Station Spotlight: Millikin University’s WJMU

Special thanks to Ben Murrow, a Senior from Wheaton, Ill. and Program Director of WJMU for answering the questions.

Tell me a little history about your station and where your station is now?
WJMU 89.5 “The Quad” went live for the first time on March 10, 1971 because of six students that had a passion for radio. The first message broadcast was, “Hello Decatur, hello Millikin, hello world! You’re listening to the first broadcast of WJMU radio!” WJMU has been operated from three different locations on Millikin University’s campus over the years and it is now settled in the Richards Treat University Center. WJMU began broadcasting on a 100 watts license and could only be heard from 2 p.m. to midnight each day. “The Quad” is now fully automated around the clock, each day of the year and is licensed for 1,000 watt signal output. WJMU still functions with a relatively small staff, but impacts the Millikin and Decatur, IL community greatly with a variety of programming.

What sets your station apart from other college radio stations?
I believe that our programming is what sets us apart from other college radio stations. WJMU features shows that focus on sports, music and news, but more unique programs also have a strong presence. International programming that highlights Spanish, Bollywood and anime culture have been staples at WJMU. Music-centric shows are not uncommon to college radio, but WJMU has several genre based shows that are popular with our listeners: blues, classic rock, metal and 90’s music are examples. Some of Millikin’s music faculty even have a program solely dedicated to classical guitar. One other element that is new (and also old) to WJMU is our ability to play vinyl. We recently installed a turn table in our live studio and we can now play records on the air. Radio is rapidly changing with new technology, but I think it’s great for our DJs to get experience with an “old school” style of broadcasting on the radio by playing music from the bands that made radio relevant in our society today.

Why did you choose to work at the radio station?
Broadcasting has always been a passion of mine. My first love was sports and when I was a kid I used to mute the television and do the play-by-play myself. So at a young age I knew I wanted to be on the air in some respect. When I found Millikin I knew that I wanted to get involved and WJMU was the obvious outlet for me to do so. I worked my way up from being a DJ to Sports Director and now I am in my second year as Program Director and I couldn’t be happier. I feel very fortunate to be at a smaller institution where I had the opportunity to get involved early on and improve my craft as much as possible. So I guess radio and broadcasting have always been in my future, but ultimately the faculty and staff at Millikin and WJMU are what have driven me to strive for the success I have obtained so far in my career.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done for your station?
I think the craziest thing I have ever done at WJMU was participate in College Radio Day in 2013. I was on the air broadcasting live from midnight to almost 9 AM and did not sleep at all. Thank god for McDonald’s breakfast, Kill Bill Vol. 1 and vinyl or else I might not have made it!

What’s the best part of college radio? And the hardest part?
The best part of college radio is definitely the freedom that we have. We, as the students, can make our product whatever we want it to be. We can have shows about anything we are interested in and produce content in the most creative ways possible. There are no limitations and it’s up to us to take advantage of that. The hardest part of college radio involves two things, scheduling programming and money. Coordinating shows around DJ’s schedules always proves to be a challenge each semester. And money is a problem that never seems to go away, but in the end, WJMU always seems to make it work and get better each year.

Want your station profiled for Station Spotlight? Email Jessica Clary.