to the radio here and people don’t even know we have a radio [station].”

DeNisco said his half of the program will be made primarily of music between Elvis era rock music and the 1980s while Simpson will play more modern pop, classic rock and hip-hop music.

“I guess you could consider it the best of…in terms of music,” he said. “Every once in a while I pick songs that I like. Most of the time it’s going to be the greatest songs of all music, like the Beatles and Led Zepplin and some one-hit wonders from that time.

“I just have the first two sessions. So far it’s easy to get together and put on cds. It’s probably about two hours and 45 minutes worth. The rest of it is me and my little anecdotes or so forth about the music.”

Skibbie said the royalties for the music played would be more expensive than the classical music KXMS is known for, but not enough to cause alarm.

“If anything it would be in the hundreds of dollars,” he said. “It wouldn’t be exorbitantly expensive.”

He said the actual figures couldn’t be determined until next year. Skibbie said additional shows could be scheduled in the future.