For a generation of free music junkies, we seem to be forgetting the easiest--the original--source of priceless tunes: the radio. Specifically, we've forgotten our own college station: WJHU Hopkins Student Radio. WJHU is truly a product of the new millennium, leaving behind the regular airwaves for the Web.
Granted, it's not easy to get used to the idea of logging on to your favorite radio station. A few years after the earlier version of WJHU, circa 1970, left student hands, the new WJHU debuted in 2002, broadcasting a constant mp3 stream from their site to anyone with a high-speed Internet connection. Regular mixing boards in the station's three-room unit on the terrace level of McCoy Hall instantly convert the DJ's play lists into one mp3 file. All you have to do is hit up http://www.wjhuradio.com.
"It's a new concept," says WJHU station manager, senior Yann Brandt. "But I really think that the Internet is the future of radio."
Brandt was a part of the original group that started the station back up again in 2002. With classmate Shannon Change and seniors Ryan Tabone and Lucianne Walkowicz, he took on the task of bringing college radio back to Hopkins. Three years later, WJHU has become one of the largest groups on campus, with nearly 20 executive board members, 70 DJs and 50 shows a semester.
WJHU gets its funding and guidance directly from the Office of the Dean of Student Life and their advisor, Dr. Bill Smedick, Special Assistant to the Dean.
"We feel that a viable student run radio station can enhance our community in significant ways," Dr. Smedick says. "The radio station provides many students the chance to be actively involved in a worthwhile enterprise."
Smedick, who began advising the revamped WJHU three years ago, selects the new station manager with the help of Dean Boswell. When Brandt took on the position this year, he realized early on that it is an intense endeavor.
Brandt says he owes a lot to the other radio execs, like program director Josh Atkins, who hires and regulates the DJs; music director Chris Merchant, who keeps the free music flowing 24 hours a day, even when there's no one at the station; and technical directors Andrew Pile and Brian Sloane, who handle "the tech side of things."
As for DJs, WJHU attracts a fairly eclectic sampling, with shows ranging from "Jazz Trash" to "Osmosis Frijoles," "Midlight Melava Malka" to "Mandatory Metallica Hour with Scott and Scott."
"We have a minimal amount of input on what music is played. We get a lot of classic rock, some Indian music, Rap. There's a DJ who spins his own techno. It's amazing the variety of people we have," says Brandt.
Even Dr. Smedick has his own show, every Thursday from noon to 2 p.m.
"I play music from my personal CD collection which pretty much runs the gamut from classic rock to alternative country and folk music. I also take requests," he says. "Some of the more memorable things that have happened have been getting instant messages during the show from alumni who have tuned in and are listening."
Freshman Alexander Folkenflik hosts "a kind of music/talk show" called "Late Night with Jess and Alex."
"We chat with each other, interact with IM. We like the interaction," Alex says during a midnight broadcast from the McCoy studio, walls plastered with stickers and posters of diverse music groups. "It's really easy to get involved, and people should."
The original WJHU dated back to the mid-1940s. Its first official home was the basement of AMR II, where it remained for 30 years. The audience was small: basically freshmen in the AMRs who could pick up the station on its 830 AM frequency. Beginning in the 60s and 70s, station managers decided to upgrade to FM, finally getting approval for WJHU 88.1 FM from the FCC--The Federal Communications Commission--in 1978.
For some members, those dreams of FM broadcasts never died. Many see FM as the only way to get more listeners, and advertisers, involved.
"What we need is a better outlet," says Brandt. "But I'm very hesitant to go down that road."
Expense is one obstacle, as FM airtime doesn't come cheap. Then, Brand explains, there are the rules that regulate FM broadcasts, created by the FCC.
"You know, the thing that fines Howard Stern all the time? You have to be on 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can't curse ??? There are very strict guidelines."
Smedick adds, "Personally, I enjoy the internet format because of the freedom it allows, especially freedom of expression ??? I enjoy the fact that we can reach people anywhere in the world through Web based programming."
For now, Brandt is proud of the changes WJHU has already made, and looks forward to the transformations to come. The station started live broadcasts from Hopkins basketball games late January, providing play-by-play coverage using a remote broadcast. They hope to start covering the baseball games this spring.
"We work with a lot of organizations on campus. We've done the King of Hearts; we deejayed the freshman formal and we did the International Culture Fest. Next week we're doing the Cardiac Cocktails with Alpha Phi" says Brandt.
As WJHU evaluates its status on campus and begins to plan for the future, Brandt's first priority is making sure the station survives another year. With a staff full of seniors, he says, they really need undergraduates to join.
"Join by way of the exec board," he urges. Everyone wants to be a DJ. It's an open door right now; it's always been an open door."
In lieu of the move to FM, Brandt envisions another change for WJHU: location. He'd settle for a room with a window in Levering Hall, but fantasizes about a spot in the new Charles Commons building. The original plans actually included an overlooking lobby with a rounded atrium for a DJ booth--TRL style. The plan was scratched for lack of funds. Brandt says he's just glad to hear these ideas circulating.
Of course, a loyal listenership wouldn't hurt either.
"One thing that students at Hopkins don't have is that union, something that brings them together. There's no immediate outflow of anything. That's the advantage college TV and radio stations have: they're immediate."
So, put aside the iPod--just for a little while--and as Brandt says:
"Log on right now and listen."
