Kaia Anderson, online publishing coordinator

KAUG Radio has been part of the Augsburg campus since the 1970’s when it was known as KCMR Radio, but has been on and off the last couple of years. It shut down for a few months at a time before starting again under new leadership. Griffin Briner is the current station manager and is also serving as interim program director. He took over the station at the start of the 2026 spring semester when the previous station heads left. So far, nothing has been broadcast and current priorities are set on inventory and making sure their equipment works.

Briner’s first step was to educate himself on the equipment. He explained that he had essentially no knowledge of how to run a radio station, which is fair; most people do not. He described this process as: “Frustrating. Every time you learn something new you realize you don’t have the equipment on hand to go through with it. That’s a big issue right now—equipment.” The computers that they currently have are all Macs, this means that they are unable to run the software needed to host internet servers. He is very thankful for the aid of their professor Scott LeGere, who Briner describes as “very knowledgeable.” LeGere has been talking to people on campus as well as utilizing his connections with other radio stations to help KAUG begin broadcasting again.

What drew Briner to KAUG was his experiences growing up. His dad ran a radio station, and did radio in college. “Everyone I knew was in the radio business.” Despite this, Briner never learned how to run a radio. He hopes to “see if I can make any sense of what I grew up around. Just because I was raised around it doesn’t mean I understand it.” 

The biggest issue KAUG has faced in the past is consistent broadcasting. Briner’s plan to prevent this issue is to train someone in before he leaves, this is to prevent previous issues of the lack of handoff happening between KAUG leaders. Which in the past has led to the station head not having the proper knowledge to run, or missing login information.

At its core, KAUG is for the community. One way Briner has changed KAUG to better connect with the community was by uncovering the windows of the station room. Now students walking by are able to see into the room, which is one of Briner’s favorite things. When KAUG does reopen, the plan is to broadcast local bands, maybe even a talk show. Hopefully, KAUG will begin broadcasting again with the earliest start date being January 2027.