Hot Mic

Two years ago, if you tuned in to Roanoke College radio WRKE at any time, you'd likely hear a mishmash of songs: Nine Inch Nails followed by Sir Mix-a-lot followed by the Indigo Girls.

WRKE's hodgepodge of a music library was in need of an update, or at least refining, as it filled the long stretches of time between the 12 shows that dotted the weekly schedule.

Not to say there wasn't on-air talent back then. There have always been handfuls of passionate students who become invested in their weekly playlists and panels and on-air chatter. What had been missing then, during the decade or so that WRKE had occupied 100.3 on the FM dial, was cohesiveness.

By the 2010s, retention was difficult, as was accountability. Station promotion was limited. There were just two promotional ads airing every 15 minutes. Station awareness was low on campus. Physically, the station was tucked into the back corner of the Colket Center's second floor, too out-of-the-way for friends to pop in during shows like the romanticized versions of college radio.

In 2011, after one campus-wide survey indicated that most students were unaware Roanoke College even had a radio station, funding was threatened and the future of the station was uncertain.

Fast-forward to the start of spring semester 2018. Participation in WRKE grew significantly in fall semester 2017, and by January, a record 70 students committed to manage and host shows. Today, 40 programs fill up most of the week. The music library got a makeover, too, though it now fills less time in between shows.

For the second consecutive year, WRKE received an Outstanding Student Organization Award.

WRKE has found its groove. 

A FEW GOOD MENTORS

David Mulford has been involved with WRKE since its inception in 2004. Around that time, the FCC began granting licenses for low-powered FM stations, or local radio stations. As the College's media technology director, Mulford was just the guy to engineer a whole radio station from scratch.

"Mark Peterson, who was the student activities director then, approached me and said, 'Hey, David, what do you know about this? Can we get one of these things?'" Mulford recalls. "I said, 'Sure. We'll take a shot at it.'"

Mulford enlisted the help of local engineers, got his ham (or amateur) radio license, and figured it out. He's the behind-the-scenes source now, quietly keeping up with mountains of paperwork from the FCC, and acting as a go-to guy for engineering inquiries.

"I got us this station. And I built this station," Mulford says of his role. "But that's not enough. You have to have people who want to use it and to be excited about it and promote it."

Rick Mattioni was brought in as station advisor shortly after WRKE went on the air in 2005. As the former program director of WVTF Radio IQ, a local NPR member station, Mattioni has the professional know-how for on-air guidance.

"My goal has always been to involve the students to a degree that some would rise to management level so we could make the station better," Mattioni says. "I've never felt it was my station. It's the students' station. One of the things I want to give students is the opportunity to be creative, whether it's musically or otherwise."

The desire to give students the freedom to create is a sentiment echoed by Joe Boucher '87. After graduating from Roanoke and establishing a successful career as a producer in Hollywood, Boucher returned to Salem in 2015 as director of student activities and the Colket Center.

"When I was at Roanoke, I thought we could do better for creative students, to give them more creative outlets, because I was that student," says Boucher. "I also like the idea of students being accountable for their own entertainment and entertaining themselves."

Upon Boucher's arrival, he realized the pieces were in place to allow students the freedom to create and entertain. With programming guidance from Mattioni and Mulford's technical wisdom, Boucher's fresh perspective on how to utilize the school's existing creative outlets helped the station land a new, more visible location.

"It just seemed like a great opportunity to have a cool program that could probably engage a lot of students if we put some more energy into it, made it a nicer kind of environment, made it a place where people could see it," Boucher says. "In terms of visibility, I don't think anyone knew we had a radio station."

The station moved to an underutilized lounge area near front entrance of Colket.

"A lot of students didn't know we had a radio station," Boucher says. "Now it's the first thing you discover when you walk into the student center. In terms of visibility, that makes a big difference."

Boucher enlisted the help of Nick Norris '17, former WRKE assistant program director, to design the new space. It was up and running by September 2016. First part of text here. 

MAIN MAN

WRKE's momentum seems the product of a perfect mix of incidental pieces falling into place. Mattioni retired from WVTF Radio IQ in 2014, allowing him more time to focus on enhancing WRKE. He created an advisory committee of local broadcasting professionals. A communications major was added at the College in the mid-2010s, making broadcasting more relevant to the curriculum. The station moved. Boucher arrived in 2015-and so did Elijah Wilhelm '19.

Wilhelm is a natural behind the mic. Currently serving as WRKE's program director, he also co-hosts a political talk show, "Frontburner." Typically dressed in a tie and button-down shirt with khakis, occasionally a suit, he certainly looks part political commentator, part man-in-charge, and he clearly loves the niche he's carved out for himself at WRKE.

