Station Spotlight: Muskingum University’s WMCO

Special thanks to Program Director John Clevinger for answering the questions! Plus congratulations to WMCO for being awarded the 2013 Ohio Communication Association’s Distinguished Student Organization Award!

Tell me a little history about your station and where your station is now

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WMCO’s official sign on date was January 28, 1961. A group of students led by Mr. Harold Burlingame had a desire to start a radio station at Muskingum University and went through the steps to begin WMCO. WMCO has kept the campus and community of New Concord, Ohio up to date for many events, most notably the flights of Senator John Glenn, who lived in New Concord and attended Muskingum University.

What sets your station apart from other college radio stations?


I think the thing that sets us apart from other college stations is that we strive to keep the community outside of the campus informed as much as the students. We pride ourselves on covering local news as much as possible for the community of New Concord and the surrounding areas. We do so with our on-air presence and social media presences. Earlier the year, our school was evacuated due to a bomb threat and our Twitter followers skyrocketed from students and other media members looking for information, and we’re proud to say we kept everyone informed with breaking news and information.

Why did you choose to work at the radio station?


I would say my passion for sports is what made me join WMCO. I was initially thinking about attending a larger university, but I felt like I would get more on-air experience with my sports work at a smaller school, like Muskingum. I was on-air for football games just weeks after the beginning of my freshman year and I have benefited from that to this day.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done for your station?


During my freshman year, we were picking on our Sports Director because he was unable to pass his fitness test for the varsity sport he played on campus. This turned into an on-air challenge that I could do more sit-ups than he could during our half-hour sports talk show, “The Muskies Sports Blast.” Proudly, I won and haven’t been challenged to another contest lately.

What’s the best part of college radio? And the hardest part?


I think the best part of college radio is that it benefits so many people that are around it. For example, some of my best friends are a part of a small independent band and have been trying to burst their way into the music scene. We’ve played the EPs and singles they’ve sent us, and even hosted a few concerts on campus featuring them. I really enjoy helping the artists that pour their entire lives into the hopes of the right person hearing their song. 

The hardest part is trying to get other students on campus to join and interact with us. Because we don’t play Top 40 artists all the time, it’s difficult to get students to turn us on in their rooms rather than turning on their Pandora account. The students that we can get to see that there are some really good unknown artists have joined our staff and enjoy doing their show every week.