Some Knowledge

KMSA is a student-operated and student-managed full-service radio station broadcasting from the Colorado Mesa University campus since 1975. KMSA, 91.3 on the FM dial, fills the air with Alternative music, specialty music shows, news and sports 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Although most staff members and Directors are Mass Communication majors, students in all academic disciplines are encouraged to apply for positions.

The purpose of the station is to allow CMU students to gain professional experience in radio. The KMSA studios are located in the Campbell College Center.

The Metal Authority

KMSA had only been on air for a mere 7 years before DJ’s at the time deemed “The Alternative” wasn’t alternative enough. In 1982, The Metal Merchant began a campaign to organize what would eventually become Metal Saturday; an entire day dedicated to playing nothing but Heavy Metal. During this early stage of KMSA’s life we did not have the budget for an automation system, so if there was not a warm body behind the microphone there would be dead air. Saturdays were almost devoid of dead air due to the consistency of the DJ’s at the time.

Since the inception of what would later be called The Metal Authority, heavy metal had blossomed from just a handful of different types to more than 30+ different sub-genres. Not content with just playing what was popular and well known, The Metal Authority, with the help of The Morbid One and The Magic Nose Goblin, became the most diverse Metal show on all of radio. Playing material from the pioneers of metal (Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, etc.), underground metal (Mayhem, Cannibal Corpse, etc.) and the best of modern metal (Pantera, Tool, Metallica, etc.), The Metal Authority was building a strong reputation for itself amongst the community for being the (ahem) Authority for all things Metal.

Saturday was beginning to have a difficult time containing the Metal Authority. In the mid 90s, Satan’s Whorehouse was founded as an all extreme metal show to be aired late Friday nights. Then in 2002, after KMSA had climbed the ranks of credibility by installing an automation system, thereby ensuring that dead air would be a thing of the past, Big Steve-O instituted the Friday Foreplay; a warm up period leading up to Metal Saturday beginning at 7pm on Friday.

Also in 2002, Technical Ecstasy was created as a subsidiary to The Metal Authority. Created in part by The Necromancer, Technical Ecstasy is an all progressive rock show that airs Monday night from 10 till midnight.

As of 2011, there are just over 24 hours of metal played on air every week at KMSA, all of which are manned by a live DJ. This is by far the most amount of metal played by any terrestrial radio station in America. We pride ourselves very much in the diversity of our metal shows, specializing in all 50+ genres. All of our DJs are extremely knowledgeable about the music that they play, and are always willing to take requests.

The Metal Authority: Ensuring That Heavy Metal Never Dies.