Student run radio station celebrates 40 years
MESQUITE, Texas (CBS, KYMA/KECY) - If you listened to a Dallas radio station, 88.5 KEOM, you may have heard a student's first time being on the airwaves.
It's what the station is known for as this month, the station is celebrating its 40 year anniversary as the largest high school radio station in the area.
"We're 61,000 watts. We cover all of the Dallas area and a little beyond that," said Shondra Tharp, the station manager of KEOM.
James Griffin was the original radio director who started the program, back in 1984.
Staff is comprised of both students during the school day, and professionals after hours. Whether it's the news of the school district, city, or metroplex, students learn how to report the news, weather, and traffic and practice delivering it, live.
"We really have a remarkable amount of people who are listening as regulars," Griffin shared.
"Watching those kids from the very beginning, when they're so nervous they think they can't do it, and just getting their confidence up and built to where they are by the end of the school year, it's just great to see that growth," Tharp expressed.
Many students go on to pursue a career in journalism.
"I think this is actually the place I discovered who I truly am and what I want to do," said Molly, a KEOM student.
Staff says it's no surprise a station with this much equipment and studio space would thrive through the years, but 40 years is a testament to the program and kids, training the next generation of broadcasters one live hit at a time.
"I had hopes we would do it in such a way that it would become a lasting institution in the community, and 40 years later, that's where we are," Griffin stated.
