VU Radio Station a Source of Pride

The music they play may change; as will the scores of the games they cover, the news they report on and the politics they talk about.

But one thing that has proved to be consistent about WVUR, The Source,  Valparaiso University’s student radio station, is its ability to outshine the competition. The Source, 95.1 FM,  has been the recipient of the Indiana Association of Student Broadcasters’ (IASB) Radio School of the Year award three out of the past five years.  The station operates out of Schnabel Hall, 1700 Chapel Dr,. on the VU campus, broadcasting 24/7 in the Valparaiso area.

“Winning the award this year and two other times in the past five years has been a great indicator of how hard we have been working at making WVUR the best station for music, sports, news and entertainment,” Jeffrey Lange, WVUR general manager, said.

 “Dozens of DJ’s come in every week and put together great shows that make me proud every time.”

The Source’s Music Director, Katie Hennessey, agrees that winning the award three times feels great, but she does not want it to end there.

 “Our DJ’s and staff (of 14) have shown great potential the last several years. I think it’s the dedication and hard work that earns WVUR the recognition,” she said. “We will definitely continue the hard work in hopes of winning radio school of the year once more.”

Lange said that preparation was also one of the key components that contributed to WVUR’s success. He said that the amount of work that goes on at any given time is incredible.

 “Our sports reporters do an insane amount of work for each match. The preparation they put into every game is unbelievable. Our music staff gets mailbags full of CD’s every week, and they manage to listen to all of it. Our news staff filters through hundreds of stories every weekday,” Lange said. “The radio station is always busy.”

More than 20 schools are involved with the IASB, but Lange said that The Source does not waste a lot of time worrying about the competition. Instead, they spend their time comparing themselves to professional radio stations, and they work to make the station better.

They pride themselves on playing the best indie (IS IT INDY OR INDIE)and modern rock they can find.

“WVUR has a great balance of programming,” Lange said. “We play songs months or even years before you’ll hear it on a much larger station, and that’s what makes us great.”

Hennessey insists that it is not all about the music on WVUR, though.

Two VU seniors who were also sports broadcasters at WVUR, Mark Schoeck and Jeff Greco, won first place in the IASB individual awards for on-air-personality in recognition of their sports show during this past spring semester.

“I think each of our programs – sports, music, news, etc. – brings something of its own to WVUR.  I do not believe we could function the way we do without one or the other,” Hennessey said.

Seeing as they only have a broadcast range of just over three miles in radius, The Source has turned to the internet to reach out to people. The radio station currently has over 1,600 followers on FaceBook, and they also have a Twitter account.

The station often tries to get out into the local community and perform remote broadcasts from places like Wings Etc., Pat’s Ice Cream Parlor, and a few local coffeehouses every once in a while. They also have an event called “Play It Loud” that takes them to various halls and dorms around the VU campus, playing music and hosting bands, which helps them to reach out to people.

Lange and Hennessey agreed that many students who become involved with the station as freshmen often return.

“Half of the DJs are freshman every year, and about half of them come back for a second year,” Lange said. “Usually if a DJ comes back for their second year, they stick around for all four years.”

Most of the jobs that students hold at WVUR are not paid positions, but Lange insists that working for a college radio station is more about learning than earning.

“Students get an experience that can’t be replicated outside of college. Four years of real world training, experience and networking makes finding a job in the communications field a lot easier,” Lange said.

The Source staff members are looking forward to hosting their popular concert of the fall semester, SourceStock, on Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. They will release details about who is headlining the event as they get the details sorted out.

They also have another goal going into the fall of 2010 according to Hennessey.

“We want to keep people involved while keeping our status as the radio school of the year,” Hennessey said.

For more information about WVUR, The Source 95.1 FM, call (219) 464-6673, or visit www.valpo.edu/wvur.