Students take the air on WEMC

Photo by Heather Nyce

Kyle Wertman practices using equipment at the WEMC radio station located in Astral Hall on the Hill as he prepares for his student radio program.

In the next couple of weeks, WEMC, EMU's public radio station, will begin to air content that may get the attention of more EMU students, as well as others in the community.

Undergraduate students Kelly Cullers, Darryl Mosley, Amanda Opoku-Amuaben, and Kyle Wertman, as well as graduate student Hind Ghorayeb and 2005 graduate Todd Yoder will begin hosting late-night student shows. These shows will air from midnight to 1:00 AM every night of the week.

The content of these shows is entirely up to the student host. Jon Kauffman-Kennel, WEMC General Manager, is in his third year at EMU, and had experience with student radio shows at Goshen College. He said he had a part in bringing them to campus as a student, then dealt with them in a different capacity when he managed the Goshen radio station.

Last spring he began the programs on WEMC, and had four or five students hosting their own programs. The shows are prerecorded in order to avoid insufficient planning for programs and to avoid abuse of the privilege of airtime.

Earlier this semester an e-mail was sent out asking if anyone was interested in trying their hand at radio, and these six students are those who responded.

Opoku-Amuaben hosted her own program in the spring of 2005, and is excited about the chance to do it again. Her show will consist of interviews with students based on a theme around which all her music will revolve. The music she plays, a blend of hip-hop, R&B, and international music, comes from her personal collection.

"I want to add the student body voice to WEMC by having students actually talk on it," she said, "and I'm hoping more students will listen to WEMC. I hope this is a way to get their voice out, letting them open up in one way or another."

Another hour will feature Kyle Wertman playing some of his favorite indie rock and alternative music, such as Death Cab For Cutie and The Postal Service. He is also excited about playing the music of several local bands.

"WEMC is definitely overlooked. It's not really focused to EMU students. I'm hoping to get [students] to listen to it," Wertman said. He will act as a DJ, playing the music he selects as well as taking e-mails from students and listeners.

"I'm hoping for a creative outlet here for students who want to use radio. We want to make WEMC seem relevant to students so we can get them to listen. This is programming that isn't aired anywhere else," Kauffman-Kennel said.

While there is a hope that these programs will cause listenership among EMU students, WEMC extends to a much wider audience. Jon Kauffman-Kennel, WEMC General Manager, said the station sends a "good" signal for 35 miles, but there are listeners beyond that distance as well.

As Virginia's first public radio station, WEMC is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary. Located at the top of the hill at Astral Hall, WEMC has been part of Eastern Mennonite since 1955.

Today's station schedule is predominantly filled with Classical music, playing from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Most evenings feature Jazz as well as World music. The station also features alternative news from BBC, Talk of the Nation and a variety of sources.

A complete schedule can be found at www.emu.edu/wemc.