Catie Camero of WLCA’s “The Morning Madness” shows a class of incoming Freshman the ropes.
Like a sports franchise with a developmental system, radio talent requires training and critiquing too. With a new year, the time has come for high school graduates to step up to the next level.
WLCA Music Director, Randy Kinnikin observes as a camp attendee runs the control board.
Potential radio broadcasting students have already gotten a taste of what Lewis and Clark Community College is like through affiliation with Civic Memorial, Alton, East Alton-Wood River and Marquette Catholic high schools.
The Godfrey campus and these local high schools hosted the annual 89.9 WLCA radio camp on July 28 and 29, an event meant to give attendees an upper hand in their field.
“During the radio camp, the students were given a compacted version of what the WLCA students at Lewis and Clark actually learn in their first semester of the college program,” former WLCA Program Director, Sam Hanson said. “, this includes how to back-time, control the radio control board, enunciation and pronunciation, how to properly structure an air check, how to insert adlib into introductions of songs, and numerous other things regarding on air performance and FCC regulations.”
The attendees were able to go live on 89.9 and will be broadcast on its sister stations 89.9-2 and 89.9-3 during the school year.
“The interaction with other high school students, as well as the Lewis and Clark disc jockeys, is a valuable and exciting experience for my students,” Civic Memorial Mass Communications instructor Donnell Campbell said.
The high school program has been growing, and the WLCA staff is looking forward to the challenge of being mentors.
A camper performing on air for a live audience
“When it comes to training the next batch, it’s exciting. I love that more people want to take it now than when I took it only two years ago,” Bethalto alum and current radio student Bryan Moore said.
For more information, visit the Campus Life section of the L&C website or WLCAFM.com
Contact Dane at ndmcguire@lc.edu
