Whether you have seen an issue of
The Wattage
on a table in McEwen or have watched artists like Snail Mail perform on the Hill, you probably have a good idea of what WHCL is. In addition to its weekly publication and concert events, WHCL Hamilton College Radio is widely recognized for its student-run, twenty-four hour radio station.
Because WHCL is one of the largest student organizations on the Hill, the members of its Executive Board have numerous responsibilities, including WHCL’s publicity, creating
The Wattage
, music directing, studio engineering, event coordinating, and the organization of the student radio shows.
Year round, student DJs of all class years are responsible for playing the music you hear every time you pass by Sadove Student Center.
The Spectator
had the opportunity to interview a few returning student DJs to learn about their radio shows and reflect on the experiences they have had with WHCL.
For Jerad McMickle ’19, WHCL has been a part of his college experience since his first semester; his current radio show “BJ & DJ” is the seventh that he has hosted on the Hill so far. He runs the radio show with his best friends Bryan Edwards ’19 and Gabriel DeJoseph ’19. “Each week is a great bonding experience where we grow closer by sharing the tunes that keep us going,” McMickle says. “Each of us provides a distinct yet classic musical style that keeps the show fresh and dynamic every week.”
While his favorite music genres are pop, rock, and electronic, McMickle described his music taste as primarily classical or “essential” indie, which is reflected in his radio show. Artists that he enjoys and often broadcasts include Sufjan Stevens, Angel Olsen, Animal Collective, and Julia Holter. McMickle told
The Spectator
about his song selection process, explaining, “I try to do unique themes for each week, whether that means songs about a similar topic (love, beach days, summer, fall) or some other fun and spunky grouping.”
When reflecting on his past experiences with WHCL, McMickle pinpointed this summer as among his favorite, as he hosted his first solo show on the Hill. “Being able to talk only about the tunes and not having my two friends chip in from the peanut gallery every few minutes really made me think intentionally about why I like the music I do. I also learned how to better articulate my feelings about music and why certain songs are so important to me,” McMickle explained. “I still love hosting a show with my friends but being able to focus 100 percent on the music is a great feeling.”
Molly Geisinger ’19 is another senior who is co-running the radio show “Hakuna Your Tatas” with Kathryn Hacker ’19 for a second consecutive semester. “I hope that our show will contribute towards building a positive atmosphere on campus,” Geisinger told
The Spectator.
The roommates started their show in the spring and decided to continue into this semester and beyond.
Geisinger emphasized that the songs they broadcast reflect the diverse range of artists and styles they listen to. “We always play songs that make us feel good, whether they are from the 60s and 70s or from the last 10 years,” Geisinger noted. “Music can really have an effect on our emotions and we like to focus on positivity; I think our show bridges all of these different genres in a harmonious way.”
Geisinger explained that her favorite part of having a radio show is knowing that their music choices are broadcasted to all of the students on campus, and even some listeners off campus. “We once even had someone who used to work at Hamilton call in to the show and request a song — that was pretty cool,” Geisinger said.
Whether you are a first-year or a senior, McMickle and Geisinger encourage any student who is interested in music and likes sharing songs to apply for their own show. While the weekly broadcasting schedule has already been arranged, General Manager Austin Ford ’19 recently emailed Hamilton students telling them to reach out if they regret not applying for a show this semester. In the meantime, there are plenty of great shows to listen to or even make a guest appearance on. You can tune in to WHCL at 88.7-FM or listen live at whcl.org.
