2022 Broadcast Education Association Festival of Media Arts Finalist: 2-Year College Category
Koryn Koch has been producing audio projects for WHCM since 2021 and currently updates listeners with weekly events happening at the college. You can hear her voice over the airways of Harper Radio during her light-hearted PSAs. Koryn’s submission, “Hidden Harper,” focuses on heightening awareness of WHCM and its endless opportunities to gain hands-on experience within the wonderful community at the station.
2022 Broadcast Education Association Festival of Media Arts Finalist: 2-Year College Category
Mary Renner, one of WHCM’s managers in 2021 and host of Backwards and Forwards every Thursday at 10am, is a finalist for her “Harper Radio – Get involved” video. Her video emphasizes the variety of roles and opportunities available for members of the station and demonstrates that WHCM is much more than just radio. Mary is known for her bubbly personality and light-hearted music show.
Student Mary Renner, Harper Radio’s 2021 General Manager, for her submission “Harper Radio – Get Involved” video
Student Koryn Koch for her audio entry “Hidden Harper”
Erik Bonilla-Sanchez, Harper Radio’s General Manager (preceding Mary Renner) in 2021, for his audio entry “It’s A Wonderful Life”
Harper Radio Faculty Advisor Brian Shelton said “as a long-time member of the BEA, it is very exciting for our students’ work to be recognized by this prestigious organization. It is especially important to recognize that our people are competing with Community College students from across the country and Harper Radio is thrilled to be coming out on top.”
For the competition this year, BEA recognized five (5) 2-year college entries, of which Harper Radio was honored with three (3) finalists.
BEA’s international digital media and broadcast competition for faculty and students from over 300 participating schools and over 1,600 entries from around the world. All finalists will receive Festival Awards, and the winners will be announced on Monday, February 28th at 3PM (Central time).
Harper Radio WHCM 88.3 FM is a student run college radio station at Harper College, broadcasting across northern Chicagoland and streaming worldwide at www.harperradio.com Enjoy commercial free programming including sports, talk, news, and a variety of music. Everything you need while listening to college radio.
TheBroadcast Education Association (BEA) is the premier international academic media organization, driving insights, excellence in media production, and career advancement for educators, students, and professionals. The association’s publications, annual convention, web-based programs, and regional district activities provide opportunities for juried production competition and presentation of current scholarly research related to aspects of the electronic media. These areas include media audiences, economics, law and policy, regulation, news, management, aesthetics, social effects, history, and criticism, among others.
Stoner and Smith are also finalists, under the Best Podcast category, for “Streaming Verse”
Recently announced; Erik Bonilla-Sanchez, Harper Radio’s General Manager in 2021, is a finalist for the Len Mallioux Management Awards in the Best Radio Station Manager – College category
Harper Radio Faculty Advisor Brian Shelton said “we are absolutely thrilled that these student entries have made it into the finals for the prestigious IBS 2022 Media Awards. They are all outstanding broadcasters, and we are honored for them to all be under consideration for further recognition.”
The IBS Board of Directors has decided to hold the annual Spring Conference –where the winners in each category will be recognized – virtually once again this year. Registration is now open for their 82nd Annual Conference, which will be held the week of March 1st.
Harper Radio WHCM 88.3 FM is a student run college radio station at Harper College, broadcasting across northern Chicagoland and streaming worldwide at www.harperradio.com Enjoy commercial free programming including sports, talk, news, and a variety of music. Everything you need while listening to college radio.
The Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) is an organization with a membership of over one thousand non-profit, education-affiliated radio stations and webcasters. Founded in 1940, IBS is headquartered in New Windsor, NY, with a legal office in Washington, D.C. In addition to providing support for establishing and operating noncommercial radio and webcast operations, it frequently represents its members with FCC negotiations, copyright issues, and litigation.
From his previous album “After Hours”, The Weeknd returns with an album titled, “The Dawn” expected to be released in 2022. With mentions of a track list being leaked, he has already debuted his single “Take my Breath” under the disco dance-pop music genre, “Moth to a Flame” with Swedish House Mafia, and “One Right Now” duetting with one of my favorite artists, Post Malone.
After reviewing and listening closely to the ballads and instruments of these songs, my wild guess is that The Weeknd will be leaning towards R&B, dance electronic-pop music, and hints of disco throughout the album. Under his last album, he showcased a lot of R&B with soul to translate the theme of “loneliness, escapism, and regret” when it came to previous relationships.
Fast forward to now, he has teased fans on Instagram by erasing all pictures from After Hours and presenting everyone with The Dawn spoilers and music video trailers. He has repeatedly posted pictures featuring morning rays of light from a sunrise; and by this, he foreshadows that the sun has set with After Hours and a new era is awakening in the morning light with The Dawn.
