The year was 1969. Back then Rexburg was still known as home to Ricks College. From 1969 to now, so much has changed. The university is now called Brigham Young University-Idaho, it is a four-year institution rather than a two-year college. More recently, we even have a new president.
All of that has changed, yes, but there is one thing that has not changed — there is still a campus, student-run radio station here. We had the opportunity to catch up with a Ricks College alumnus and former student station manager, Randy Lovoi. He managed KVIK – a forerunner of KBYI and KBYR – in 1969.
"You had a tape player, and then you would play something on that, and then it went to cassettes,” he said. “And now you have everything at your fingertips where you just push a button and it’s all in the computer. We really didn’t have much."
Armed with the knowledge that he gained here; he says it served as a crucial link in the chain of his career and helped him to forge a life in a field that he loved.
"It’s a steppingstone. Just by having those people who said, ‘Hey, I can get some carrier current transmitters instead of us just talking into a microphone.’"
After Ricks College, he went to Brigham Young University. He worked in radio and TV and was best known for his role as Harvey in “Hotel Balderdash” which aired in Utah on KTVX.
Having found success in his occupation of choice, and now retired, Lovoi leaves some words of advice to those looking to follow in his footsteps.
"Get with likeminded people. You can’t do it on your own. You have to get out and network with people."
You can listen to our full interview with Ricks College alumnus and former student station manager, Randy Lovoi, on your favorite podcast app, just search for BYU-Idaho Radio.