Spider Bui back at campus radio station

Submitted by Carla Browning
Phone: (907) 474-7778
09/20/04

KSUA, the student-operated radio station at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, has decided to reinstate on-air privileges for Scott Hornyak, a student disc jockey who goes by the name of "Spider Bui."?

In June, Hornyak was taken off the air, suspended from his job as KSUA business manager and reassigned to another on-campus student position while an investigation into alleged violations of Federal Communications Commission policies and KSUA station rules was conducted.

UAF Dean of Student Affairs Tim Barnett said Hornyak became the focus of international controversy on the day after the death of former President Ronald Reagan earlier this year. Reagan died Saturday, June 5.

"We received mixed responses from the community about the content of his Sunday radio show, including complaints about comments Scott was said to have made on the air about the president,"? Barnett said.

Hornyak was suspended for not following KSUA rules and procedures, which call for DJs to make an opinion disclaimer and note such actions in station logs prior to the show. Hornyak was offered another student job on campus while an administrative review took place on the procedural actions leading up to his suspension from KSUA.

In a letter to Hornyak June 10, KSUA Station Manager HB Telling said the suspension could be appealed through the Media Board, a group of faculty, staff and students which oversees KSUA and has authority over the station. Hornyak chose to take his issue to the Alaska Civil Liberties Union to help resolve his claim that his on-air DJ privileges were improperly suspended and that he was wrongfully reassigned to another student position.

The license for KSUA is held in trust for UAF students by the UA Board of Regents; the station serves as a unique opportunity to gain radio experience. KSUA, like the student newspaper the "Sun Star," is supported by student activity fees allocated by the campus student government.

"We are very proud that so many UAF graduates go on to successful broadcasting and journalism careers throughout the state because of their experiences as students at KSUA and at the Sun Star,"? Barnett said.

"The actions taken by the station manager were done with the best intentions of balancing community interests and station policy. Since there are no tapes of the show, it is unclear to what extent, if any, violations of community standards occurred."?

Following discussions with the Alaska Civil Liberties Union, the university decided to reinstate Hornyak as a volunteer KSUA DJ. In addition, Hornyak will be reinstated to his previous position as KSUA business manager, effective Monday, Sept. 20. However, a written reprimand will be placed in Hornyak’s KSUA DJ volunteer file for violating Rule 4.3.1 of the KSUA handbook regarding maintenance of the operators log.

"This has been a learning opportunity for our students, and that’s what UAF is all about,"? Barnett said. "It’s also given us all an opportunity to review how we balance community standards, FCC regulations and our own internal policies for dealing with these issues, and to help our students become more aware of these important matters."?

KSUA offers UAF students and staff a unique opportunity to gain experience in radio as a volunteer in positions such as DJ/on-air announcer, engineer, audio producer, news reporter, promoter or in management positions.

The station occupies the same Constitution Hall studio originally used by Alaska’s first public radio station, KUAC-FM 104.7. When new studios were built for KUAC in the Fine Arts Complex in 1971, a group of students took over operation under the call letters KMPS. The campus-only radio station was broadcast on a carrier current, transmitting through electrical systems to campus buildings. By the mid-1970s, the call letters of the station were changed to KSUA and a move was initiated to to apply for an open-air, FM radio license.