With great power comes great responsibility. I always thought that line was a bit campy. An overused clich‚ with little behind it.

I always picture Luke Skywalker or Spider-Man getting tips from a gray-haired mentor.

Recently, however, I found out how true that statement is. A few weeks ago I became the Interim Music Director at KURE.

I believe the word interim means: “Do a lot of work, and then if we like what you have accomplished we will give you the official title.”

In the last few weeks, I have worked at organizing the station’s musical library, attempting to make it easier and faster for DJs to find music in our vast collection. I am nowhere close to being finished. It is a daunting task, I can assure you.

One of my other responsibilities is to talk to record labels and representatives about the dozens of CDs we get each week for review. There is a pile of them in a cabinet still waiting for review, and that pile keeps growing.

It is not as easy as some might think. I have a great love for music, though. I am having a great time working on this stuff.

Why am I telling you, the students of Iowa State, this? Pretty simple answer, actually. KURE is your radio station.

Is there something you want to hear on the KURE? Give us input! I can only work with the music related side of the station. But all other suggestions can be passed on to the Board member it concerns. E-mail me at [email protected] if you want, or call the business office at 294-4332 and give us input.

You can also help me play music director during my show, The Strange Brew every Tuesday night from 6-9 p.m. I recently added a segment at 8:05 where listeners can call in about a selected CD and tell me whether to “Keep It or Kill It.” Last week listeners killed the new James Iha disc. Only I know what will get played this week.

ISU is lucky to have a station like KURE. Some of you may not realize it, but you are. I may be a bit biased since I grew up with college radio and the freedom it has compared to commercial radio. College radio gives listeners the broadest possible selection of music to listen to.

Throughout the week, in addition to the rock and alternative programming, we have specialty shows that include Punk, Ska, Industrial, Techno, Jazz, Blues and Urban Contemporary (AKA Rap, R&B.) I dare you to find me a commercial station that offers that wide a range.

KURE also offers coverage of football, basketball and hockey throughout the year. We have exclusive coverage of the hockey tournament at Hilton in early March. A great accomplishment for a lowly college radio station.

At the end of March, KURE is going to have its largest audience of the year. KalidoQuiz brings us a ton of listeners for those 20 plus hours. Hopefully we can make a good impression on all of you and keep you listening after KQ is done.

Some former KURE employees have made comments calling the station a dead end street. I am sorry to hear that it was a dead end for them. Our current Board of Directors is doing a fine job of running a volunteer radio station. We are working hard to create something for all of ISU, not just ourselves. For those of us who want to get into a related field, I believe that KURE is a great step.

Communication skills, responsibility — these are just a few things that can be gained from working at KURE. College radio is also FUN, even if nobody calls when you beg and plead for someone to be out there. Not to mention that anyone trying to get a job at a paying radio station needs to make their “Air Check” tape somewhere, don’t they?

KURE is an asset to this University. No, it does not bring in thousands of dollars in research money. What it does is supply a musical outlet for ISU and the surrounding area. KURE plays music that you cannot hear anywhere else. That is what college radio is for, and I am proud to be associated with it. Set your radio dial to 88.5 FM and let us know what you think.

---

Andrew Seitz is a junior in art and design from Dyersville.