By Brionne Thompson
WARP Radio studio is alive with activity again — students are working on their computers in order to pre-record the station so it’s able to run 24/7.
WARP Radio is a student-run radio station hosted by SUNY Plattsburgh, and it’s now a course being offered for journalism and communication students. It’s taught by Bruce Carlin, a friendly and passionate lecturer.
“If you have a radio station, you want it to feel like you’re listening to music with a friend,” Carlin said. “You want your audience to know you and you need to be consistent and be live 24/7.”
The students who are taking this course — CMM209 — work six to eight hours a week and one to two hours a day, from Wednesday to Friday between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Students learn things like how to go live on air and how radio stations run. There aren’t many radio stations without automated systems and just real people, and that’s what WARP sets up in Plattsburgh.
Carlin is passionate about teaching the class. He said that knowing his students will make their mark on the world is a 180-degree change from his past job, and he’s not complaining.
“I have four kids. It really helps my teaching and how I communicate with them,” Carlin said.
Carlin studied at SUNY Plattsburgh. He later had his own business agency in radio doing advertisements and playing music for about 30 years. He also managed Plattsburgh’s Air Force Base’s public relations and communicated the base’s closing to the public and what activities the base would be up to now. Teaching CMM2209 is a complete change for Carlin.
“I’ve had four kids and put them through college. It’s expensive. I want these students to be prepared for their careers and get their money’s worth,” Carlin said.
SUNY Plattsburgh has had several radio stations over the years, according to Carlin. First, when he was a student, the school put in a transmitter in the Kehoe Administration Building and used antennas to blast the radio through the dorms on campus.
After a while, it changed into WQKE from 1981 until 2022. WQKE shut down because of COVID-19 and now exists as a club funded by the Student Association as opposed to a department-owned radio station.
The difficulty of this course shouldn’t be students’ first worry, according to James Kheller, a teaching assistant for this course.
“The editing can be a bit tricky and take some time getting used to, but everyone learns at different paces and it’s a fun experience,” Kheller said.
Kheller is double majoring in TV-video production and audio-radio production and loves action-drama shows.
Students edit the recordings while in this class, but the studio also has a small room with microphones and a set up for someone to go live and be on air. WARP Radio doesn’t experience issues common at other radio stations, such as paying all the staff or getting enough funding or advertisements to keep the station running. However, that doesn’t mean students won’t be encouraged to leave their comfort zone.
“If you’re nervous going into a closed room where no one is, this may not be a great job fit for you,” Carlin said. “You need to be confident and know that you are reaching people.”
Listeners can access WARP Radio from anywhere at http://player.warpradio.com/BRGY-IN/index.php?t=longtail.
This is not accurate. It was WPLT for a large chunk of Tempe time you say it was WQKE