With all this being said, The Weeknd has confirmed to Billboard magazine that this fifth studio album “is complete.” They are still in the process of finding the narrative and presenting the theme of it all; side-noting that one of his inspirations for this album is Britney Spears from her hit songs “Everytime”, my personal favorite of hers, and “Toxic”.
The Weeknd, also known as Abel Tesfaye, will continue to bring forth number one hits like “Blinding Lights” and masterpieces of music. I am beyond excited to hear how this album unfolds and I am certain that many will enjoy it.
Written by Cari
Undoubtedly a lover of all things celebrities, music, aesthetics and fashion, Cari airs a variety of modern music on her A Pop of Facts and Chats show, every Wednesday at 2pm, highlighting fun facts and chats of the songs and their singers between the music. She’s a big fan of Justin Bieber, Post Malone, Ariana Grande, and The Weeknd…so be prepared to hear lots of them!
Hi my name is Joseph Mandarino. I do a radio show once a week and it airs on Tuesday night. I like to play all kinds of music on my show and hope that everyone has a good time listening to my show. I play a lot of songs from bands, especially the band Big Time Rush. Big Time Rush was a band that lasted from 2008-2013, and released 3 albums: Big Time Rush, Elevate, and 24/Seven. My favorite album that is Big Time Rush. I like this album because it has all of their classic songs on there from when they first started the band. They also had a show on Nickelodeon for the time. I really like them as a band and hopefully everyone else does too.
Another version of music I like to play is some of the songs from projects of Marvel Studios. Often times I introduce a song with, “If you’re a fan of Marvel Studios…..” and whatever project the song comes from. Marvel Studios often has a great selection of songs that they put into their soundtracks. I’m a huge fan of Marvel Studios and I anticipate all of their releases. The one that I’m next excited for is Marvel Studios Spider-Man No Way Home. Marvel Studios would also pick the soundtracks based on the story that they’re trying to tell. For example with Guardians Of The Galaxy, Peter Quill got taken from Earth in 1988 so he was only listening to songs from the 1980s and that’s the type of songs that we would hear on the soundtrack. They do this with a bunch of their movies and I really like most of these songs and how they sound. They sound really cool and hopefully everyone else finds them cool too!
Written by Joseph Mandarino
Hi my name is Joseph Mandarino. I will be hosting the shows that air on Tuesdays at 7pm and those shows are a mix of music from the genres of Pop, Metal, Rock n roll and a little bit of Country. I also really like watching Marvel movies and hanging out with friends too.
This past summer I took a few days off and went Phish-ing with my son. I consider myself a lifelong ‘angler’, and I have also attended hundreds of concerts, but this would be my very first experience at a show that came with a bit of a reputation.
In my mind, I thought that Phish must now cater to the culture that the Grateful Dead appealed to back in the 60s. I expected a crowd full of dropouts, all driving VW vans, taking LSD and smelling like they hadn’t showered in many a moon. I was wrong.
The shows were to take place at one of my favorite venues – Harvey’s outdoor in South Lake Tahoe, NV. I live in the Chicago-area, while my son is in south Florida, so we began planning the trip many months in advance so that the schedule would work out for both of us. He has seen Phish many times but had never been to the venue at Harvey’s and was looking forward to the pristine air and breathtaking views that come with the territory.
A couple of weeks ahead of the shows we began seeing news stories about the ever-increasing danger from wildfires in Northern California. The Caldor fire in particular was a concern because it was already close to Lake Tahoe and was heading toward town. About a week before the shows the public schools in Reno, NV were closed for a few days due to the extreme poor air quality from the fires. Reno is about 60 miles northeast of Lake Tahoe; if the air quality is that bad that far away, imagine how bad it would be at the lake.
About 10-days out from the dates of the Phish shows it was announced that the other concerts scheduled at Harvey’s for earlier in the same week had been rescheduled for 2022. Well crud, that is NOT what we wanted to hear. Then, shortly thereafter, the news was reporting that all of those who live or work in South Lake Tahoe were under mandatory evacuation. Knowing now that we would not be seeing Phish as planned, the only remaining question was “what is the reschedule? Sometime in 2022?” Turns out, the solution they offered was way better that we could have expected.
The concert promoter did something that I had never heard of, and it was a wonderful compromise; the Phish shows would go on as planned – on the same dates – but at an outdoor venue in Mountain View, CA. Tickets from the original shows would be honored, and all the seating would be general admission. We did some quick research and found out that the Shoreline Amphitheater had about twice the capacity of Harvey’s – but the promoter indicated that they would hold firm to the original number of tickets. That meant plenty of room to stretch out, move around, and really enjoy the show.
