\u201c[In fall 2012] I was an intern, so this spring is my first semester hosting my own show,\u201d says Park (SMG\u201915). \u201cIt\u2019s painful to wake up that early, but it\u2019s what I had to do. At least having the early time slot gives me a chance to learn my way around.\u201d<\/p>\n
Park is one of the 100 members of Boston University\u2019s student-run radio station WTBU<\/a>, which broadcasts 20 hours a day from the third floor of the College of Communication and is home to around 70 shows that give a decidedly student-focused spin on the news, sports, and music.<\/p>\n WTBU is perhaps most famous for signing on Howard Stern (CGS\u201974, COM\u201976) (who claims he was fired because he ran a controversial segment on his show King Schmaltz Bagel Hour<\/em>), but its current staff is most proud of being named Station of the Year at the CMJ College Radio Awards, held in New York City in October 2012. The station was also nominated for Best Use of Limited Resources and Biggest Champion of the Local Scene, and James Miller (CAS’14, COM\u201914) was nominated for Music Director of the Year.<\/p>\n Anne Donohue (COM\u201989), a COM associate professor and WTBU\u2019s advisor, says the award celebrates the students\u2019 dedication and long hours, and has \u201cbeen a long time coming.\u201d She points out that executive board members (the students who collectively run the station) receive two class credits per semester. Although WTBU is housed at COM, students from all over the University participate.<\/p>\n \u201cTo work here, you really have to have a love for the campus and community,\u201d says Matt Paterno (CGS’11, COM\u201913), the station\u2019s general manager in fall 2012. \u201cIt\u2019s a part-time job, but over the last two years I\u2019ve spent so much time at this station that I\u2019ve seen more of the night janitors than my professors.\u201d<\/p>\n Like other media, radio stations across the country find themselves threatened by slashed budgets. In Boston alone during the last few years, WFNX 101.7, Oldies 103.3, WBCN 104.1, and WTKK 96.9 have closed; other stations have opted to change to an uninspired non-deejay format.<\/p>\n WTBU has a different kind of problem: while the 56-year-old station is technically on 89.3 FM and 640 AM, its signal isn\u2019t strong enough to be heard outside the walls of COM. So like many other college radio stations, WTBU encourages listeners to stream its shows online<\/a>. The strategy has proved successful, says Archetto. The station gets about 300 visits a day, some from as far away as China, England, and California.<\/p>\n Before stepping up to the microphone, hopeful deejays learn the ropes by interning, says programming director John-Michael Sedor (COM\u201915). One of the most popular shows is WTBU News<\/em>, which airs Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6 p.m., and features interviews with student government members, BU faculty commenting on politics, and campus events. WTBU Sports<\/a><\/em> also draws many listeners.<\/p>\n Students can apply to host their own show at the end of a semester-long trial period. This semester, 80 applicants applied, so many that the station opened the midnight to 2 a.m. slot for more shows. \u201cI really try to move stuff around if it means I can give more people a spot,\u201d Sedor says.<\/p>\n Music is in the hands of WTBU music director Laura Jane Brubaker (COM\u201913), who considers herself the station\u2019s \u201ctastemaker.\u201d She reviews all music submitted to the station by bands, promoters, and record companies to sift through what should be played on the station. In her free time, she stakes out artists at local venues, inviting those she likes to come into the station to perform<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cLocal indie music is the stuff that doesn\u2019t get out there unless someone wants it to get out there,\u201d says Brubaker, who cites as her favorite bands of the moment Norwegian Arms and DRGN KING. \u201cI get kind of irked when I see people playing Taylor Swift on their shows because that isn\u2019t why we\u2019re here. We are in a metropolitan university in a major city. We should promote stuff that won\u2019t get out there otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n This effort might make for a daunting challenge, but Sedor is aiming high. \u201cWith this Station of the Year award,\u201d he says, \u201cour biggest goal is to show BU that it has the best college radio station in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n Parents who want to tune in can stream WTBU shows live<\/a> on the station\u2019s website or download the WTBU apps<\/a> for iPhone and Droid.<\/p>\n![\"\u201cWhen](\"\/parentmagazine\/files\/2013\/02\/wtbu_quote21.jpg\")
WTBU general manager Deanna Archetto (CAS’14, COM\u201914) says the station offers a perfect opportunity for deejays to learn how to handle the responsibility of live broadcasting. \u201cCollege radio is the place to learn how to be a deejay and how to promote a show,\u201d says Archetto, who hosts Internet Killed the Radio Star<\/em>, which broadcasts Saturdays at noon and features music from little-known YouTube performers. \u201cWhen I started, I remember learning the art of talking on air without being awkward. When it\u2019s your show, you\u2019re the center of attention. Even though your face isn\u2019t visible, it\u2019s your moment to be in the limelight.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"12-5940-WTBU-139\"](\"\/parentmagazine\/files\/2013\/02\/12-5940-WTBU-1392.jpg\")