BY JORDYN FORTE
When looking at prospective colleges four years ago, Ellen Jones paid particular attention to those with their own radio stations.
Now, as a senior, Jones currently serves as the general manager of 91.3 WSHL Stonehill College Radio, Stonehill’s student-run radio station, overseeing the general operations of the station and working closely with the WSHL e-board to complete all the scheduling, training, and planning needed to run a successful station.
“WSHL provides a creative outlet to Stonehill students, allowing them to get on the airwaves,” Jones said. “This includes playing music, hosting talk shows about topics such as politics, sports, and social issues, and airing sports broadcasts in collaboration with The Flyover – Stonehill's sports broadcasting club.”
Since becoming involved with WSHL, Jones said she has gained a greater appreciation for college radio and what it can do for students on campus.
“From the beginning, WSHL has pushed me out of my comfort zone, from having my voice heard over the airwaves, to representing the club to the rest of campus and the Greater Easton area,” Jones said.
Like Jones, WSHL’s current news director, junior Matthew Dias, also showed interest in Stonehill’s student-run news station while touring prospective schools.
“I first heard of the station on a campus tour before I had even applied,” Dias said. “One of my tour guides was the news director at the time, and she made it a habit to mention the station during her tours through Roche. I knew then that if I went to Stonehill, I would have to get involved somehow.”
Dias, who joined WSHL as a first year, has had his own on-air show for four years, and at the end of his first year at WSHL he applied to join the Radio Station’s E-Board.
Currently, as the news director of WSHL, Dias is looking to carry out a plan to integrate a news system into the station for easier access for DJs – a plan initially proposed by his predecessor.
“The station has never had any built-in news system, so previously, DJs could search the internet with a computer we have or could use a copy of The Summit we have in the station,” Dias explained. “My goal is to see if I can have a radio plug-in built into SHEL, which is our automated system we use when we don’t have a live DJ in the studio, [as] I assume it would also have an account for us to log into to easily find news stories tailored to radio broadcasts.”
Those within a 15-mile radius of Stonehill’s campus are able to listen to WSHL live on air 24/7 by tuning their radios to 91.3 or by following WSHL’s streaming link, http://listen.streamon.fm/wshl, which can be accessed by visiting MyHill, the Stonehill College app, or the WSHL website. New WSHL DJs are also welcome at any time. For more information, those interested can reach out to the WSHL email, wshl-fm@stonehill.edu.
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