Rachel Brustein
Co-Features Editor
Goucher College Student Radio (GCSR) is a major hub for student voice and creativity. It is the first free-form online college radio station in the
Savannah Fisher ‘14 hosting her radio show in the Sanford J. Ungar Radio Studio. (Photo: Rachel Brustein)
world, as well as the first to be broadcast on iTunes. GCSR has been at Goucher for the past twelve years. Rebecca Mark ’14, the Creative Director of the radio, described it as “Goucher’s hidden gem,” and is proud to be a part of the station. Carol Mach Barreto Pino ‘14 is the Managerial Director, and Mark described their work together as a “good left-brain/right-brain partnership.”
GCSR has fifty DJs from Goucher and the community. Mark said it is an “amazing opportunity” for free speech and to “share your voice.” The radio gets listeners from all over the country and around the world. The radio’s content includes comedy, music, art, academics, feminism, and more, making it a “diverse station with DJs from different backgrounds…[which] leads to creative visions.”
Because it is free-form, it “doesn’t need to answer to [the] FCC,” Mark explained. The FCC has licensing fees that are millions of dollars. GCSR is fortunate to not have to worry about censorship and sponsoring.
The radio hopes to do more work with The Quindecim to help bring news to campus. A few weeks ago, when SGA President Hayim Wolf was on the table for impeachment, Mark and Jaclyn Peiser, Editor-in-Chief of The Q, recorded an interview with Todd Troester ‘15 and Jennifer Pelizza ‘15 and broadcasted it right before the open SGA meeting.
At the beginning of each semester, any student who is interested can volunteer to have a radio show, and many students choose to form a show with friends. Gaby Messinger ’16, Cyndi Koster ’16, and Maggie McCready ’16, who all “share a love of bad fanfiction,” wanted to share this passion with the Goucher community and created a radio show. McCready was originally a guest and decided to join Messinger and Koster after their first installment. The girls read fanfiction on their show “mostly for laughs” and come up with silly questions like “how do cars have sex?” Sometimes they have a theme night, like “destroy your childhood,” where they read fanfiction “based on children’s TV shows, books and movies- mostly from our generation.” Messinger likes how “the show fosters a wonderful sense of camaraderie” between the hosts and the listeners. She said, “there are no boundaries on our show,” and the conversations can range from serious to ridiculous. Messinger believes the show serves as “an icebreaker for talking about serious sexual issues” and that the show “gives listeners a supportive atmosphere … [and] a friendly and funny environment.” Gaby, Cyndi, and Maggie’s show can be heard on Fridays at 10 p.m.
Janice Byth ’16, Erik Lund ’16, and Qiuandra Taylor ’16 have their own variety show.
“We pick a new subject each week and base the music and [discussion] topic on that,” Byth said.
Past subjects have included Disney princesses, color and water, and food.
“I like having the freedom to do what I like and what I’m interested in with my friends,”Byth explained. She feels like she has “been able to learn about different aspects of my friends that I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to.” Janice, Erik, and Quiandra’s show airs on Wednesdays at 10 p.m.
The fanfiction show and the variety show demonstrate the creative atmosphere here at Goucher, and GCSR is a great place to let that creativity run. Bob Fass, a pioneer in free form radio, once said “I’d like to turn on the radio and not know what to expect.” This quote encompasses what GCSR is.
GCSR is always interested in promoting clubs, musicians, writers, and artists, so do not be afraid to speak up. GCSR can be accessed 24/7 at goucher.radio.net.
Categories: Features
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