Baker Geist
News Reporter

Anyone involved in a leadership aspect of student media knows this to be true: Many want to lead but few can handle the challenge.
Alicia Trujillo, general manager of KMSA 91.3, has led KMSA through a difficult year, one that has taken place not inside a legitimate broadcast studio, but a few remote closets in Houston Hall.
“She’s a very good leader because she leads by example,” said Regis Tucci, faculty advisor for KMSA. “There are two kinds of leaders; one kind of leader says ‘go’. Then there’s one that says ‘follow me.’ Alicia says ‘follow me.’”
Trujillo, 21, first became involved in KMSA in January 2007 after taking a liking to the station’s “Metal Saturday” format. Two years later, she became the GM.
Of the challenges she’s faced, she said, many of them came from not having an adequate studio to work out of. Since construction on the student center began in 2008, KMSA was moved to Houston Hall forcing the staff to work out of three former storage closets.
“The biggest thing is people stealing stuff and it always has been, but since we’re sharing a giant office now CDs are getting stolen and (people are) messing with our computers and screwing with stuff a lot more,” Trujillo said. “There’s no privacy here for management so it’s a lot slower getting stuff done.”
Despite the limited space, Trujillo and the staff have dealt with them in a unique way.
“We kind of always make it fun and that’s the best part,” Trujillo said. “It is what it is. We’re in a crappy studio for our on air studio but we just keep thinking about our new studio and it’s not that far out of reach. We’re ready to get out of here and we can actually see the new studio in sight.”
KMSA will move into its new studio once construction of the college center is complete. When the station makes the move, it will have all new equipment.
“We are getting rid of the CDs, we’re getting a new automation system, we’re getting new everything. We won’t have any CDs, everything will be on computer and easier to do,” she said.
KMSA is preparing to make a move to high definition radio. When it does, the station will broadcast from four different channel sources, each boasting a different format. According to Trujillo, those formats will include one that is devoted to metal, one to hip-hop and one to sports. One will also remain devoted to the ecliptic alternative format currently heard on KMSA.
“I believe (the metal station) will be the first licensed radio station (in the country) that has metal. Not hard rock but metal,” Tucci said.
To his knowledge, no station with an all-metal format has survived, so Trujillo will have her hands full making it and ensuring its and the other formats’ success. Given what she has learned this year, she’s confident in her abilities.
“I’ve definitely learned how to deal with people more,” Trujillo said. “If somebody’s doing something wrong I don’t hesitate because it is radio and we need to have things done quickly and efficiently.”
Dealing with people comes with any leadership role and its one that Tucci finds difficult for some to do given the wide range of disciplines students on KMSA come from.
“KMSA is kind of like the French Foreign Legion. We accept almost anybody and it’s hard to get people hammered into shape,” Tucci said. “As the French Foreign Legion does, you must conform to KMSA. Alicia has shown that she can lead by example and by intelligence.”
Trujillo, a history major, said she’s learned a great deal from KMSA but those lessons aren’t ones confined to college radio. Being involved in KMSA has also helped her in her internship with Cumulus Broadcasting.
“I know how to talk on-air so that helps. I know what they’re talking about. I’m not going in (to Cumlus) like a deer in the headlights,” Trujillo said. “I’m able to write spots for the radio and I’ve also taken things from management to make things more organized (at KMSA).”
After she graduates in May with a bachelors degree in history, Trujillo plans to pursue a degree in mass communication. She’ll return as General Manager next year.
“We just want to have a more on-campus presence, because not a lot of people know what we do or who we are. Everyone thinks we’re (only) metal, which we’re not,” Trujillo said. “I want us to get those four station’s going. We’re also adding KMSA video. It’s getting bigger and better and it’s all going to start next year.”
While KMSA is growing and changing, Trujillo is quick to remain modest applauding the staff for its hard work. She said Brian “Bacchus” Ramsey and production manager Kyle Cooper have given her support and generated many ideas to make KMSA better.
The end result of the station’s success depends on Trujillo’s decisions. Tucci’s expectations remain high next year.
“Excellence,” Tucci said of his expectations. “Nothing more, nothing less. I expect her to be excellent. It’s a lot more work but she’s shown she can do it.”
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bgeist@mesastate.edu