By Kylie Jennings
Do you like music? Did you know that Western New England University has its own radio station run completely by students? Yup! WNEK The Voice is a student-run club on campus that does various things. WNEK is one of the five BOLD Media clubs on campus. The other clubs are The Westerner, the newspaper; Cupola, the yearbook; Golden Bear Television, better known as GBTV; and lastly, The Review of Art and Literature, the magazine. These are all completely student-run clubs.
WNEK, as a club, does radio broadcasting, podcasting, and DJing events. There are currently six different radio shows that you can listen to. These radio shows offer a variety of things to listen to. For example, Kenny Rumson, WNEK’s current treasurer, hosts a show every Friday at 4 p.m. where he judges and rates his listener’s recommendations and favorite songs. Kenny hosts a very audience-interactive show. Alternatively, Jake Lavallee, WNEK’s current social media manager, hosts a show on Saturdays at 4 PM where he has the opportunity to discuss the history of the music genre rock.
If radio isn’t your thing, WNEK also DJs events, as mentioned above. Some of the events that WNEK has DJ’ed for include Fall Crawl, Golden Bear Galaxy, Clash of the Classes, Golden Voices Showcase, and so many more. Similarly, WNEK often works alongside GBTV for other bigger events like Improv on the Rocks and G-Bears Got Talent. Every event with WNEK is a million times better. WNEK is also hosting a HUGE music event, Kodiak Music Festival, also known as KMF, on April 20, 2024. There will be bands like GDI, If Not When, G.O.L.E.M., American Amnesia, and many more performing at this event. While I might have some inside information about other plans for KMF, I am not allowed to disclose it just yet. You’ll just have to go and see for yourself how much fun this event is going to be.
Now, if I am completely honest, I am biased. WNEK is a club I hold dear to my heart, and I have strong connections to it outside of this article. I have been a part of this club since the beginning of my freshman year and have been extremely involved. The members and environment are super welcoming and have become a comfort for me. I have always had a passion for music and wanted to try DJing at least once in my life. While I was nervous about joining a new club my freshman year and seeing how much I would actually be allowed to do, this club was great. I felt like I belonged there the moment I stepped foot in their office. Just because I had no prior experience did not stop them from teaching me step-by-step how to do everything I could possibly need to know about DJing and radio. I would like to thank the executive board of this club, Anne Seibel, Robby Ravosa, Nate Miller, Gabe Kelly, Jake Lavallee, and Kenny Rumson, for making everything run so smoothly.
If you have even the slightest interest or passion for music or radio, or if anything I’ve mentioned above sounds interesting, consider popping into one of the meetings or swinging by to chat with us while we are DJing. WNEK holds their meetings in the media suite located in Rivers Memorial Building (to the left when you first enter) on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. We’d love to see you there.