We got a hotel room a short distance from the new venue, and I had the thought that we could avoid the cost and hassle of parking if we took an Uber to the show. However, after doing some research, we found out that parking was abundant and free. What? Free parking at a concert?
We arrived at night #1 around 2-hours before the concert was to start and – sure enough – followed the signs to the free parking near the Amphitheater. We stood in what seemed like a very long line to get in and I got my first sense that things were different than I had anticipated. Everyone – I mean every single person – in the line seemed to be in a very happy, positive mood. No foul language, no anger over being in line, no cutting other people off…just folks ‘happy to be there’ and patiently waiting to enter the venue. Proof of COVID-19 vaccine (or negative test result) was asked for and provided (again, I saw no negativity here either) and we entered the Shoreline with ease. People were milling about at a relaxed pace; no running to grab a seat or preferred grassy area on the lawn. Everyone was so damn polite.
We chose seats near the back of the pavilion next to the aisle and my son went and grabbed a beer. I made it a point to enjoy being in the moment and looked around the crowd. Lots of people exchanging hugs and handshakes; clearly this is a crowd that knows one another from one concert venue to the next. Lots of funky clothing including overalls with pink circles on them (I would later find out this is the garb the drummer from Phish wears while performing). People from down the aisle would occasionally come and go from their seat, and every time they passed us each one of them would say “excuse me” and then thank us for letting them go by, sometime with a friendly pat on the shoulder.
Once the show started, the crowed erupted into a unified group of grooving and dancing. You know the saying ‘dance like nobody is watching’? The aisle next to our seats were filled with people of all ages doing just that. I must admit that I really know very little about Phish or their music, but I was clearly in the minority here. These guys are known as a ‘jam band’, meaning some songs can go on and on for what seemed like an eternity. Early in the show their lead singer and guitarist – Trey Anastacio – made mention of the Caldor wildfires and how a portion of the proceeds from the merchandise sales would go to those worthy firefighters. Yet another nod to the feel-good atmosphere of the evening. My son has been to more Phish shows that I can count, and at the end of the night he proclaimed that the show we just saw was the best he’s ever seen. So, what began as a potential (literal) disaster turned into a great experience for this Father and his son. I will not only remember how thrilled my boy was at these shows, but how pleasant, happy, and positive everyone in the crowd acted at these concerts. Do yourself a favor; catch Phish if they ever come around your neighborhood…you won’t be disappointed.
Written by Carsen Star
As a guy born with a face for radio, Carsen is quite possibly older than dirt and has the grey hair and the dusty record collection to prove it. While his musical interests have been influenced by live, in-person performances from artists ranging from Andrea Bocelli to ZZ Ward, he gets his mojo primarily from what was playing on FM radio in the ‘70s and ‘80s. An occasional headbanger, Star may also dip into his collection to share a track or two from his time spent in Alternative radio, Top-40, and Album Oriented Rock.
Hello everybody, and welcome to yet another instalment of “Hailey has to write a blog post for the radio website”. I wasn’t entirely sure what to write about this time. I’m not overly depressed like a year ago, and I did a hopeful look back last time I did this. The next logical step would be to talk about my program, and how I’m doing 1000 miles away from home. The problem is that I’m only a couple months in, I’m not sure it’s enough to talk about. Still, it’s either try or ramble about nothing so We’re going to try.
I’ve found out I got super lucky with my roommates. All the girls in my apartment are so sweet. They don’t leave messes, they’re not loud. We all joke around and like each other. Honestly, I feel kinda guilty sometimes. Apparently having great roommates is not the norm down here. We all have the day off tomorrow so we’re going to Hollywood Studios to celebrate getting our program extensions. I feel like I’ve made some great friends, and I really hope they stay in touch once the program’s over.
I’ve also been pretty lucky with my assignment. Sure, customer service is annoying sometimes, but quick service is pretty fun. I love when I’m put in the position of getting orders together, or making espresso coffees in the morning, or greeting guests as they come in. It’s fast and I get to talk to people. And being at the Grand has its own perks. I get to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks every night, and the resort is gorgeous. They’re getting ready to build the huge gingerbread house for the lobby, and by huge, I mean “you can walk inside it’s as big a house” huge. It smells amazing in the bakery, and I can’t wait to watch it come together.
All in all, I’d say I’m doing pretty well down here. If nothing else, it gives me something to talk about every week. The only thing I need now is some more time to sleep. As a matter of fact, I’m going to go take a nap now. Hope you enjoyed the read, have a great night!
Written by Hailey Schimpf
Hailey Schimpf is a musical and Disney nerd who somehow managed to convince the radio station into letting her do a show. That show would be Hailey’s Happenings. For the past two years it has showcased songs from musical theater, Disney movies, and more regular music hits from the 80s to today. It’s also a great place to chill out and relax as she talks about whatever’s going on between the music.
