NEW ORLEANS (March 10, 2017) – If you’ve ever walked down the back hall in Cook and saw the WDUB radio station dark and empty, don’t assume the online station is not operating: It is, and you can listen to programming by getting a free app for your phone.
“Much of the programming is automated with music tracking,” said Mark Raymond, station adviser. “Most radio stations are like that nowadays. If you went into most stations, you might not find anyone in the booth.”
Raymond said the staff, led by Program Director Joycelyn Daggs and Assistant Program Director Robert Warren, both mass communication seniors, record announcements and commentary for insertion around the music offerings. Additionally, designated students record specialty shows to air at certain times.
For example, Christen Cousin, a sophomore mass communication major from New Orleans, has a show that airs every Monday and Wednesday from 2-3 p.m.
WDUB started operating in the 1980s as a low-power FM station that reached a five-mile radius, Raymond said; the station’s studio was in the library; it was moved to 1993 after Cook was built.
In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed the antenna. When the station resumed operation in fall 2006, it moved to online streaming, Raymond said.
A course offering, MAC311 Radio and Internet Programming, makes staffing easier in the fall, but it’s harder to staff in the spring because there’s no class, Raymond said. But last year, he started the Radio Club to get more students in other majors involved, and the club now has about 15 members. Staffers are in charge of music selections, promotions and other duties that make the station run.
During the summer months, the station is fully operated with no staffing, Raymond said.
Warren said auditions are held twice a year for interested students, but you also can email Daggs at [email protected] to set up an audition.
To tune in, download the WDUB app for IOS or Apple phones at The App Store or Google Play. Then tune to the address site: myradiostream.comwdub. Up to 250 people can listen at one time.
(Kaelin Bass contributed to this report.)