WMWC Recovers From Major Setbacks

MATTHEW BLAKELY

Although our school is functioning on one leg without a permanent president or the space of Lee Hall, our radio station, WMWC radio, soldiers on. Despite setbacks acquiring an FCC license,  the radio team has found a way to boradcast.
Evan Henry, the radio’s front man and technician, explained why the radio hasn’t been up and running for the past couple of years: Lee’s renovation, lack of support, and the expense of an FCC license.
When Lee Hall’s new blue prints arrived and kicked all the organizations operating within the building out, the radio’s space was cut into a fraction of what it was; the office, now beside the Eagle’s Nest, is about one square foot away from being considered a closet.
“We had two offices in the attic of Lee Hall with a huge CD library, a vinyl selection, a lounge, a broadcast room, and now it is this,” Henry said.
Another problem the radio station faces is a lack of technological support. Sure everyone loves listening to music, but only a small number of people have the actual technological capacity to operate the machinery.
“When I leave there will be no one to support our infrastructure,” Henry stated. Therefore without the spine of the school or the muscle of the students, the radio was paralyzed until now.
The radio has now been successfully moved to webcast with an array of DJs and shows. You can listen to the  radio easily by logging onto wmwc.umw.edu on campus.
There are about 45 different DJs with two morning personality radio shows lined up every Monday through Thursday from 8-10:00 a.m. These morning shows are designed to help students start their days right and Henry adds, “the shows are kind of  like ‘Elliot in The Morning’ but not nearly as obnoxious.”
A regular show has a specific play list of songs that the DJ must play half of his time slot, allowing them to play music of their choice for the other half. In contrast, a specialty show is one that a DJ can either concentrate on a genre of their choice or have a talk show focused on a specific subject.
All of these shows do have one important thing in common: they are limited by the “say nothing you wouldn’t want your grandmother to hear” rule—although please keep in mind it is still a college radio station.
These slots are not hard to get and are still up for grabs, “especially the ones early in the day,” Henry noted. If you are interested in becoming a radio personality or DJ all you have to do is get in touch with Henry himself. WMWC staff offers training to all their new DJs.
Despite the major setbacks in the past few years, the radio has persevered. Radio Club is one of the oldest clubs at UMW, and it looks as though it’s here to stay.