As KRUI gears up for the new semester, several changes have been made that the station hopes will increase coverage and expand its capabilities, as well as provide better training for aspiring DJs.

The biggest is a new Internet-based station — a second, online-only format that will broadcast out of the UI student-run KRUI office in the IMU. Listeners will be able to stream the Internet station through any audio player in three weeks, and like KRUI 89.7 FM, the online broadcast will be available on kruiradio.org.

“We’re in the process of putting the finishing touches on the I-studio,” KRUI general manager Nathan Gould said. “We’re going to have two stations operating simultaneously.”

One of the main benefits of the new station is that it will allow KRUI to put on more shows and increase coverage, he said.

“It’s expanding our programming,” he said. “Giving us more abilities to do stuff we’ve wanted to do.”

In the music department, this means expanding the station’s collection into some lesser-covered areas.

“We’ll be getting more jazz, hip-hop, and electronic music than we have in the past,” music director Drew Ingersoll said.

The increased airtime provided by the Internet-based station will also allow KRUI to expand its news coverage. Instead of relying heavily on newswire reports, KRUI’s news department will send its own reporters to gather information.

“What we want to do is start having students do their own produced radio pieces,” said Alex Rich, KRUI’s news director.

KRUI, in addition to increasing its broadcasting abilities, has built up a large staff for this year. The station received nearly 300 applications this semester, Gould said, and will take on around 230 new employees. Of those, 75 will be trained as DJs.

“We have such a large interest in the station,” he said. “[The Internet station] allows us to give even more airtime.”

KRUI plans to use the new Internet-only broadcasting format not only to increase its programming but also as a training tool for its new DJs.

“In the past, we’ve just put an experienced DJ in the studio with a new DJ,” programming director Dolan Murphy said.

Now, new DJs will be assigned to broadcasts on the Internet station, and they can move to the FM station when they have more experience. Trainees will also undergo a new three-week training session before they are put on air.

After introductory meetings, students will begin training, which includes three different courses.

First, they will learn how the control board works and what it is that makes a good program. After that, they will be taught the computer skills necessary to produce the station’s shows. Finally, aspiring DJs will learn the rules of the station, including FCC broadcasting regulations. The training program began on Monday.

One of its returning shows, “Live From Prairie Lights,” will also give the station the opportunity to expand. Ingersoll said the equipment needed to broadcast from Prairie Lights will allow KRUI to be able to record and broadcast musical performances from outside the studio.

“Space is always a concern, so we’re always looking for alternative places [to record larger acts],” Gould said. “The mixer is really going to broaden our ability to record those and improve their quality as well.”