91.3. These are numbers that may mean nothing to you, but to a large part of the student body, these numbers mean an opportunity to learn how to communicate and an opportunity to be a part of a community.
WMLU is the campus radio station; A thriving, active part of the Lancer community. Contributing to the biggest campus events of the year — both Spring Weekend and Oktoberfest — the students in the organization contribute a lot and a lot more than what may be seen at first glance.
As a member of the organization with a leadership position, I have gained the privilege to be able to see the immense amounts of work the members of the assembly commit to on a daily basis.
The radio station has seven committees members can join, each able of facilitating becoming a closer part of the Longwood community as a whole. The committees include the Music Committee, the Reviews Committee, the News Committee, the Publicity Committee, the Sports Committee, the Remotes Committee and the Alumni Committee.
The Music Committee reviews new music that is sent to the station and later channels the music to the disc jockeys of the station to broadcast on the radio waves.
The Reviews Committee critiques the radio shows broadcasted to better educate the disc jockeys on how they are doing well with their radio show and how they can be better. Radio shows are judged by technical factors (e.g., coming on air on time, etc.), by how well the disc jockey communicated on air (e.g., enthusiasm, etc.) and much more. By maintaining a reviews system of the radio shows, the Reviews Committee is capable of maintaining a higher-quality broadcasting medium for the students of Longwood University.
The News Committee broadcasts international, national and local or campus news as well as weather through pre-recorded audio packages. With the news and weather broadcasted at the top of the hour, or at the :00 mark, and with the weather broadcasted at the bottom of the hour, or the :30 mark, the Longwood and Farmville communities are able to get a taste of information each day on what is important and what affects them.
Longwood clubs and organizations are capable of submitting public service announcement requests to the News Committee by going to WMLU’s website and submitting the respective advertisement to be played on the radio waves. Doing so is a free and easy opportunity for students to get more attention to their organizations and events.
The Publicity Committee is in charge of making sure the radio station maintains a public presence with the campus by designing and posting advertisements for radio shows, the radio station, itself, and also for events the radio station holds.
This semester, the Publicity Committee will be hosting Acoustic Night, an event where students will be able to showcase their acoustic musical talents on March 27 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The Sports Committee broadcasts live reports of campus sports games, and has received first place for Outstanding Sports Coverage by the Virginia Association of Broadcasters multiple times.
The Remotes Committee is known for being the familiar faces around campus and at various campus events that DJ at events. Students and organizations are capable of booking WMLU disc jockeys for their events by going to the WMLU website and signing up at least 15 days prior to the requested event. The service is free and customizable according to the music genre.
The Alumni Committee is made up of members of the WMLU organization who have already graduated from the university.
The opportunity to be able to develop further communication skills is crucial to the workforce. If you can’t communicate, you can’t make connections, and without connections, you can’t get anywhere.
Members of WMLU have had radio shows ranging from talk shows to techno shows to drama shows where each disc jockey is more than a personality, but an actor.
If you ask, “Can even I have a radio show?” Yes, you can!
Speaking in front of a microphone, a faceless voice in the community — it seems pretty easy, but once your voice is broadcasted to who knows how many listening ears, suddenly that same cold sweat, stuttering anxiety felt by standing on a stage is felt just as strong.
If you ask any of the disc jockeys in WMLU, you’ll find different answers each time on how it has affected them. It’s more than being a voice; it’s being able to be a voice in a community of voices.
To learn more about WMLU, check us out every Sunday at 9 p.m. in Hiner Room 207 or email wmlu@wmlu.org.
*** This editorial is an opinion stated by the writer and does not represent the views of The Rotunda or Longwood University.
