WHCL is a 24-hour, non-profit, student-run, free-form radio station. Established in 1941 and located on the Hamilton campus, WHCL provides the Hamilton community with the opportunity to get their voices and music heard. WHCL typically features over 90 shows during the school year and occasionally broadcasts in the summer.
This summer, WHCL is broadcasting through the end of July and has 20 shows on-air. WHCL general manager Peter Kelly ’21, Rebekah Fowler ’21, Assistant Professor of Computer Science Tom Helmuth ’09, and Majestic Terhune ’21 all have summer radio shows.
What is/are your show(s) and when can people listen in?
Peter: Over the summer, I have two shows:
Friday at 9 p.m. - BPM. My friend Andrew Projansky ’21 and I use our computers to produce music live on air!
Friday at 10 p.m. - The Experiment. Also with Andrew; we listen to brand new music that came out that day and share our thoughts.
Rebekah: My show is called Wouldn’t You Like to Know, and you can tune in any Friday between 8 and 9 p.m.
Tom: My show Radio Entertainment System is on Tuesdays at 8-9 p.m. I play music from video games, all the way from chiptunes from the Nintendo Entertainment System up to modern video games.
Majestic: I have two shows! One is Sound Symposium, which is from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesdays and features one “sound” per week. The other is All Alt, which is from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Mondays and includes alternative music from the ’60s to now.
Why did you decide to do a show?
Peter: I was a part of the orientation trip “Stay Tuned,” which focused a lot on music and radio. We visited a few radio stations, but on one of the later days, we went to WHCL and were allowed to do a show, and I’ve been in love ever since. I’ve had at least one show every semester, and I don't see myself stopping!
Rebekah: My friends have been recommending I do a radio show for a long time now, mostly because they enjoyed doing theirs so much, and I figured now was as good a time as any.
Tom: When I was a student at Hamilton (I graduated in 2009), I had a show on WHCL all four years and was on the e-board. I love curating my favorite music for the radio. After college, I hosted a video game music podcast for a while, inspired by my time at WHCL. It's good to be back!
Majestic: I’ve spent a lot of time exploring music over the past couple years and have wanted to do a show for a while. I don't have a lot of spare time during the school year, so this is a dream.
What’s something we might hear on your show(s)?
Peter: With our shows, it is a little difficult. You never really know what to expect for BPM, as we are making music on the spot and playing around. The Experiment is all brand new music. Music gets released on Fridays, so anything that has come out that day, and occasionally some songs that came out earlier in the week, are fair game.
Rebekah: Alternative, psychedelic rock, jazz fusion, the occasional a cappella cover. The smooth, smooth tones of my voice. Fun facts that I may or may not have pulled directly from Cracked.com.
Tom: Here’s my favorite chiptune, from the NES game Silver Surfer. The composer, Tim Follin, was a master of making the simple chip-based synthesize of the NES sound like a prog-rock band.
Majestic: On Sound Symposium, you might hear me decide to focus my show around the sound of water. So, I’ll play some songs that include water sounds. On All Alt, you’ll probably just hear a lot of The Cure.
Who or what is the musical artist, album, or song that most reminds you of summer?
Peter: “Sunflower” by Post Malone and Swae Lee. Definitely not a “summer song,” but it is one of the happiest songs I have ever heard, and it just makes me smile and remember all the good times when I listen to it, which is similar to how I feel about summer.
Rebekah: Either “Water Fountain” by Tune-Yards or “FloriDada” by Animal Collective.
Tom: This remix of a tune from Final Fantasy VIII by Poolside is a great summer pop jam.
Majestic: “Heavy Metal Drummer” by Wilco. It’s upbeat and sweet and nostalgic, and I've had it stuck in my head for a couple months.
