In the early 1970s, Southeastern Louisiana University emerged in Hammond from Southeastern Louisiana College amid enrollment growth, new programs and societal change.

One pivotal milestone in this period came in 1974 with the launch of its student-run FM radio station, KSLU. Students’ collective longing for autonomy and expression was in full swing, and KSLU served as a conduit for their voices to be heard.

KSLU, now also known as 90.9 The Lion, has been on-air for 50 years. Today, the radio station continues to be vital to the university.

The radio station had humble beginnings, initially operating on 10 watts of power and only airing a few hours a day during the week. In 1983, with support from the Student Government Association and self-assessed fees from students, KSLU was able to qualify for membership with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and increased its power to 3,000 watts. 

KSLU’s mission is to serve as an informative and entertaining on-air source for Southeastern and the broader Hammond community. The station provides an educational environment that enables students to gain and exercise the skills needed to work professionally in the communication industry. 

By 1988, KSLU became the first in the southern United States to install a touchscreen operating system. The new tech system resulted in radio personnel from across the world visiting and seeing it in action. 

Todd E. Delaney, the station’s general manager for 16 years, said, “Suddenly, Hammond, Louisiana wasn’t just a dot on the map; it became a global voice. We’d often receive emails from listeners in places like France, Spain and South Africa, telling us how much they loved our station.”

Continuing to shape history, in 1996, KSLU became one of the first noncommercial stations worldwide to broadcast via the internet, which brought global listenership. 

Interim Department Head of Communication and Media Studies Dr. Joseph Burns has been deeply involved in KSLU. Burns began collaborating with KSLU after a student asked him if he wanted to do a segment on the air.

 After gaining positive feedback from listeners, the segment started being recorded weekly and was dubbed “Rock School.” Now, 15 years later, Burns continues to host Rock School alongside his occasional voice work for the station. 

KSLU had a prolonged period of absence after Hurricane Ida struck Southeastern in 2021, predominantly affecting the D Vickers Hall, where the recording took place. The station’s staff had to consider the next steps to keep the station on air. 

One option staff were willing to take was switching to an entirely online platform and temporarily becoming non-terrestrial. Operations would be less expensive, and with student listenership in mind, becoming a strictly online platform became a viable option. Soon afterward, KSLU was only available through online streaming. 

Damon Sunde, the athletic director for broadcasting services and current general manager of the station, proposed in 2023 that KSLU merge with Southeastern Athletics. Since the general consensus was positive, KSLU officially focuses on athletic content alongside the other segments.

“The station is as popular as it has ever been. We’ve expanded broadcast opportunities for students and are working on a project to further increase KSLU’s coverage area,” Sunde said. 

Burns commended KSLU for staying on air during difficult times. 

“My most memorable time was 9/11. Just after the first plane hit the tower, the management asked me to go on air since I had professional experience…we covered the event from a local angle. I can still remember individual students and the guests and stories they brought to air,” Burns said.

 KSLU has persevered through many changes to Southeastern’s campus and community, as well as cultural shifts caused by world events. Burns stated, “It was a brutal day but showed the students what real radio can be.” 

After KSLU’s extended hiatus, it returned to the air under a new title, 90.0 The Lion, and remains popular. The station offers a diverse array of programs, such as local talk shows, campus and community events and news and sports coverage. 

During the day, 90.9 The Lion streams album-oriented rock (AOR) with artists including the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Van Halen. Once the sun sets, the station switches to primarily blues and R&B tracks. 

As KSLU celebrates half a century of broadcasting, it stands not just as a beacon of student creativity and passion, but as a testament to the enduring power of the radio to connect, inspire and amplify campus voices. 

“For a lot of our students, it became a second home. After classes, they would flock to the station to hang out, share meals and talk about the music they were planning to feature on their shows,” Delaney said.

From its modest beginnings in a small campus studio, KSLU has transformed into a cultural cornerstone for the university. Its mission of serving as an informative and entertaining on-air source for not only Southeastern but also the broader Hammond community remains unchanged. 

As Southeastern looks to the future, one thing is certain: the roar of The Lion Nation Station will continue to echo for generations to come—louder, stronger and more resilient than ever before.

Burns said, “the greatest compliment one can receive in radio is for someone to say that he or she ‘does good radio.’ KSLU does good radio.”