If you’ve never tuned into Elon’s radio station, WSOE 89.3 FM, now is the time. With new equipment and a passionate staff, WSOE is ready for the student body to check out what’s new on their airwaves.
The station plays popular music just like any FM station, but also focuses on local, not-as-well-known artists, including some found right on campus.
“We have at least a couple Elon artists and try to encourage our DJs to play local music during shows at least twice an hour,” said senior Daniel Konzman,WSOE’s music director. “A lot of DJs choose to play artists that they know in the area and are potentially friends with.”
Last semester, WSOE even had some Limelight artists, Elon’s music production organization, do a live set and interview.
With more listeners than ever before, the staff is thrilled and is trying out new shows to spread the word even further.
“This year, our main motive is professionalism,” said sophomore Mack White, WSOE’s general manager. “In the past we’ve always had efficient broadcasts, but this year we’re trying to evolve into a more professional state because we recently got new software that makes our station sound more clear. We’re trying to operate like any FM station that you might hear in your state.”
White stepped into the general manager position after the previous manger transferred at the start of the fall semester.
“We lost a little bit of organization but our goal from the year before was to develop our professionalism and we really feel like we’ve gotten there and accomplished that goal,” Konzman said. “We’re really running a tight ship now and everything is well-organized. Now our main focus is just getting more people to know about it and get people involved.”
The station is designed to appeal to people who listen to all types of music and talk shows. Two of the most popular shows right now are ELN’s news show and Mack White’s morning show titled “That’s Moderately Raven.”
“I’m a big fan of ELN Radio,” White said. “It sounds like a real broadcast that you would hear and they put a lot of hard work into it. I’m also a fan of ‘Recovering Recluse,’ which has a lot of good college rock. I also put a lot of work into my show called ‘That’s Moderately Raven,’ which plays college rock and throwback tunes.”
Any student has a chance to become a DJ no matter his or her year at Elon or what the show may focus on, as long as it abides by FCC rules. White said one of the more interesting shows now is a Christian rap talk show.
“We stand for the creative expression of the people who are interested, the people who come here and just want to become DJs, want to do something fun, want to be able have people listening to them and show off the music they love or talk about the things that interest them and just have a good time doing it,” Konzman said.
WSOE plans to get in on the newfound tailgating popularity here at Elon and set up its own tent soon. White said the groups would like to get their name out, pass out stickers and maybe even do a live show to entertain potential listeners around them.