Revolution 89 is home to a variety of student-run podcasts and shows, aired to the Pueblo community. While the station exists at Colorado State University Pueblo, its reach has begun to grow to several other states – and countries.

Laura Garcia, a Colorado State University Pueblo international student and DJ, is largely responsible. This fall, Garcia has begun hosting a show known as Matcha-teando con Laura, loosely translated to “Spilling the Tea with Laura”, which is Rev 89’s first primarily-Spanish speaking show. The variety show discusses music, gossip, and relationships from Garcia’s perspective. While the show was originally co-hosted by her older brother, she has expanded into a solo host with the plan to bring on occasional guests.

International and Spanish speaking students have found a home in Matcha-teando con Laura. Since the show is mostly in Spanish, Garcia has also placed an emphasis on exploring more Latin artists when selecting music for her segment. This choice has not gone unrecognized, as international students have previously approached Garcia with curiosity towards who runs the station that plays in the International Students Lounge on campus, which frequently hosts Rev 89.

“It gives them a place to see themselves reflected, and our community,” Garcia says.

Not only has the show created a space for Spanish-speaking students, but it’s also sparked a curiosity for a variety of students outside of CSU Pueblo’s media department to host their own shows, according to Garcia. To be approved for a radio show, a Federal Communications Commission test must be passed.

In cultivating an environment for a language diverse station, Garcia began streaming her show live on TikTok. These streams exploded, with her original follower count of 20,000 boosting to over 33,500 in the span of two weeks.

“I tried to do it first on instagram, but my account is private because I don’t really want people looking at my personal account,” Garcia explains. “I was like, okay, so where can you do it? I was on my show one day and got a notification from TikTok telling me someone else was doing a live.”

The notification blossomed into an idea that quickly took off. While Garcia notes that she only had around 10 viewers in the beginning, the audiences kept consistently growing with interactions, such as asking her audience what kind of music she should play during her segment.

Through these interactions, Garcia also gains content for her show. Some viewers tell their stories, ask for advice, and explore varying perspectives. These streams have assisted in bringing audiences outside of Pueblo to the station as well. Viewers who were curious about where they could listen outside of the U.S. discovered online sources where they could listen to Rev 89 across the world.

TikTok success has set Garcia up for a path beyond graduation as well, but Garcia states that she does not want to be an influencer.

“I’m shy,” she says, “No one is actually seeing anybody, so I feel free when I’m in the radio station. It could be good to have a community, especially for job opportunities if people are looking and see, okay, she runs this live show and it’s getting audiences from all across the world.”

Matcha-teando con Laura can be heard on Revolution 89 Tuesdays from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.