After being silenced for two years, the official radio station at the University of Colorado campus in Colorado Springs has been reborn in the post-pandemic era with a new vigor that’s headed toward surpassing previous accomplishments.

UCCS Radio is the only college in the state that’s up for the title of the nation’s Best Streaming/Online Only College Radio Station. It’s also in the running for Best Student Radio Station Manager.

Awards in these and other competitive radio, television and video categories are given annually by the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System, a New Windsor, N.Y.-based organization that promotes community and student media outlets.

Finalists were announced last month.

“It felt like my hard work was finally paying off,” said UCCS Radio Station Manager Caitlyn Branine. 

National winners will be announced March 2 at the organization’s annual conference in New York City.

The UCCS crew is facing stiff competition for the top-dog spot, Branine said.

UCCS Radio has an office inside the University Center, where three student employees present unique programs, commercials for upcoming activities and events, and music that includes Colorado bands 24/7. (Courtesy photo)

Courtesy photo

“We’re up against some really tough schools that have a lot more money than us, that have a lot more listeners than us,” she said. “This award is definitely going to be challenging.”

The organization’s website lists the University of West Georgia, Arizona State University and DePaul University as other finalists for this year’s Best Station recognition.

Branine herself is a finalist in the Best Student Station Manager category against five other station managers, including Trie Hall at the University of Colorado campus in Boulder, the largest of four campuses in the CU system.

But the Voice of the Mountain Lions has held its own in a mighty way.

The COVID pandemic forced UCCS Radio to completely shut down from March 2020 to the spring semester of 2022, when Branine was hired as the student station manager.

The 22-year-old communications major from Denver, who will graduate from UCCS with a bachelor’s degree in May, relied on the help of her dad to achieve what seemed like an insurmountable feat.

“Everyone who had knowledge of the radio station or how radio worked had already left or graduated, so no one at the school really knew anything about how to rebuild the radio station or how to run it,” she said.

No one knew how to use the software, the sound equipment or the large on-campus recording studio, either.

Branine and her father, who had worked at his college radio station and in the industry after graduation, spent the summer of 2022 reconstructing the operation from scratch, with no notes or knowledge from predecessors.

“It’s crazy,” Branine said. “We worked so hard.”

The father-daughter pair learned how the software works, downloaded music, located programming, did promotions, such as setting up an informational table at campus events, and handled advertising.

“Just people knowing we exist is huge,” Branine said. “When I would table at events most people would be surprised when they found out we have a radio station.”

Available through the web address, radio.uccs.edu, UCCS Radio streams 24/7. The station offers a mixture of music, including from Colorado bands, and 10 unique programs created and presented by students and staff. News, sports, psychology, rap, film talk, geek college info and podcasts of various topics are offered.

The station operates as an independent organization within UCCS’ Student Life and Leadership program and receives funding from student media fees.

Shows air 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and 6-10 p.m. nightly, with music in between. Promotions of on-campus activities and events are featured throughout the broadcast.

Until the fall semester, Branine was the operation’s only employee. 

“The radio station was still in the process of being rebuilt last year, and I didn’t have any staff,” she said. “We were having trouble getting employees, so it was pretty much me doing everything by myself for the first year and a half.”

There are now three student employees and an advisor. 

UCCS Radio started online in 2003 as a project of computer science students and has remained operated and produced by students. The station struggled but in 2005 obtained official organization status and began receiving campus funding.

In 2015, UCCS Radio garnered its first nominations for Intercollegiate Broadcast System awards, including for Best Online College Radio Station, which it did not win.

Branine thinks UCCS Radio became a Best Station finalist again this year because of its long road back to success, program variety and innovative promotional segments that run every 15 minutes to inform students and the community of what’s going on at the school.

“The judges probably liked our structure, how everything sounds and how we put it all together,” she said. “Most stations don’t include campus updates at the commercial breaks like we do.”

Recognition is building.

“We’ve got lots of supporters and students who have shows they love doing, so we always have lots of content,” Branine said. 

After graduation she will look for a job where she can use her skills in promotions, event planning and advertising.

“College radio is important is because it teaches students radio broadcasting, software, advertising promotion, and how all of that works for when they get into the workforce,” Branine said.

She doesn’t plan to let her sweat and tears go to waste. This semester, she’ll work on naming a student station manager successor. Because radio isn’t dead.

“It’s definitely challenging nowadays because we compete against Spotify and Pandora, and most people don’t want to plug in the web address just to listen to the radio when pulling up Spotify is easier,” Branine said.

Nonetheless, tuning in to UCCS Radio is “a good way to stay updated and support your fellow students, athletes and clubs and organizations.”

UCCS Radio Student Station Manager Caitlyn Branine rebuilt the COVID 19-shuttered station from scratch in post-pandemic life, and now the operation is in the running for Best Online College Radio Station of the Year. (Courtesy photo)

Courtesy photo