Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) fought hard to keep their organizations alive through this pandemic. One of those special organizations that kept its head up since March is WVUD, the University’s in-house radio station. WVUD has a couple of departments that their members are able to get involved with: promotions, production, sports, and music. Normally, they have a packed schedule on both the FM station and their online station, The Basement, but with the COVID-19 pandemic they’ve had to modify how they operate. 

“Keeping a radio station on the air without having the ability to have your show hosts in locally is quite a challenge,” says Steve Kramarck, associate director of University Student Centers and program director for Student Media. “I’m proud of our organization for quickly identifying creative ways to get student (and community) voices back on the air in a meaningful way. I’m equally proud of our executive board for coming together during a tough time to keep students informed and engaged. While we look forward to everyone being able to be back in the studios soon, we are thankful to be able to stay involved from afar.”

At first, in the early days of the pandemic, they were only receiving a few student shows remotely as students adjusted to Zoom life. A large amount of credit goes to their non-student volunteers and some guest DJs on air to fill the space. Gradually as summer picked up they started to get more submissions from students and as of now, they have a good mix of students (some doing live shows, others taped) and non-students (all taped) providing shows to their two radio stations. With the current restrictions, only students are allowed in the station, so they’ve had a number of community members sending in remote shows each week, and a handful of students who are able to come in to do their shows live. Kramarck speaks with gratitude and pride towards the non-student volunteers and student executive board, who all came together to make the transition in this difficult time, much smoother.

One of the executive board members that Kramarck mentioned is Alexis Winward, a senior history major and general manager for WVUD. Winward recalls her journey to finding WVUD and realizing her passion for the organization.

“I’ve been involved with the station since my freshman year, I saw WVUD at the fall involvement fair and decided to jot my name down on the email list,” Winward describes. “I never thought about joining the radio station, and I think that goes for many of our student members, too. I’m a Delaware local, so I’ve been lucky enough to continue my shows in person this semester. My show is titled Salt and Pepper Diner Hour, and I’m on Wednesdays from 4-5 p.m. on the FM station (91.3). I’m so grateful that we were able to continue to function at WVUD despite all of the changes that have come with this year, and I’m thankful for all of our members and listeners for supporting us all year.”

Winward’s showtime may have changed since then as she closed out the last weeks of the semester. Despite being affected by a flood in one of their radio stations, members of WVUD have persevered through it all, simply to keep their organization surviving during a pandemic. “Since my show is one of the only things I’ve felt safe leaving my house for, my weekly shows have been one of the highlights of the semester for me, and I’ve found myself putting more effort into each show,” Winward explains. “I’m sure other DJs have felt the same, especially the DJs who have been recording their shows from home.” For Winward and many others, WVUD is what kept them going during this online semester. As of now, virtual and live student DJs have made their plans for their shows in December and beyond. Students don’t need any prior experience, and can do more than just host a radio show! For any students that are interested in joining WVUD, join the Student Central page, email wvudgm@gmail.com with any questions, and/or follow them on Instagram @wvudradio for more information and updates!

This blog post is written by our Division of Student Life student intern Esha Shah.