In addition to playing songs on the radio, next week WKPS-FM (90.7) will be bringing music to students in a more intimate way. Starting Monday, the station will run a contest to award listeners tickets to the April 15 Godsmack and Staind concert at the Bryce Jordan Center.

On Monday, listeners of the student radio station will have the opportunity to submit their names and a reason why they deserve the tickets to WKPS through e-mail, phone or AOL Instant Messenger. By Friday, DJs will call the people with the best reasons and ask them to finish a Godsmack or Staind lyric on the air. If the caller is correct, he or she will win the free tickets.

The contest is aptly titled "Are You Awake?" for two reasons. First, the contest coincides with the late night show Metal Machine that airs between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m., a time when many students on campus are sleeping. The second correlation comes from the title of the newest Godsmack CD, Awake, and the tour, modestly titled "Wake the F*** Up."

Alexis Hall (sophomore-graphic design), office assistant for WKPS, helped to create the contest. The radio station first contacted SFX Entertainment, the company that handles the Godsmack and Staind concert. To be given the tickets, WKPS had to devise a contest as a means to give out the tickets.

Hall also requested an interview with members of the bands performing at the concert. She said she was optimistic the station would be granted its request.

WKPS will pursue more connections between its music and listeners. Hall said this contest is part of a larger plan to make drastic changes at the station.

"We have a whole new look, a whole new feel," Hall said. "We're going to step up and take people by surprise."

Along with a new logo and Web site, more promotions are being planned. Hall said the station is currently trying to obtain tickets for the upcoming Eric Clapton show so it can have another contest in May.

These contests are meant to make more people aware of the station. Erik Brandt (sophomore-graphic design), music director for the Rush Hour show, hopes the contest attracts more students than the "five devoted listeners" that currently tune into the early morning show.

WKPS has also been collaborating with Gillian Deak (senior-telecommunications), the Universal Music representative for State College. The two groups held a listening party on March 24 for six new artists, including the rap group D-12 and the rock group Monster Magnet. The station is also playing these groups on air.

Hall also said a second listening party is being planned to coincide with the newest Weezer CD due out May 15.

Other events WKPS is involved with include the recently held Memphis Bleek concert on March 14 in Rec Hall. The Penn State Multicultural Resource Center collaborated with Jam 91, a hip-hop show on WKPS, to hold the show.

Further information about the contest can be found at the WKPS Web site, www.clubs.psu.edu/wkps.