Wilhelm seized the opportunity to work with something so in need of attention and make it his own. He gave hosting a shot when he heard a classmate mention her show. Initially, he felt strange hosting his political talk show alone, but soon learned he thrived with a co-host.

Wilhelm was designated WRKE's first news and information director; a bump up to program director soon followed. He decries the days of indifference, how when he first started, the station lacked cohesiveness. "People sometimes showed up during their hour, they played some music and went on with their day," Wilhelm says.

"That's something that we're really trying to change. We're not expecting everyone to be best friends, but at the same time to have some sort of unity to at least know who the other people are."

Under Wilhelm's direction, unity was achieved-not only within the station, but across campus and out into the community.

Once-a-semester theatrical productions have involved Theatre Roanoke College in live-broadcasting radio dramas. Around Halloween in 2017, station members heard from Salem locals that they tuned in to WRKE's broadcast of "War of the Worlds" while carving pumpkins with family. Live-streamed game shows like "Family Feud" and "Jeopardy!" involve a number of sports teams and other campus groups competing against each other. WRKE has had a live midday broadcast from Fruitions, a smoothie shop on College Avenue. And small changes were made around campus. The WRKE logo and frequency adorn the brick wall of Douglas W. Ayres Hall, which houses Resource Development offices. And WRKE now plays continuously in Colket and Fruitions.

Wilhelm found a memo from 2014 in one of the upstairs studios-a to-do list with a reminder that one of the two promotional spots that aired every 15 minutes "HAS TO GO." In the past two years, the station has added 70 new promos.

"I can have ideas, I can be given ideas, but it's actually doing them and actually following through," says Wilhelm. "I wanted to change the station because I could. And anyone can."

It certainly takes students who care, like Wilhelm. But he gives a lot of credit to his advisors. He calls Mulford a "genius" and appreciates the time Mulford took to walk him through the technical side of moving the station.

"I don't know how to solder a cord like he was doing. But some of the basic things, I definitely learned from him," Wilhelm says.

Wilhelm also credits Mattioni's role as a hands-off support system, that he was always the best source for advice or gentle guidance, and he never told Wilhelm "no." 

"And that's the way it should be," Wilhelm says. "Because this is supposed to be a learning experience. If I was just sitting back letting him do everything I would've learned nothing."  

FINE-TUNING

Wilhelm and WRKE's then-music director Kaitlyn Mason '19 spent most of the summer of 2017 combing through the station's music library. They listened to the 826 existing songs, kept 120, and added 500 new songs. They stuck with a college-radio alternative genre. Wilhelm says the process was grueling, but at least now listeners hear a series of similar-sounding songs playing consecutively when they tune in outside of the regular show schedule.

There's an island music show, a Dungeons and Dragons discussion show, and an ambient lounge music show. Zach Dalton '21 co-hosts the twice-weekly "Video Killed the Radio Show," a talk-show hybrid about movies and pop culture featuring soundtrack selections. Dalton is just one of the student disc jockeys who says having this show has helped him figure out what he wants to do after college.

"I want to get into movies and acting when I graduate, so by doing research every week and following movies at a heavier rate it's shown me how Hollywood really thinks and what is successful and what is not as successful," Dalton says.

Cara Basham '20 feels the same. Her show is "B-Side," an indie, alternative, neo-folk program that has caught the attention of some local artists who have requested to be featured on the show. "I love how much freedom WRKE gives us to be creative and make content that we think would be entertaining for other college students," she says. 

WRKE students point to the creative freedom and time with friends on-air as their favorite parts of being involved. Most say having a radio show has helped them find their voice in ways they didn't imagine possible.  WRKE has also provided a platform for dialogue. There are political talk shows of all persuasions as well as pop culture-themed shows that dive into current issues.

"I have learned that I actually have a lot to say," says Donte Branch '18, co-host of "The Real Deal" a talk show that also features R&B and hip-hop music. "This radio show was started because issues were not being addressed from our perspective. As minorities, we feel that our voice should be heard, and what's a better way to achieve that than actually using your voice? WRKE is a great way to channel your inner expressive self."   

WHERE TO FROM HERE?

Wilhelm says he's proud of what WRKE has become; of the variety of shows that have been curated and of the new audiences the station has been reaching. Wilhelm, who graduates in May 2019, will be phasing out his leadership in the upcoming fall semester. But he's worked with Mattioni, Mulford, and Boucher to make sure student management remains involved-and ensure the momentum continues at WRKE.

"Doing better isn't permission to stop," Wilhelm says. "We have the biggest staff ever now, but we need to do more. I'd like for us to be the best radio station in the world."