The University of Houston finally has its first student-founded and student-run radio station, Coog Radio, which launched online this week. The idea came about back in 2009 between UH senior Conner Clifton and two friends.

Prince Wilson, Student Government Association president at the time, directed Clifton to the right administration, and he sat outside President Renu Khator's office until he got the answer he was looking for. Nearly five months in the making, Coog Radio was created to reflect something that UH is most proud of, diversity.

Streaming uncensored 24 hours a day, Coog Radio has a student DJ team of about 40 people (including local underground hip-hop artist Fat Tony), each with two-hour shows. The station recruited the DJs via an e-mail blast to UH's liberal arts students. The students utilize a small studio in the school's UC Underground to produce, conduct and run the show.

In 2014, Coog Radio plans to expand the DJ team and have updated equipment for a better means of getting live music to the students.

The assortment of what you may hear on Coog Radio is limitless, from astrology talk to old-school rap to electronic trance music. Sofia Straus, UH senior and the station's operations director, has a show called "The Bakery" as DJ Cupcake.

"My mom has a Ph.D. in psychology, so I'm really into how the brain is affected by music and I like a lot of rap music," she says. Even professors take part in the station. Clifton's show has a segment called "Professors' Pick," where instructors select music they enjoyed when they were students.

The ultimate goal of Coog Radio is to give the students a means of expression and a way to enjoy prominent, as well as local and underground, artists. "We're all just using U of H to provide a platform for students to have a voice, and whatever it entails we just want to give students an outlet," says Clifton, "whether it's bringing on new DJs, requests, student issues or submitting their own music to get played."

"Everything that we've paid for has basically been out of pocket, so we're just waiting on a budget to expand," notes Straus.

Coog Radio is currently working on getting a phone line for listeners to call in requests and give feedback. As of now, listeners can make requests online through the station's Web site, as well as a DJ schedule. Coog Radio takes pride in supporting local Houston artists and, consequently, letting UH students' creative energies flow through the online airwaves.

Tune into Coog Radio at coogradio.com.