PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – When Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) launched its signature radio station, KPVU-FM, in 1981, nearly every household in the U.S. had at least one radio. After all, it was the only way to hear music outside of buying vinyl or cassettes. Over the years, KPVU became the primary voice of PVAMU as a National Public Radio (NPR) jazz and heritage station. The station was the “front porch” to the university, and the listenership remained strong even as the music landscape changed.
Photo Credit: Marquis Lofton
“There are literally thousands of people that listen to KPVU every day, who may never step foot on the grounds of Prairie View A&M University. But their knowledge of the university comes by way of listening to KPVU. And, it’s more than just listening to the music; it’s listening to the many public services, community affairs, and community dialogue that we have, with respect to the activities and the enterprises that make up Prairie View A&M University,” said KPVU General Manager John Hughes.
Hughes joined KPVU in 2016, just as streaming music services were gaining popularity and the station’s audience was becoming more diverse. Listeners of all ages were tuning in, including millennials, gen-Xers, and baby boomers.
“Our goal was to create a playlist that had a mix of music that would appeal to the three generations. So that led up to what, and where, we are now,” Hughes said.
The station recently rebranded to “The Art of Soul” to focus on being a “bridge” between the generations through neo-soul, jazz, world music, and one of the country’s best Latin music programs. This bridge creates a “sweet spot” or a center of gravity around soul music.
“Soul music is what makes us, US,” Hughes said.
KPVU continues to program heritage music, including R&B, along with timely, community-focused programs. There is also a focus on emerging artists like Ari Lennox, Snoh Aalegra, and Masego, who are programmed alongside neo-soul icons like D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, and Jill Scott. Of course, there are tracks by soul legends that include Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Aretha Franklin.
An artist collage created by PVAMU alumni.
“The artist collage idea on our website was initially conceptualized by Darriel Andrews, a PVAMU graduate from Chicago who majored in architecture. The collage acknowledges the diverse array of artists you hear on 91.3 KPVU,” said KPVU Program Director Marquis Lofton. “The final image was brilliantly reconceptualized and produced by PVAMU Alumnus Byron Lundy, founder of iBrandMedia.”
Along with the rebranding, a new website was designed in coordination with PVAMU’s information technology department. Listeners can now stream KPVU live from anywhere in the world.
“The entire platform is being redeveloped, including integrating social media and making the station more accessible to listeners across the Houston metro and beyond,” said Hughes.
Lofton (left) and Hughes (right) stand outside the KPVU-FM studios.
Hughes and Lofton worked together years ago at Clark Atlanta University’s radio station, 91.9 WCLK. The two shared a vision for making PVAMU’s KPVU a preeminent destination for music discovery.
“We are on a mission to program new and classic music from around the globe. This mission includes award-winning content in the form of specialty programs, such as Neo Soul Cafe, The S.O.U.L. of Jazz, and Latin Soul,” Lofton said. “KPVU will continue our commitment to our communities of service providing news and information from NPR, our daily morning news program, The Takeaway, public/contemporary affairs programs, such as It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders, Latino USA, and locally produced programs such as On The Hill with PVAMU’s own Frank D. Jackson. KPVU’s local announcers, Jamal Ahmad, DJ Frances Jaye, Rolene Bailey, Masani, and Gyla Gonzalez, are paired with award-winning Jazz musicians Marcus Johnson and Bob Baldwin, who are experts in their respective musical areas. We are excited to add a new addition to our lineup featuring PVAMU alumna and the voice of the Mighty Marching Storm, TT On the Mic. And, an added element of surprise and delight is having the Griot from the City of Prairie View host The Ride.”
Hughes (left) and TT On the Mic (right) attend a PVAMU sporting event.//Photo Credit: Marquis Lofton
PVAMU President Ruth J. Simmons supported KPVU’s new mission with a $10,000 donation during the station’s year-end fundraiser. Provost Emeritus E. Joahanne Thomas-Smith also gave a significant gift.
Perhaps, most importantly, KPVU is expanding its mission to train PVAMU students. As part of the Communication Department in the Marvin D. and June Samuel Brailsford College of Arts and Sciences, the station will broaden advisement of the student radio organization, PV-U KNO Radio.
“We’re greatly expanding our student training platform where we’ve already started with the creation of what fundamentally is a lab,” Hughes said.
The new teaching platform will allow students to gain experience in radio programming, operations, marketing, and other learning opportunities aligned with the Department of Languages and Communication. As many as 75 students can participate in training opportunities at present. Hughes said this expansion is just one aspect of their goal to develop more strategic partnerships, both on-campus and with industry experts, including Houston Public Media and others.
Lofton and a student inside the KPVU-FM studios.
“We’re looking at developing strategic partners who add resources and expertise to the station,” Hughes said. These partnerships extend to the PVAMU community, including on-air announcements to celebrate the College of Nursing’s 100th anniversary and continuous promotion of the university’s colleges, school, and athletics department. “We have a commitment to position our university’s concert choir on Houston’s mainstage, alongside some of our country’s most celebrated musicians during KPVU’s benefit concerts,” said Hughes.
Overall, it has taken a lot of work to develop the rebranding and expansion strategies. However, Hughes and Lofton, along with seven announcers, are driving home the station’s mission.
“My staff of announcers work tirelessly to bring an exceptional mix of familiar and unfamiliar music, including new and old voices, within our playlist. Our working ethos is that every song on the station’s playlist counts; correspondingly, our musical ambition is to ‘surprise and delight’ our audience,” Lofton said.
“Marquis and I made sure that anyone listening to KPVU hears on the hour, every hour, ‘This is 91.3 KPVU, a broadcast service of Prairie View A&M University’ – thus proclaiming to the world KPVU is Prairie View A&M University,” Hughes added.
To keep up with KPVU’s activities, be sure to follow them @pvamu_kpvu on Instagram and Twitter and @kpvuradio on Facebook.
By Jocelyn Kerr
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