Located deep within Friley, 88.5 KURE is Iowa State’s own music domain — and much can be made of their small two-room realm.

General manager David Long, senior in English, has been working hard to bring freshness and organization to KURE.

“I like keeping the station running and working with people,” Long says.

Long has began working on several improvements that will benefit the station and its listeners, he says.

The first of many changes is the shifting of the origin of the station’s funding. The Inter-Residence Hall Association (IRHA) and the Government of the Student Body (GSB) used to split funding equally, but now GSB shares this job with local businesses.

In the last year, Long has spearheaded the movement to obtain $7,000 from GSB for new equipment, such as a new PA system.

“The old PA system was dead,” says chief engineer Andy Thomas, senior in electrical engineering. “The new PA has speakers, amplifiers, working CD players and turntables.”

Joe Arling, junior in journalism and mass communication, disc jockey and member of the Board of Directors for KURE, says a large portion of the station’s budget has recently been allocated to adding a production room to the station, which could mean a great deal of opportunities for KURE.

“We’re going to be able to have a more professional sound,” Long says.

Rob McMahon, junior in mechanical engineering, says KURE can bring bands into the station to play live. KURE used to have a fully functional production room, but didn’t have the budget to maintain it. Among other things, KURE recorded their own public service announcements to be used by the DJs.

“We already have some of the equipment,” Thomas says. “Right now, we are just getting to the point where we can actually record things again.”

McMahon, KURE director of public relations, says plans to begin streaming KURE broadcasts over the Internet — something the station did several years ago — are in the works.

“We can have a broadcast range farther than the 50 square miles that we occupy now,” McMahon says.

“An ongoing goal for KURE has been increased visibility and getting our name out as a student-run radio [station].”

Individual programs have also been evolving. DJ Alan Keung, sophomore in interior design, says his program has added a new flavor to the programming of KURE.

“Before I came [to KURE}, there was no concrete hip-hop music director,” he says.

In the two years he has been working for KURE, Keung says he has seen the hip-hop music collection grow, and weekly updates are now needed.

“I like music and I think KURE has a lot more to offer than the Clear Channel stations,” Keung says.

Arling echoes this point.

“Music is something that I absolutely love — and I’d like to think that I have a fairly unique show,” he says. “I get the chance to showcase the music I really enjoy and raise community awareness about it.”