While not everyone who applies is accepted, Park estimates that the organization welcomes approximately 90 new members per year, both DJs with designated time slots and subs trained to take over when DJs have to miss their shows. The station’s active airtime adds up to about 112 hours per week, but the availability of these hours varies from year to year depending on the number of returning DJs. WXTJ accepts applications for new members at the beginning of each fall semester. “Music is a very personal thing, so we’re just letting people be who they are on air.” “It’s a place where a lot of people can find a safe space, and it’s just so free and open,” Guinan said. My friends will tune in, and they’ve said it feels like I'm talking to them.” “I mean, not a lot of people tune in, at least from what I've seen, but the people who do, it's kind of intimate. “I think it's a really special form of media,” Wren said. Students involved in WXTJ have the opportunity to share their interests on air and form close connections with their listeners. Still, the organization’s support of the University’s arts scene shouldn’t be understated - in addition to radio, WXTJ hosts house shows and other live music events and produces videos showcasing local and student acts in their studio space. The station hit a record high in October of last year, when 3,500 unique listeners tuned into the stream. The size of the station’s audience varies - Park estimates 100.1 FM’s online stream might see hundreds of listeners in a given week, or it might see thousands. WXTJ tends to fly under the radar at the University - its listeners represent a minority of the student body. “But I also think, because it's rooted in the community, you get to meet so many cool people … For me, personally, it keeps me very creatively fulfilled.” “Because there's so much freedom, people feel like they can be themselves and bring to the radio station what they have to offer,” Park said. As station manager, Park noted her goals in reinforcing a supportive WXTJ environment. Guinan’s experience is representative of the connections WXTJ creates between involved students and the friendships that come out of collaboration. “So I decided to do the two hours with strangers, and it worked out both times.” “You have a two hour slot, and you can split it up into one hour each and just do it by yourself, but both times I was just like, ‘I'm willing to meet a new person,’” Guinan said. Unlike Park and Wren, who conceived of shows with friends, Guinan first applied to the station on her own during her second year and let the programming manager pair her with a co-host based on availability. to 8 p.m., and is the second show Guinan has co-hosted on WXTJ. Their show “Goodness Gracious! Live a Little!” airs Sundays from 6 p.m. Third-year College student Grace Guinan and her co-host, first-year Architecture student Olivia Quintero, once created a playlist evoking a plant growing in the sun. They get creative with their themes, curating playlists that feel like looking at Klimt paintings or lying in the grass. When they’re not encouraging their listeners to skygaze, Wren said the duo picks a different theme each week to guide their song selection. “ report on whether the moon is out, and how it’s looking and the weather.” “Sometimes we do say that the music is going to be better if you’re looking out a window,” Wren said. Along with fourth-year College student Abby Adams, Wren hosts “Window Seat Radio” from 6 p.m. This approach is shared by fourth-year College student Naomi Wren. “We just talk about the songs we like, and also our lives, and just have really vulnerable conversations on the air.” “We want people to feel comfortable playing what they want,” Park said. Wednesdays, and their approach to DJing is loose and personal. Their show - MUSIC BOX N’ TALKS - is on the air from 10 p.m. Park shares a two-hour slot with Ella Fesler, co-host and fourth-year College student - Fesler is also the organization’s programming manager. DJs remind listeners that they’re listening to WXTJ on the hour - other than that, students might spend their entire slots in conversation, or they might play their songs in silence. Similarly, students are free to find their own balance between chatting and playing music. Unlike WTJU, which divides shows by genre, WXTJ operates under a free-form programming format, meaning students are free to play music of any genre that might interest them. “Now we have over 200 student volunteers.”Īlthough WXTJ adheres to rules outlined by the Federal Communications Commission - including mandating against on-air swearing before 10 p.m. “It's fully student staffed, and student run,” said Ashley Park, WXTJ director and fourth-year College student.
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