Kent State’s student-run station broadcasts from state-of-the-art facility

Nico Simino, senior electronic media production major, organizes songs in the Black Squirrel Radio station last night. Simino is the urban music director at the station and has been DJing for three years. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ABIGAIL S. FISHER | DAILY K

Credit: DKS Editors

The halls are alive with the sound of music, because Black Squirrel Radio is now broadcasting live in Franklin Hall.

Black Squirrel Radio was originally scheduled to broadcast in Franklin Hall during the fall semester, but after construction setbacks, the station was forced to stay in the Music and Speech Center until the spring semester.

Marianne Warzinski, adviser for Black Squirrel Radio, said because the station was not ready until the start of the spring semester, only members of the Board of Directors have been trained.

Rory Geraghty, general manager of Black Squirrel Radio said this year they have to start fresh.

“We have to train the entire staff on the software because technology-wise, not much is the same with the new equipment,” Geraghty said.

The station is broadcasting live on BlackSquirrelRadio.com and on a delay in the hallway to censor any unwanted material. This is because the radio station wants to broadcast on the same standards as those with a license.

“Our goal is to constantly broadcast live in the hall, that is until someone complains,” Warzinski said.

Auditions will be held this week for Black Squirrel Radio tomorrow at 5 p.m. and Friday at 2 p.m. After auditions, the directors will create a program schedule.

Halley Miller, program coordinator for Black Squirrel Radio, said after auditions the directors will fit everyone in the program schedule.

“We lock the veteran DJs into their spots, and then fill everything else with new talent from auditions. In the past, we only had to train the new DJs, but this time around we have to train everyone, and we expect to have around 100 people.”

On Thursday, the station got its stream transferred over from the old studio in Music and Speech. Some of its staple shows are already jumping onto the air.

During the third week of school, Geraghty said the station will start training the staff. By the fourth week they plan to be broadcasting a full 8 a.m. to midnight schedule.

Geraghty said it would be hard to find another college radio station with professional equipment.

“We auditioned DJs at the beginning of last semester expecting to go on air, and then the date kept getting pushed back,” Miller said. “It’s hard not to be a little disappointed. Now we have all this equipment in front of us that’s better than what some commercial radio stations have, so we have a lot to live up to now that we’re back. I have high hopes for what the new studio can do for us.”

Contact College of Communications and Information and student media reporter Brittany Senary at [email protected].