“Esports is like sports!” is usually something I say when someone asks me what the whole hype around it is about. Watching the best players in their respective video game titles duke it out to be considered the best in their region or the world is something that’s very similar to sports. When someone asks me why I watch esports or why I love it, it’s a mix of the things I mentioned previously but also the storylines that comes out of it is something that caused me to fall in love with it in the first place.
Three years ago in 2018 my passion for esports sprouted because of the team I now support named Cloud9. Seeing the team have a cinderella run from being dead last in the middle of the summer split in the North American league to miraculously making it to the biggest esports tournament in the world, the League of Legend World Championship, definitely caught my eye. Then seeing that same team of funny misfits become the last hope of North America, somehow making it past the group of death, and going through to the quarterfinals having to duke it out against a Korean team was even more astonishing. It was definitely going to be a very interesting match up considering Korean teams are known to dominate LoL esports, having won the last five world championships in a row. This year was different though, Korea in 2018 was having a terrible year in LoL esports and the last standing Korean team was Afreeca Freecs after their fellow countrymens over at KT Rolster had lost their respective quarterfinal matchup against the Chinese team Invictus Gaming in a closely fought series that went to 5 games. Despite being the last standing Korean team, Afreeca Freecs were heavy favourites coming into the series against Cloud9.
Oftentimes whenever North American teams had to come up against a Korean or Chinese team in worlds, it never ends well for them. But watching the series was something else, seeing Cloud9 just having fun reminded me of why I enjoy playing video games in the first place, playing for fun and the thrill of competition is what gaming is all about for me. Seeing Cloud9 breaking expectations and playing the way they wanted to play was an absolute joy to watch, as they ended up winning the series over Afreeca Freecs 3-0. While Cloud9 would proceed to lose in the semifinals, I did end up becoming a supporter of the team. Now in 2021, I’m getting that deja vu feeling watching Cloud9 be in a somewhat similar spot, after having a rough summer split and barely clinching a spot at Worlds, they were placed in the group of death. Watching the team clinch that quarterfinal spot and being the last hope for North America again is something that reminds me a lot of 2018, and when this blog post comes out I hope the team will have done it.
Here’s a pretty cool hype video a redditor named u/llewbop made that first caught my attention on the team Cloud9 three years ago. This was a hype video that showed Cloud9’s journey from their struggles in the summer to the leadup to their quarterfinal matchup against Afreeca Freecs at Worlds 2018. Enjoy! https://streamable.com/xrsgo
Written by Brian D.
Having lived most of his life in Barrington, Illinois, Brian is an avid watcher and a fan of League esports. Listening to music is one of his favorite ways of relaxing, doing homework, or playing video games. Check out his show The Dive with Brian D., where he plays some of the music he enjoys.
I remember excitedly jumping onto the couch next to my family as a child, waiting for the Country Music Association Awards (CMA Awards) to begin. It was a tradition in our house: singing along to our favorite music while we ate ice cream and waited anxiously to see who was going to win the next award. As I grew older, however, this tradition slowly began drifting away. Soon the awards were being recorded on our DVR and not too long after they were just…forgotten. This can of course be at least partly explained by our increasingly busy schedules, but we all agreed that the CMA Awards just simply became boring. We lost interest, and the majority of my friends and family also feel the exact same way.
I was forced to wonder what happened to these days from my childhood after I saw a post about the CMA Awards on my Instagram feed. The CMA Awards are being held on November 10th this year, and I can say with certainty that I will yet again not be tuning in for the live show. Of course, every individual who is invited, nominated, or wins an award should feel beyond proud and their accomplishments should be recognized, but their musical talent cannot hide how the viewing for these shows is continuously decreasing. Especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, it is going to become even more difficult to produce the same energy that large crowds created when the virus did not ravage the world. The cheers and emotions of fans and audience members have often been replaced in live performances throughout the past year by prerecorded audio sounds as a necessary precaution. The ability to host large crowds has drifted away, and so has my interest in award shows. Even though my love for country music will stay strong, my lack of participation in viewing the CMA awards will continue this year on November 10th.
Written by Ashley N
Raised by a country music-loving mother and a father who is an alternative rock enthusiast, Ashley’s taste in music cannot be pinned down to a single category. Cross-country is a music show with a little bit of country, but a whole lot of variety. There is no doubt that you will find your favorite music in her show and you can listen to Cross Country every Monday at 11:00 am! Aside from producing her radio show, you can see Ashley dabbling in her favorite hobbies of drawing, sculpting, practicing yoga, and spending time with family and friends.
Harper Radio 