by Zoe Brunk, Staff Writer
WOBC is one of Oberlin’s oldest student organizations and is the largest student organization on campus. Yet, speaking from personal experience, DJing is not a student pastime that allows ample opportunity for connection. There is not a lot of social interaction built into DJ slots, so what makes WOBC a community? Those stolen moments with fellow WOBC members, in line for Kool-Aid at WOBC prom, posing for the centerfold and trying not to make too much eye contact, those fleeting words passed between two WOBC DJs in between radio shows—they surely cannot be enough. Nevertheless, I have been noticing more listening activity this semester… and wondering why.
Perhaps a part of this is accounted for by the (new) weekly shoutouts sent by Programs Director Alice Rosenberg. Alice is the first Program Director to do this; she explains, “As a way to remind other DJs there are other DJs.” Thinking back to my time DJing, huddled in the dark Peters Basement studio, electric fairy lights illuminating the large, pink Disney princess blanket on the wall, amidst the other radio-related paraphernalia scattered across the walls, it is easy to forget the outside world. When not on the air, I also find that it is easy to forget to tune into WOBC. This semester, thanks to Alice’s reminders to explore my fellow DJs’ sets, I have become more familiar with the DJs of WOBC. I specifically enjoy listening to the radio on crew at Tank, and have noticed an uptick in other crew members listening on their own crew shifts. Every Wednesday at 7 p.m., I am greeted by the spray of the Hobart and Michael Ommy’s voice, “You are listening to WOBC-FM 91.5 Oberlin College and Community Radio,” over his favorite smooth R&B. Something I appreciate about Michael’s show, and that Alice mentioned as a more general pattern for community shows, is the smoothness of his transitions between song and speech; often he layers his voice on top of the music, something I personally have not mastered, nor have I heard many other DJs attempt. This is due to the use of CDs, common among community members, while college students often utilize other methods. One day I hope to be as savvy as Michael. I find myself connecting with those around me when listening to the radio, too.
I asked Alice to recommend her favorite shows to listen to during a crew shift, and she explained that there are many types of radio that fall under WOBC’s radio umbrella. WOBC is a freeform radio station, meaning they allow play for many different types of shows, there are shows solely made up of music, from start to end. There are also research-based talk shows, with music interspersed; a good one I can think of is “All Yesterday’s Parties” by our very own Owen Neaman, where he researches the music culture of yesteryear, brings listeners into the time period by explaining context around each show he includes, and transitions to a song by the aforementioned artist. “Ask an Expert” is a more comical take on this, where hosts Sylvia Cottrell and Scarborough LeWine prepare questions and ask a non-expert in their desired field to answer them. For example, I was on the show as their resident cosmologist. At the halfway point in their hour-long show, they switch and play music related to the topic at hand (e.g. for the discussion on cosmology, songs like David Bowie’s “Life on Mars?”, “Andromeda” by Weyes Blood, etc.). Then there are the shows that play no music at all and are solely based on relaying information, such as the much-researched “Squirrel Scoop.” This show is a deep dive into campus-related, Oberlin local, and international news for the full hour of the radio slot. There are also shows like Scott’s, a long-time WOBC radio host who you might know as the man who called you on your radio show. He makes it a point to call every DJ at least once per semester, another way of keeping the radio-community spirit alive. His show is called “The Second Atomic Age with Scott/The Happy Funtime Radio Hour,” and he has a lot to share.
So, Alice says, likely some freeform music-based radio would be best for crew, but on a bike-ride home from a party, or just a long day of classes, perhaps a talk show might be better. I’ll leave that up to you.
WOBC has a diverse range of shows, but one thing I haven’t noticed on air is an ASMR-based radio show. “Would that even be possible?” I asked. For those who are new to WOBC, the station has moved around a fair amount. It began on the 3rd floor of Wilder, with its own recording booth, and was directly connected to Studio B. Then, we had a temporary home on the 4th floor until the floor broke. Now, we are located on the basement floor of Peters, though the board is working hard to reinstate our Wilder home. “The tech from the original station might have been useful for ASMR,” said Alice, “for the sake of diversity, yes, we would probably let you in if you wanted to do ASMR, but I don’t think I would listen.”
To all current and future DJs, I encourage regular WOBC listening. You never know what (or whom) you might discover.
