With an inventory of more than 15,000 CDs and 5,850 LPs, KDUR, Fort Lewis College’s free-form radio station, has provided music for the community for 40 years.

The volunteer-powered station in the college’s Student Union in the Ballantine Media Center, offers diverse music, alternative news and local public-affairs programming.

“Free-form radio means we do not stick to any format,” said Bryant Liggett, KDUR-FM station manager. “We strive to play music that is not heard on commercial radio, and we strive to play music that is not part of the mainstream.”

KDUR, originally KFLC, was birthed in 1974. The first station headquarters was in a small closet-sized space in the Student Union.

Originally, what was then a small-scale radio station run by a group of students was broadcast only throughout the Student Union, Liggett said.

The first song aired was “Because of Rain” by Tim Weisberg, said Jon Lynch, program director at KDUR.

In 1976, the 10-watt station expanded to 150 watts reaching FM radios throughout FLC and downtown Durango.

Listeners around the world were able to tune in to KDUR online at kdur.org in 2000, Liggett said.

The station finished the digital upgrade in 2010 with a new transmitter, boosting the station’s signal to 6,000 watts, he said.

The station made its final move into the Ballantine Media Center in May 2011. The new station came complete with two production studios and a main studio where radio is broadcast throughout La Plata County at 91.9 and 93.9 FM.

The new Media Center provides KDUR staff members and FLC faculty the opportunity to teach community members and students about broadcasting, said Rachel Perrault, the station’s development director.

“A lot of students have come through KDUR and now work in radio,” Perrault said.

KDUR has one of the most up-to-date studios in the Four Corners, and has accomplished a lot in its 40 years, she said.

The modern equipment, new sound boards, speakers and computers have enhanced quality, said Dave Travieso, who has been a KDUR DJ for nine years.

“We have evolved leaps and bounds from where we were in a tiny little closet, to now being in this great Media Center and having the capability to broadcast anywhere in the world,” Perrault said.

Lynch said aside from the shininess and veneer that came along with the new station, KDUR has continued to maintain its strong community presence.

Travieso, known to other KDUR DJ’s as “Farmer Dave,” said the station’s breadth allows it to serve as a main artery for the community.

“In rural communities, community radio is still exceptionally viable. It’s an outlet that provides information,” he said.

With show names like “The Velvet Rut,” “The Kitchen Sink,” “Audience of One” and “The Catalyst for Procrastination,” disk jockeys provide community listeners with a variety of tunes and programs.

Listeners can tune in and hear anything from indie rock to electronica, to the Grateful Dead hour, to a bluegrass show, to a world show, Lynch said.

All voices are represented at KDUR, said Nancy Stoffer, previous station manager for the radio station.

“KDUR is the voice of the people,” she said.

“Volunteer DJs, whether student or a community member, are contributing to the sound of KDUR,” Liggett said. “It’s the people who are programming the music and being the DJ personalities that make up all of the voices of KDUR.”

The KDUR community consists of about 90 volunteer DJs, Lynch said.

“We have human beings who are live in the studio 21 hours a day who are actually operating the controls and playing the music. Most other radio stations are not like that.” Liggett said.

In addition to the volunteer DJs, KDUR is run by three full-time and two part-time staff members.

“We do the day-to-day maintenance of the radio station,” said Liggett, who became the station manager in 2009.

The annual cost to keep the station running 24 hours a day, 365 days a year is about $348,000, Lynch said.

“I don’t think people realize how expensive it is to run KDUR,” said Jen Cossey, the office manager.

Because KDUR is a public radio station, it receives federal funding and grants, but the station also has to generate extra income, Cossey said.

In addition to receiving financial support from FLC and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, KDUR puts on two membership drives per year and sells underwriting to local businesses.

Membership drives are held in the spring and the fall. In total, they generate about $35,000 for the station, said Perrault said.

Annually, an additional $40,000 is collected from selling underwriting to about 50 different local businesses, Perrault said

Gail Harris, host of the “Fire and Rain” show Wednesdays from 6 to 8 p.m., has been a KDUR DJ for eight years.

Harris, who plays rhythm and blues on her weekly show, said KDUR gave her the opportunity to introduce a new generation to true contemporary R&B.

“The thing that most impresses me about KDUR is that they play a variety of music,” Harris said. “A lot of the commercial radio plays the same songs over and over again. KDUR doesn’t do that. They really make an effort to find disk jockeys who will play a variety of music.”

The next KDUR DJ application meeting will be held 5:30 p.m. Sept. 3 at Fort Lewis College in Noble Hall, Room 125. Anyone interested in becoming involved with the community radio station is welcome.

tferraro@durangoherald.com