Broadcasting Success

Seattle University students who help run KXSU (102.1 FM), SU’s terrestrial and online radio station, brought home two international awards at this year’s Intercollegiate Broadcasting System Conference (IBSC) in New York City, highlighting the station’s contributions to the cultural fabric of Seattle.

For student Megan Okuma, ‘24, it was a repeat win for Best Logo given by IBSC—which helps promote college broadcasting in the U.S. and abroad—recognizing not only Okuma’s design but also the hoops she jumped through to include in the logo the most iconic structure of the city’s skyline—the Space Needle.

For Ella Rustin, ‘24, the award for Best Specialty Music Show was an acknowledgement of the creativity and depth she delivers to listeners by building shows around a single album, playing it start to finish. In this case, Rustin’s “Front to Back Friday” won for featuring Radiohead’s 2007 recording In Rainbows.

Pumping 17 watts of power from an antenna posted high on the roof of Campion Hall, KXSU broadcasts can be heard within six miles of campus, give or take, on the FM dial—and streaming worldwide at KXSU.org. The station, which is housed in the Sinegal Center for Science and Innovation, features a roster of DJs mostly made up of students but also includes other members of the SU community. DJs have free reign over their shows, which usually run from 60 to 120 minutes, and feature music from an array of genres, from jazz to indie, hip hop to rock, metal to country.

A high school obsession with grunge led Rustin toward Seattle University, especially after learning about KXSU. 

“So when I came here to tour Seattle U, I just immediately felt that connection with the city,” she says.

Rustin’s major is Communication and Media with a specialization in Journalism. She also has a minor in Business Administration through the Albers School of Business and Economics. In addition to serving as the station’s program director, she books acts for the Chieftain Irish Pub and Restaurant, across the street from campus on 12th Avenue East. After graduation she is looking for a career as a booking agent or a talent manager with the goal of owning her own record label.

“I'm just really trying to take the steps to get there,” she says.

She currently has two shows on KXSU, one features a variety of music but “Front to Back Friday,” the show for which she won the award, brings listeners on a deep dive into a recording’s provenance. While she has featured personal favorites such as Closer by Joy Division, Harvest Moon by Neil Young and Grace by Jeff Buckley, Radiohead’s In Rainbows is one of her favorite albums of all time and she suspects her devotion to it pushed it over the top.

“She just did a really good, in-depth show breaking down the album,” says Interim Station Manager Emma Hyman, ’23.

Rustin says she was happy to receive the recognition, but it’s really a team award. 

“I don’t think it would’ve been possible if it was just me,” she says.

The station’s logo also came from collaboration between the student staff, with Okuma—the station’s graphic designer—brainstorming with Production Director Diana Sambotin, ‘24, about integrating the Space Needle logo.

First Okuma had to consult with attorneys to ensure the logo did not infringe on the Space Needle’s trademark.

“It was actually a bit of a process,” says the Communication and Media major, who downplays her talent as a designer despite also winning the award in 2023 and designing most of the posters for KXSU events. “I’m not studying graphic design, so it was a bit of a nervous sort of thing for me to get into being the graphic designer at KXSU, because I had no formal education with it, but it's really fun to do all of this.”

There are other roles students can play at KXSU, as it hosts a blog and a group of volunteers called the Student Music Advisory Board plans the weekly “power rotation” to highlight favorite artists. There are also on-air slots available for students interested in hosting their own shows.

“The more people we get on the air the better,” says Hyman.