Courtesy of WREK Radio
You’ll be able to study rather a lot from native radio. Wherever I journey, I make a degree of listening to close by stations; After I moved to Atlanta, radio was what taught me about my new metropolis. On my trek to East Level, I flipped between stations whereas driving to a photograph shoot to catch Lois Reitzes’ solo on WABE (90.1). Driving the Connector down Buford Freeway, Streetz (94.5) taught me that Atlanta’s hip-hop stations had been just like these in my native Chicago, however with a determined bias towards Southern artists. One afternoon, Buckhead escapes in bumper-to-bumper site visitors and is uninterested in High 40 radio (What number of private damage attorneys are there, actually? I questioned), I turned the dial and found my favourite gem amongst all of them: WREK (91.1), Georgia Tech’s student-run radio station.
WREK was launched on March 25, 1968 from the College’s Engineering Division. Most faculty stations transfer a number of miles from campus, however not most faculty stations are run by college students in one of many world’s highest-ranked engineering packages: WREK’s turbo-charged transmitter broadcasts all through the metro space, reaching hundreds of thousands of potential listeners.
Vary definitely is not the one draw. I am a longtime fan of faculty radio, however WREK is exemplary in that format as nicely. Its guiding philosophy requires scholar hosts to “characterize the total spectrum of musical expression.” Seems I am a sucker for a guiding philosophy. If WREK had been a faith, I would be a part of it.
WREK’s area of interest—typically very area of interest—student-driven programming is crucial to Factor’s attraction. I might by no means search out the hyperpop style myself, however I fortunately submitted to an hour of it on WREK. as its cohosts 100 Rec Evaluating the hovering vocals of two completely different artists—one in all whom, it turned out, was really a programmed synth—I felt like I would grow to be a lifelong acolyte of hyperpop. Within the age of the Spotify suggestion algorithm, it is refreshing to serve up one thing the pc won’t ever provide me. Talking of computer systems, I do know now, thanks 100 Rec, that voice synthesizer software program, known as Hatsune Miku, performs a 3D live performance within the type of a digital teenage woman with turquoise pigtails. (They’re usually offered out.)
Many different specials align with my preferences, however for each music I do know, there are two extra that I do not. I as soon as used Shazam particularly to detect ethereal bangers and discovered that the app solely detected the music “Footsteps” by Anna Lett 123 occasions. WREK launched me to numerous new artists and taught me that “Ross from Pals” describes not solely a 90s sitcom character but additionally a DJ.
Better of all, WREK has no commercials. Lengthy stretches of music are interrupted solely to establish and present the station, or often present genuinely informative PSAs: present breaks may warn you to the placement of a free Covid testing kiosk, or reassure you, “It does not matter what you are carrying; Sexual harassment isn’t your fault.” Thanks, WREK. I hope Atlantans notice what a uncommon reward we’ve at this uncommon, devastatingly iconic faculty radio station.
Over the a long time it is faithfully served the sudden, WREK adopted an unofficial motto: “The music you do not hear on the radio.” To that I say: precisely.
This text appeared in our Could 2024 challenge.
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