Life + Arts

Coog Radio reaches three-year milestone

Coog Radio celebrated its third birthday on September 24.  |  Fernando Castaldi/The Daily Cougar

Coog Radio celebrated its third birthday on September 24. | Fernando Castaldi/The Daily Cougar

The student-run, Internet-broadcast Coog Radio recently celebrated three years of rocking the campus with new talent and young humor.

The station broadcasts more than 40 shows per week at coogradio.com. With 50 disc jockeys on roster, the organization prides itself in providing a colorful selection of programs, covering genres from classical to electronica.

It is a point of pride for Coog Radio to promote and support artists and groups from Houston so as to instill a sense of community within the University and city, according to the Coog Radio website.

The staff promotes musical diversity for students to enjoy the material they love while exploring new worlds of sound and rhythm.

“Coog Radio is a really great thing for the student body. It’s an awesome creative outlet for the DJs, and as a listener, it’s a fun way to support fellow Coogs,” said media production junior Vicky Hernandez.

The creative attitude and collaborative mindset of the organization is captured in the physical workspace and the airways.

Cinema Forte, which airs Wednesdays from 5 to 7 p.m., introduces students to popular and overlooked television and cinematic music. Media production senior and co-host Isaiah Peña said he came up with the idea for the show when the station started in 2010.

“I’ve always liked making people listen to music that was used in film because we never really pay attention to it. In most cases, it’s really the most important (aspect) of the movies people watch,” Peña said.

“It’s very effective in supporting the film’s story. You can have the same scene, but get a different execution depending on the kind of music you use.”

Peña hosts the show with media production junior Sasha Rodriguez.

But it’s not all beats and lyrics. The station is a forum for in-depth commentary on popular subjects.

The Final Score, with co-hosts hotel and restaurant management sophomore Jason Cruz and broadcast journalism sophomore Ashley Moore, discusses popular topics surrounding professional and NCAA teams, predominantly basketball and football.

“What makes our show different is the combativeness between me and my co-host. We never never share the same (opinion). It’s either he likes it and I hate it, or vice versa. We give different commentary on the same topic, and we’re both accurate,” Moore said.

In the spring, Coog Radio will join the other school-funded, student-operated media outlets in the Center for Student Media in the New UC.

“I am all about collaboration and strengthening bonds in the UH community. Being closer to the Student Video Network and The Daily Cougar will encourage everything I’m aiming for within the entire organization,” said advertising senior and Coog Radio station director Samantha Wong.

Wong said closing the physical distance between the three organizations will reinforce a collective mindset among the officers and bridge gaps that have inhibited collaborative projects in the past.

The Daily Cougar is located on the opposite side of campus at the University Center Satellite, whereas Coog Radio and the SVN have neighboring offices.

“We have to walk great distances to talk to each other, or only rely on email and phone calls,” Wong said.

Wong expects the center to bring the three organizations closer to the Center for Student Involvement, which has an influence on the other student groups on campus. She anticipates streamlining the application process and dramatically improving the website before spring.

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