WSIN 1590 AM, Southern’s independent radio station, is where many students host their own podcasts and radio shows. All the shows on WSIN have different styles, providing a variety of options for listeners to choose from and tune into every week.
Gary Robinson Jr., a sophomore communication major, hosts On My Way Radio, a combined talk and music show. Robinson and his co-hosts, Zenae Lewis and Brianna Parham, like to play old school R&B music and old school hip hop. They also talk about hot topics that are going on in the world, whether in R&B or rap music.
“We really have a good time, it’s a lot of fun. We play a lot of old school music, so we get younger people who listen to old school music but then we also get the older people who were around when old school music was really jumping and fun. It’s interesting to see how many people of different age demographics can come together and just enjoy music,” Robinson says.
Robinson says when he was little, his mother and father played a radio show on 107.5 WBLS in the New Jersey and New York area and the ratio station would play old school R&B. Robinson says he grew up listening to that station and always wanted to do something similar.
“When I visited [Southern for the first time] one of the tour guides said that we have a radio station here and I was hooked immediately,” he says.
Robinson’s first show was Oct. 7, 2019, and he has been hosting the show ever since.
On My Way Radio has a guest every week, whether it be their friends or someone who has done something significant on campus.
“We all just have a good time,” he says.
On My Way Radio, hosted live on Monday nights, provides a 90-minute episode and can be found on Apple Music, TuneIn app and wsinradio.org.
“Just enjoying good music is definitely a stress reliver and takes your mind off of everything that is going on,” Robinson says.
Connor Elci, a freshman communication major, hosts Elci’s Extravaganza. His show focuses on the latest music and what music is dropping that week, or sometimes he will play older music if an album has an anniversary. His show is hosted live on Thursdays and can be streamed on wsinradio.org, on the TuneIn app or Apple Music.
“I have always been a fan of music,” Elci says.
Since Elci’s first semester in the fall was affected by COVID-19, he used his show as an outlet, to get out of his dorm and meet new people and to work on skills such as public speaking, explaining ideas and sharing the music for which he has a passion.
Elci reviews albums, talks about music that is coming out and plays newly released songs. In the Fall 2020 semester, Elci had a guest that made his own music.
“With my station I hope to find artists who should be at the top but aren’t because they don’t have major labels or the accessibility as a lot of pop artists,” Elci says,
Elci’s Extravaganza focuses on all types of music. He says, “I grew up in a musical family so for me I’ve been exposed to all kinds of music.”
Jonathan Meyers, a senior communication major, and Anna Jani, a freshman anthropology major, host Jon and Jani’s On-Air Shenanigans.
The show is streamed on Mondays through wsinradio.org, on the TuneIn app Apple Music or Spotify. Meyers also posts clips of the podcast to his YouTube channel, called Cheesy Movie Productions. Their Instagram and Facebook handle are jonandjanionair.
“We have a lot of fun, we talk about really whatever. Whatever is relevant, whatever we find to be interesting or what we want to tell our audience,” Jani says.
“Anna and I have such great chemistry, I thought it would be fun for her to be my co-host,” Meyers says.
Jani says she has always wanted to go into something with communication. She explains that she has always loved public speaking, meeting people and just getting to really communicate with people.
“I’m hoping people watch it and get laughs out of it and especially now during this pandemic, that is what a lot of people need,” Meyers says.
In one episode, Meyers and Jani talk about disabilities with a guest from Outreach Unlimited.
Matthew Polek, a sophomore communication major, and Greg Gruenwald, a junior communication major, host Time Out with M&G.
It focuses on sports, both nationally and at Southern.
Due to COVID-19 and college sports being suspended they have focused more recently on national sports.
Time Out with M&G is streamed live on Wednesdays. The show can be streamed on wsinradio.org, on the TuneIn app or Apple Music.
They focus on what is in season. Last semester, they talked about football on a national level and this semester, they talked more about basketball on a national level.
“We get off topic a lot,” Polek says. “But we have fun while doing it. We have been friends since fifth grade so it’s really fun to get behind a mic and have fun together.”
Polek and Gruenwald are interested in expanding and dedicating some more time to the university’s sports when they are resumed.
Polek has always had an interest in sports broadcasting since he was 11 years old, when he got into the university, he immediately joined WSIN. Gruenwald, since being in college, has figured out he wants to do something with sports and something to do with radio.
major, recording Time Out with M&G. Photo | Contributed
“We live down the hall from each other, so we are always watching sports together,” Polek says.
Polek explains that in the middle school lunchroom, every kid was talking about the things they saw on ESPN. Now, he and Gruenwald get to live out their middle school experience on a radio show.
“We don’t have to sit in our dorm room and just talk about it; we can go out, get some experience,” Gruenwald says.
Polek and Gruenwald are both drawn to the Pat McAfee Show and get inspiration for him. They listen to the show every moment they can get.
“It’s fun, we both have come to the conclusion this is what we want to do, and it is really cool to be able to do it together because in a sense we have been doing it many years, in the school cafeteria throughout grade school,” Gruenwald says.
By Gina Volturno
