WCNI 90.0: The Radio Station Nobody Knows About

In preparation for writing this article, I asked students around campus if they’d ever tuned into WCNI. The majority of responses were something along the lines of, “Wait, we have a college radio station?” Honestly, I was a little saddened by these answers. A campus radio station is pretty awesome; it’s something that makes Conn special.

Radio, however, is a dying art form in the eyes of many. People look at streaming services and online platforms (i.e. Spotify, Soundcloud, etc.) and think, “Well, do we really still need radio?” But radio itself, and especially our college’s station, is very much alive.

The College station is concerned about this waning student interest, as it is traditionally student-run. While the station remains alive and well, it is truly a shame to see so few students involved.

I walked down to WCNI, camera in hand, to check out the studio and get some comments for the article. I was met by Charlie King, who serves as one of only two active student DJs, student General Manager, and student Program Director. Upon meeting King, I could see the passion he had for radio. I walked around and took pictures of the small but stylish studio. The walls are lined with band stickers and shelves upon shelves of CDs and records.

Photo credit: Will Kadison

King obviously loves WCNI, and so I had to ask him why. “Honestly, I think it’s the fact that there’s so much of a connection with the Connecticut community, and the fact that all the people who have been here are so passionate about what they do. Everyone loves to talk music…yeah, I guess people are just passionate.”

This connection with the community is exemplified by how close King has become with community DJs and administrators. I could see that community DJ Glenn Herbert and King had grown close through sharing the WCNI space.

In speaking with Herbert, I was able to garner some appreciation for the community side of the station. Herbert has been DJing at WCNI for twelve years, and our interview turned into a long and interesting conversation about music. Herbert’s passion for WCNI goes further than just a personal relationship with the studio. His daughter, who graduated from Conn in 2013, was a DJ at WCNI as well. However, she’s been coming to the studio with her father since she was in high school. Herbert says the radio station keeps him young, and I could see how happy he was operating the old school mixing board and selecting his songs. Watching the station operate so smoothly was truly inspiring.

Photo Credit: Will Kadison

As my conversation with King wrapped up, I decided to ask him why he likes radio as a listening platform. Why not just listen to online music like everyone else? His response: “I think streaming services allow for more hit singles and instant gratification. Whereas if you tune into radio, it takes the power out of your hands, it forces you to be exposed to music and genres and expression that you otherwise wouldn’t seek out. I think that’s really powerful. I try and run my show this way, and learn about 5 or 6 new artists a week. I really get into them and get to share their music.”

This immediately brought a smile to my face, not necessarily because I share the exact sentiment, but because of how powerful the statement was. I had to tune into WCNI later that day and expose myself to some new music. Writing this article has honestly made me want to start DJing at WCNI. •