DJ Equipment Reviews

The Mesquite Schools Radio celebrates 25th year of student DJ-ing

I really like it whenever I hear stories about young people (the younger, the better) who are getting caught up and drawn in this complex world of the working DJ. Obviously, it’s easier to get noticed as a radio DJ when you’re a teenager than it is to make it as a club DJ, just because although there are fewer positions, you get much more exposure than you would mixing before a room full of people. And Mesquite Schools Radio (KEOM) in Texas is one of the main reasons why it’s easy to get your working DJ career jumpstart into the real world.

Recently, the Mesquite Schools Radio celebrated its 25th anniversary since their first broadcast in 1984. What normally started out at that time with high school students reciting public service announcements and traffic reports from a studio the size of a closet is now known for its lineup of ’70s hits and short student-written features. Doesn’t get any better than this for student DJ exposure, does it? Consider that all the DJ-ing in the radio station is done by a handful of students, who are doing it for the credits at first, but by the end of it, you can hear confidence and relaxation oozing out of their radio DJ’s voices.

What’s better is that the technological capacity and quality of the KEOM radio facility outshines that of many professional radios out there, and it’s what makes these students special, as their DJ-ing is being heard all the way to Oklahoma or Waco. While there are more than hundreds of local and national radio stations to choose from in the United States, KEOM deserves a special mention, not only because it’s being primarily DJ-ed by students with little to no experience when they first came in the office, but also because of these reasons:

• by this time, KEOM is officially older than its DJs, a must have for any serious radio
• at this time, the Mesquite Schools Radio boasts more than 280 000 listeners
• KEOM has the distinction of being one of the largest and most important high school broadcasters in the U.S.
• not to mention the only one of its kind in all of Texas 

None can see what KEOM means for the students better than its manager, Chris Douglas :"I would have killed for this in high school". And in all honesty, the students that have gone through the ropes of being a radio DJ as the first near professional experience of their life agree : "At first I thought people wouldn’t like my voice, because I didn’t like my voice, Now I can’t wait, I say, ‘They’re going to love my voice.’ ".

Anybody who’s gone through high school knows the importance of being confident and knowing what you’re capable of. If anything, being a radio DJ and learning all about the sound effects, the insides of running a radio station for more people than you cold count to, modulating your voice and making a great program altogether, gives you just that, the confidence to take it a step further, if you want to.

In general, the students rise to the challenge of running a radio station for more people than their hometown has, with a little guidance and encouragement, although the occasional funny burst of insecurity in a cacophony of broken sound effects does happen too, but in the end, it’s giving them the knowledge and experience of being a radio DJ is what matters. To many more anniversaries, KEOM – Mesquite Schools Radio.

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