In 2016 I was intrigued by the story of a 1985 “college radio network” visit to the White House, in which students had the opportunity to interview President Ronald Reagan. At the time, there was scant information at my fingertips, so I wasn’t able to ascertain whether an official college radio organization was involved with […]
Author Archive | Jennifer Waits
Radio Station Visit #202: WCCH-FM at Holyoke Community College
On the ground floor of the Donohue Building on the Holyoke Community College campus sits college radio station WCCH 103.5 FM in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Blessed with several distinct spaces, the station has a cheerful lobby, a unique standalone on-air booth, and a podcast and live music base of operations down the hall. The aesthetically pleasing […]
Radio Station Visit #201: WMHC-FM at Mount Holyoke College
On a chilly early March night, WMHC General Manager Valentina Rubio Lopez greeted me outside the Mount Holyoke College campus in South Hadley, Massachusetts. Bursting with love for radio, Rubio Lopez explained that an important part of their college selection criteria was that the school have a functioning radio station. The specific inspiration came from […]
Radio Station Visit #200: WOZQ-FM at Smith College
In a 1947 letter to WPRU at Princeton University, Smith College student Betty Specht asks for advice about the feasibility of setting up a college radio station, writing that there is a feeling that they are, “very much out of the fashion by lacking this modern convenience.” Ensuing correspondence with other radio stations provides further […]
Radio Station Visit #199: WAMH-FM at Amherst College
“This semester is our last semester in our current radio station, so we would love the opportunity to show off our wacky and wonderful space,” emailed WAMH-FM station manager Finley Liu in response to my request for a tour. With the clock ticking before the planned move, I was especially eager to visit the longtime […]
Radio Station Visit #198: WMUA-FM at University of Massachusetts Amherst
During lunchtime on a Thursday in early March, University of Massachusetts Amherst’s college radio station WMUA was buzzing with activity. Tables in the lobby were full of students working on laptops, eating and socializing, while the station’s two main studios (one for the 91.1 FM signal and another for streaming station WMUAx) were occupied by […]
Radio Station Visit #197: WNEK at Western New England University
“We desperately need this station! With every other campus on the air, it is a crying shame…After all, with a name like WNEC, what would seem more natural!” (The Westerner, 11/5/1969) In 1969, a columnist for the Western New England College student newspaper, The Westerner, noted the irony of the college not having a radio […]
Radio Station Visit #196: Yurt Radio at Hampshire College
Every college campus is an adventure, requiring advance planning on my part so that I am able to navigate as quickly as possible to radio stations that are often in hidden-away locations. Before my visit to Hampshire College radio station Yurt Radio, its staff advocate John Bruner emailed specific directions. In light of the recent […]
Radio Station Visit #195: CiTR-FM at University of British Columbia
“CiTR is in fact a Nardwuar cult,” joked CiTR Vice President Dani Larose in a message to me after my visit to the University of British Columbia (UBC) campus and community radio station in Vancouver. It’s not surprising that CiTR’s most famous and perhaps quirkiest show host might lure people to the station. Journalist and […]
Radio Station Visit #194: CJSF-FM at Simon Fraser University
Treasure hunt is the best way to describe the whirlwind afternoon that I spent at campus and community radio station CJSF 90.1 FM at Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada in June 2025. Every inch of the station tells a story. Guided by Music Coordinator Connor Ashton and Programming Coordinator Jesse Wentzloff, […]