Inside the WRCM radio show. TRAVIS VEGA / COURTESY
Sophia Fortunato, Staff Writer
Tucked away in room 509 of Thomas Hall, Manhattan University’s (MU) student-run radio station, We are College Music (WRCM), continues broadcasting this fall, carrying on a legacy that began more than five decades ago.
Founded in 1970, WRCM has gone on and off the air several times over the years, most recently returning in 2018 after a hiatus. Today, the station is run by senior communication and English major Sadie Fox, who serves as general manager, continuing a tradition that has outlasted changes in music, technology and generations of Jaspers.
Michael O’Regan, a freshman psychology major, described the process of applying for his radio show “Rasta Radio,” which airs Wednesday from 7-8 P.M..
“In order to apply, you fill out a Google form with your show name, logo and time slot request,” O’Regan said. “It was pretty important [that] you got the form in on time. You then had to attend tech training, which was when I formally met some of the board members, and I was trained on how to use the equipment.”
O’Regan went on to share the different genres of music he enjoys playing on “Rasta Radio,” as well as genres he plans to cover in future segments.
“I cover reggae music mostly on my show, dancehall, ska, but I tend to close out the show with some other genres that I enjoy like hip hop, punk and alternative rock,” O’Regan said.
Nora Durcan, a freshman double major in marketing and political science, hosts her radio show, “Sister Talk,” on Wednesdays at 9 P.M..
“I just talk about kind of funny things that have happened to me and my sister,” Durcan said.
Durcan went on to tell The Quadrangle about how the show’s scheduling works and how easily it fit into her own routine.
“It’s really chill, [just] one hour a week,” Durcan said. “You don’t even have to do the full hour. You can end [your show] when you want to end it… It’s very flexible around your schedule.”
Aine Kolpa, a junior biology major, hosts “Jump Aine Radio,” which airs Tuesdays from 1-2 P.M.. Beyond covering what’s happening around campus, the show features multiple recurring themes.
“I do random updates to help you understand what’s going on with school and get insight into college life,” Kolpa said. “[On] my radio show, I do like [to do] a different theme each week… the music is based on what that theme is… In October I’ll do a Halloween segment and I’ll play ‘Monster Mash.’”
WRCM also hosts campuswide events, including its annual Halloween Bash. When asked about the event, Kolpa explained that the station has broadened its reach this year by partnering with other campus clubs.
“They have local bands, mainly students from MU, and they’ll go and play music,” Kolpa said. “This year their goals include a lot of different clubs, so they reached out to different clubs to help them do events for Bash. They’re going to have a costume contest and they’re going to do crafts.”
The event is being co-hosted by WRCM and MU’s fashion magazine, LOTUS, on Friday, Oct. 23.
There are several ways, O’Regan explained, that the station connects with students beyond the airwaves themselves. O’Regan went on to outline the main ways listeners can actually tune in to the shows.
“People can listen to the WRCM Radio at the wrcm.rocks website, and some [individual radio shows even] have [their own] YouTube channels,” O’Regan said.
When asked if they would ever do a radio show like WRCM outside of MU, Kolpa showed interest in it.
“I don’t think I would see myself doing it as a career,” Kolpa said. “But I do think it’d be fun to find something similar outside of MU. I don’t know how I would do that, but it’s really fun that there’s a radio show on campus, and it can be low-key if you want it to be”
Students can follow WRCM’s Instagram page, @wrcm.rocks for updates on upcoming events.