Keene State College has dozens of different extra curricular activities to take part in. From Humans vs Zombies to the many fraternities and sororities, there are all sorts of opportunities for students to participate in and meet new people.
One of these organizations that often gets overlooked is the Keene State Radio station WKNH on 91.3 FM. Keene State’s radio station is located on the third floor of the student center. Currently, WKNH is undergoing a bit of construction since a window is being installed in their radio station so students can find them better and see what it is that the group does.
Construction worker Chris Cormier who is working on building the new windwo said safety is top priority, which is why the radio station has been closed down for roughly three weeks. He said of the other projects he’s helped on campus, this on is not too difficult. “It’s middle of the road,” he said.
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WKNH’s radio advisor and Coordinator of Energy and Administrative Services Diana Duffy said, “We’re hoping that when people pass by they’ll notice us.”
She said the window was extremely expensive and had to be fireproof for safety reasons. She said, “WKNH chipped in $1,500 for installation.” Duffy said that WKNH has been around for longer than the Student Center building has. “Back in the day, the radio station used to be in Elliot,” she said. She said this new construction is just making WKNH “better and better.”
Unfortunately, some KSC members don’t know what WKNH is. After doing an informal survey of searching for student to see if they listened to WKNH, none of them said they had even heard of it. Over 20 students were asked.
KSC first-year Jackson Hogan said that he’d listen to the radio if he knew what kind of music they played. Jackson said, “If I were in the car with my parents, I’d tell them to put on the station for the car ride.”
KSC first-year students Pavielle Asmar and Sydney Eichner both said their favorite music is rap, along with a bit of hip-hop and alternative music.
First-year Casey McQuate said she enjoys listening to rock music along with a little rap here and there. WKNH plays all sorts of music. When asked how WKNH plans on getting more people to listen, WKNH advisor Duffy said, “We stream on our website.” The radio station is only on air until the window installation is done. Once it’s finished, you can stream all kinds of music and radio shows at WKNH.org.
Another member of the radio is KSC senior Brendan Callery. Callery is the general manager of all shows and show hosts. Callery said he has been interested in music since before he came to KSC, and when he got here, he decided to join WKNH with a friend. Eventually, WKNH needed new general managers, so he and his friend stepped up.
His friend has now graduated, but Callery remained with the radio for the rest of his senior year.
As general manager, he works with all the people who have shows on the air. He also has his own show. “I’m able to do with friends that I don’t necessarily see all the time. We have our designated time for the week to talk and play music and have that kind of community,” he said.
There are 54 shows according to WKNH advisor Duffy. Callery said, “We have about 110 people hosting shows. There are both solo hosts and co-op hosting.”
When asked how to spread word about WKNH, he said, “WKNH can be DJs for events, which we usually do a few a semester. We also play all kinds of music on the station too. There’s something for everyone. I don’t think [radio’s] dying, I think it’s transforming, similarly to the Equinox and how they had to go online. WKNH did the same and made the move to the internet.”
Michael Fremeau can be contacted at mfremeau@kscequinox.com
