Southwestern College campus radio station KSWC has changed its frequency and its wattage in an effort to allow more people to listen to the station and to attract more media students, interested in radio, to the college.

For nearly 35 years, the station has operated at 10 watts on 100.3 FM.  Now the station is operating at 100 watts and can be heard on 94.7 FM.

Jeff Franck, chief operator for KSWC, and Tommy Castor, adjunct instructor of communication and faculty advisor of KSWC, discovered the opportunity to increase the wattage of the station in the fall of 2013.  They shared the information with Tom Jacobs, division chair for computer science and communications at Southwestern, who then advocated for the idea to Southwestern College Provost Andy Sheppard.  Ultimately, the idea was approved and the process began. 

“Almost two years ago, we found out that the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) was accepting new applications for non-profit radio stations, like KSWC, to boost their signal,” Castor says.   “They had opened a small window of time for applications and we quickly pitched the idea to apply to boost the power of KSWC.  The FCC accepted our application and approved us to increase power to 100 watts and change frequencies to 94.7 FM.  The project was completed this week with the help of plant operations and Atlas Electric.  KSWC had been a class D (10 watt) translator at 100.3 MHz (megahertz). We upgraded to a low power FM at 100 watts on 94.7 MHz.  Our new tower on top of the Christy Administration Building is 30 feet tall.  We have a brand new antenna, tower, transmitter, and transmission line.”

Castor is excited for the chance to attract new listeners and new students. 

“Essentially, this upgrade boosts our power by 10 times, allowing us to reach several other communities in the area, and allowing us to reach more listeners,” Castor says.  “This upgrade is important for a couple of reasons. It shows incoming and current students in the radio program at Southwestern that they get a chance to use a radio station that could potentially reach thousands of new listeners in south central Kansas.  They will craft their skills on state-of-the-art equipment, and be able to learn by being on a radio station that is very similar to what they will work with in the real world.  Also, it is a great PR opportunity for the college, as now more listeners even outside the Winfield community, will become familiar with Jinx Radio, the communication program at SC, and the college itself through the broadcasting of great music and Southwestern sports, including football and men’s and women’s basketball.”

KSWC is a non-commercial radio station that plays top 40 music.  It is also the flagship station for the Moundbuilder Sports Network which broadcasts all of the Southwestern College football games, all men’s and women’s KCAC basketball games, and selected non-conference games.