- Mike Spaulding,
Assistant music director WZND
NORMAL—“Fuzed radio, WZND. That was the Police with 'Every Breath You Take' and this is Mike. How are you guys doing today? I’m got some Green Day, Pearl Jam and Wyclef Jean coming up for you. If you want to hear something else you can call me at 309-438-2171 or e-mail requests@wznd.com, but right not I’ve got Rihanna with 'Only Girl in the World' on WZND Fuzed Radio.”
WZND deejay Mike Spaulding clicked the microphone off, pushed his headphones onto the back of his head and then continued to rock out to the music. Spaulding, an Illinois State University senior, is just one of the 100 students who volunteer or intern at ISU’s only student-run radio station. Like most, the English major’s passion for radio is enough to make the late nights, missed classes and constant financial struggles worth it.
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| Above, WZND staffers entertain themselves by trying on one another's glasses during a break in the station's lobby. From left are Jessamyn Amezquita, Brittany Jones, Kaitlin Brown and Mike Spaulding. Below, messages from seniors for future generations adorn one side of the hallway where a couple of WZND staffers take a break to toss a football back and forth. (Photos by Nathan Kelly / Staff Photographer) |
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“I was working but the more stuff you do here, the better your resume. People don’t care if you stacked rocks at Menards,” Spaulding said. “By being here it’s opened doors, you can try anything. There is more to English than teaching. I think my prior experiences at WZND would overshadow my lack of a radio degree.”
Located in the basement of Fell Hall, the station breathes life into the dark hallways. Classic rock pours into the hallways as soon as the lobby door is opened. Awards and photos decorate the walls, students eat lunch while discussing their latest promotional campaign and a front desk attendant immediately offers a tour. With so many workers, many students seem oblivious to who is coming and going, as long as the music keeps going.
After four semesters at the station, Spaulding, the assistant music director, is used to the hectic pace and has even become fond of it.
“It feels like a family because we’re here all the time. We’re not just working together, we have class together, we hang out together,” Spaulding said. “Sometimes I stay here just to stay here.”
The station’s 30th birthday will be in January 2011, after switching from WILN to WZND in 1981. Although used to change, WZND revamped its format in January 2010. Moving away from the dual rock and hip hop format of the early 80’s to a sound that has been compared to “a college student’s iPod” including rock, hip hop, pop, country and classic hits.
“The minute the new format launched, I just felt such a strong sense of accomplishment,” Nick LeRose, WZND’s general manager, said. “We actually did it and that’s what set the tone for me and helped me realize my potential.”
LeRose, an Illinois State junior, took the reins at the radio station after three semesters on the station’s music staff. Leading and moving the staffs in the right direction are his main tasks, not including his classes, restaurant job and the part-time deejay business he runs.
“I applied for general manager because I wanted to have a bigger part in the station,” LeRose said. “I knew with the format change there would be a lot of renovations, and I had a lot of ideas I wanted to put into play.”
While LeRose talks about his future goals he is interrupted to look over paperwork, asked questions about the upcoming weekend and has continued his on-air deejay shift, but he smoothly answers each WZND question.
“This is something I’ll do the rest of my life. It’s a lot for anybody,” LeRose said. “I’m getting used to it, but it’s going to be worth it in the end.”
The radio station does not just provide music to Illinois State through WZND.com and channel four in the residence halls, the radio staffs offer the university other opportunities. WZND has a news and sports department that broadcasts live newscasts 44 times per week, a promotions department that offers listeners concert tickets and other prizes and a public relations department that raises money for the ISU Childcare Center.
“I think we have a wide reach on campus, we do things like street teams and remotes,” LeRose said. “We’re a family here, that’s for sure. Without the students I don’t know what this place would be like. The people, they make it what it is.”
It’s obvious when you’ve hit the sports department at WZND. Football posters, Blackhawk pennants and a Redbird flag decorate the walls. A foam football, baseball bat sit in the corner while a homemade basketball game waits for a free throw shot on a desk. Senior Ross Green has been in charge of the department for three semesters and on the staff for two more.
“You meet some of your best friends here and a lot of professionals,” Green said. “I’m impressed with our quality. I think we’re right up there with other media organizations and we’re preparing good reports for the future.”
Green works with a staff of 25 to ensure that the university community has the latest sports updates and can listen to local play-by-play of Redbird athletics. The sports department teams up with news to try and bring award-winning newscasts to ISU students.
“I don’t think a lot of people know about us but I think they should,” Green said. “If you’re really passionate about our school, you should be listening.”
One of the most noticeable pieces of WZND’s history sits directly on the walls of the radio station. On one side of the hallway, all of the seniors that have graduated from the university and station leave messages on the walls for future generation to read. While there are funny pictures and humorous anecdotes, the most prevalent information is advice for future directors.
Recent Illinois State graduate and WZND alum, Steve Suess, wrote his message right above the news and sports office where he had lived for eight semesters.
“Towards the end of my ZND tenure I realized I had learned everything I could have,” Suess said. “It was a place to maintain the relationships I already had.”
Suess admits he spent more time in Fell’s basement than many others. By the time he had graduated he had been a deejay, produced commercials and a sports show, and even made a sale.
“If you spend that much time in one place you’re going to find your best friends there. It’s nice to see the radio station now with everyone different there,” Suess said. Now an ISU graduate student, Suess still works on-air at local stations WGLT and WJBC.
“Going back…you don’t want to be that guy who’s just hanging around,” Suess said. “You don’t take steps back when you’re walking across the river of life.”