From College Radio to Real World Radio

Working at a college radio station can sometimes feel like a bubble, as with the college experience in general. Many student DJs wonder what will they do once that bubble pops.

Danny Trevino, a.k.a. D-Train, came to Texas State as a freshman with the idea of majoring in criminal justice. He graduated with a degree in mass comm. His entire college career was shaped by the fact that during his orientation he learned that the university had a radio station and he decided that radio was where he needed to be.

Danny spoke fondly of KTSW, Texas State’s student run radio station. He says that it gave him most of the knowledge and technical skills that he uses in his career. Listeners could tune in and hear him in the mornings. After a semester, he approached the program director about expanding the show and adding more to it.

Soon Danny was out in the quad, interviewing students. He admits that there were a few times he was pulled off air, most notably for his interview with a sex expert who described safe sex practices a little more graphically than the FCC allows.

After taking a three year break from school to pursue acting and club promoting, he realized that radio was what he wanted to do, so he came back to Texas State to finish his degree. Not long after returning to school, a former colleague from a radio station he had interned at let him know about a job opening at a station in Austin that just changed formats.

This tip led him to his current job at 93.3, he was given a live on-air test with a fellow Bobcat. He was now doing the things he was learning about in school. All of the experiences Danny had at KTSW, both the good and the bad have proved useful into shaping his career.

Part of the reason, Danny says, he enjoys radio is getting to meet his listeners. He has used this to his advantage, having been voted Best Evening DJ in Austin by the readers of the Austin Chronicle for three years in a row.

This past January, 93.3 decided to change up their morning drive. Because Danny had been able to garner such popularity from his late evening DJ shift that he could make a positive change the mornings. Traditionally, morning radio is mostly talk with a two hosts, but Danny pitched that Hot 93.3 be known for the “Most Music In the Mornings”. With that change, the show has been full steam ahead with D-Train at the helm, falling second to Bobby Bones in the most recent ratings.

During today’s session, one student asked what Danny does to prepare for his shows and how he gets his material. He simply said you get your material from anything, a delayed flight after a football game to a night out on 6th Street. To always be prepared, he keeps a pocket recorder with him to save ideas or get that candid interview, which he later edits and plays during one of his morning segments, like “Train Spotting”.

Danny’s experiences and all that he learned at KTSW have paid off for him. His example is inspiring to many students who are unsure of how that transition from college radio to real world radio will be. It takes a lot of hard work, the ability to make mistakes and learn from them, and meet people, not just the right ones, just anyone, because they may vote for you someday as the Best DJ in Austin.