Video killed the radio star.
When The Buggles released that song in 1979, the British band had no idea that those lyrics were only touching the tip of the iceberg regarding diminishing radio popularity. Thirty years later, most people don’t find themselves listening to the radio unless they are driving or have it on in the background while getting ready in the morning.
College students especially are not turning their dials further than 100.3 or 95.5. Even less are tuning in to Fairfield University’s own radio station WVOF 88.5. Located in the far left corner of the lower lever Barone Campus Center, WVOF 88.5 does not attract much attention. The fact that the University’s radio program in the New Media Department is slowly cutting back classes and professors does not help the matter.
“They’re not encouraging people to do the major,” said WVOF program director James Maresca ’10.
In a day and age where we constantly have access to Internet and videos at the tip of our fingers, radio programs have taken a backseat in the entertainment world. But there are radio shows right here in Fairfield County that is just as entertaining as a YouTube video.
VOF has a free and eclectic format available both on FM radio and on the web. The kind of music played or issues talked about is completely up to the DJ, which are made up of students, community members, and NPR broadcasting. Whereas you turn on the radio and hear the same song playing every forty minutes on the same station, Fairfield’s radio station reflects the preferences of the actual DJ.
“It’s up to you to pick your format,” Maresca ’10, “You get to create your own thing.”
Although most of the University’s radio programming is music, there are talk shows that mainly focus on sports. The concept of listening pure talk radio is becoming increasingly foreign to college students, but in addition to the variety of programming of 88.5, there plenty of other enjoyable are other talk radio shows.
Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me is a news quiz show that takes a fresh and funny look and current affairs and the week’s events. Host Peter Sagal leads a group of guest panelists, NPR personalities, and listeners through as series of games to test their knowledge of current news. Carl Kasell serves as judge and scorekeeper. Games include “Carlbook” where Kasell reads made up Facebook status profiles and the listener must identify who posted the update, “Bluff the Listener” where the contestant hears three unusual related new stories and must determine which two are true, and “Who’s Carl This Time” where the contestants must identify the speaker or explain the context of three quotations read by Kasell. . Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me airs on Saturdays at 11 AM on and Sundays on WVOF 88.5 FM.
You don’t have to be interested in cars to love Car Talk, a show hosted by Tom and Ray (aka Click and Clack) that answer all questions about any automotive maintenance and repair with some self-deprecating humor. National Public Radio has run this popular call-in show for over 20 years. Click and Clack’s shameless wit and teasing amongst themselves and callers provide an amusing spin to what could be a regularly structured call-in show. Instead, the hosts attempt to diagnose the vehicle problem while getting to know the caller. The show opens with a short comedy segment made up of jokes sent in by listeners, followed by a number of call-in sessions. Car Talk airs Saturday at 10 AM on WVOF 88.5 FM.
The Leonard Lopate show may lack the fast action of Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me and humor of Car Talk, but the program makes up for that by its variety and through-provoking issues. The show holds a variety of conversations with popular writers, actors, politicians, musicians, comedians, historians, filmmakers, do-it-yourself experts, and any other profession available. There are usually about four interviews in one show in order to cover a wide variety of topics. There are two features to the program: “Please explain” in which Lopate talks with experts on different topics of general interests, and “Underreported” which is a political and social issue discussion. The show airs weekday as 12 PM on 93.9 FM and AM 820. It also airs Tuesdays through Saturdays at midnight on AM 820.
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