Spotlight: DePauw University’s WGRE

Thanks to Station Manager Caitlin Hutchinson for answering the questions!

Tell me a little history about your station and where your station is now?
WGRE first began broadcasting in 1941 and was established as the first 10-watt FM college radio station in the country in 1949. Today WGRE is the largest student organization at DePauw University with over 200 DJs and is run by a student staff of 15 directors. In recent years, we have been recognized with awards from MTVu, The Indiana Associated Press, the Indiana Broadcasters Association and the Society of Professional Journalists. WGRE has also been consistently ranked among the top 10 college radio stations by the Princeton Review.

What sets your station apart from other college radio stations?
Our station is run on a 24-hour basis by students. We choose to run as a live, local, full-service station in our community. There isn’t a time of the day during the school year when you will tune in to WGRE and hear dead-air or an automated playlist. It takes a lot of extra work, but it allows us to let as many students as possible participate.

Why did you choose to work at the radio station?
I first got involved with the station through a journalism class that I took my Sophomore year. I expected to just help out for a semester and move on to the next adventure, but I ended up finding a place that I absolutely loved. I applied for a position as a director the following semester and have been on staff since.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done for your station?
Like I said, WGRE is a 24-hour station. Part of the job of the directors is to be “on duty” one night each week. So if someone doesn’t come to their show the director on duty has to go in and cover it. So the craziest thing I’ve ever done was cover from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. on a Tuesday morning and then go straight to classes. It took some time and a LOT of coffee to recover from that one.

What’s the best part of college radio? And the hardest part?
The best part would have to be the relationships that you can build through radio. Whether that’s with your audience, fellow DJs or other directors, everyone always seems to want to know more and is so excited to talk about the station. The worst part is probably balancing everything from covering shifts to your own show to classes to meetings; it can be a lot to handle at times, but definitely worth it in the end.