Southeastern Louisiana University relaunched their AAA 90.9 KSLU Hammond LA on Monday to Classic Rock “90.9 The Lion“.
The station is now being overseen by the school’s athletic department and will continue to carry Southeastern Sports Radio Network’s coverage of the university’s baseball and men’s and women’s basketball games plus student produced coverage of soccer and volleyball. The station states it will place special emphasis “on rock sub-genres and the Louisiana artists that helped shape the sound of popular music throughout history”.
Effective at 9:09 a.m. Monday, Nov. 6, Southeastern Louisiana University campus radio station KSLU has transformed into 90.9 The Lion, playing a format that focuses on classic rock, 80’s and 90’s music and community-oriented programming.
Listeners have a multitude of ways to enjoy all the new programming. In addition to 90.9 on their FM radio dial, listeners can access an audio stream using either the TuneIn or MyTuner Radio smartphone apps – both of which are Apple CarPlay friendly – and on the station website at www.LionUpRadio.org.
As part of the new format, special emphasis will be placed on rock sub-genres and the Louisiana artists that helped shape the sound of popular music throughout history.
Southeastern Athletics remains a key component of station programming. Student broadcasts of SLU Soccer and Volleyball join the Southeastern Sports Radio Network broadcasts of Baseball and Men’s and Women’s Basketball. Coverage of Lion Athletics also includes the weekly SSRN Podcast with Harris Beal, Robbie Rhodes, Allen Waddell and Mark Willoughby at 5 p.m. every Friday.
The station’s weekly public affairs show, The Tangi Community Download, focuses on topics of interest to the university, Hammond, Tangipahoa Parish and the greater Southeast Louisiana community. Tyler Thomas visits with community and campus leaders each Saturday at 7:30 a.m. discussing topics that range from community events to healthcare services.
Daily features include Today in Rock & Roll History, The Law of Rock & Roll, The Academic Minute and STEM Radio with Rhett Allain. A Southeastern professor, Allain is a regular contributor to WIRED magazine who advises for award-winning television shows that have included both MythBusters and MacGyver.
Joe Burns’ award-winning Rock School, which airs Thursday at 5 p.m. and repeats Sunday at 7 p.m., headlines several specialty shows that provide an education in rock-n-roll and music history. The Best of Rock School joins the lineup weekdays at 8 a.m.
BAM (The Best of America Music) with Davy Brooks and Dayne Sherman moves to a new timeslot at 9 a.m. on Saturdays. DJ Hoosier Mountain hosts A Bright & Blessed Morning, a two-hour gospel show airing Sundays at 8 a.m., as well as the eclectic Melted Vinyl now airing Tuesdays at 10 p.m.
The Dirt Road moves to the weekend as part of the Sunday Night Blues, a four-hour block of blues music beginning at 8 p.m. Joining the lineup is Louisiana Saturday Night, a two-hour show dedicated to Swamp Pop, Cajun & Zydeco and the rich musical history of the Big Easy.
Other specialty shows include Stuck in the Psychedelic Era, Rockin’ in the Days of Confusion, Dead Air, BackTracking and This Week in Rock & Roll History. A full on-air schedule is available on the station’s website.
In advance of the format flip, the station aired the song Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley for more than 39 consecutive hours as it underwent the transition.
Under athletic department management, the station returns to its rock roots as its 50th birthday approaches in November 2024. A CPB-qualified non-commercial, educational station licensed to the Hammond community, KSLU originally signed on the air Nov. 11, 1974.
