ARTalk | February 22, 2010
"MIT has a radio station!?"
[by Shelby Heinecke '13]
Yes, it's true. Believe it or not, MIT has its very own radio station, run by the students for the students (and for the rest of Cambridge/Boston to enjoy!). It's located in the cozy yet unfamiliar basement of Walker Memorial. It was one of the first places I visited during my CPW, and I encourage you all to visit it as well. Ever since I stepped foot in the station during CPW, I knew that I wanted to get involved with the radio station and have my very own show—and that's precisely what I did!
My show is called "Peaceful Purgatory" and it airs on Tuesday nights from 11pm – midnight (sounds late, but this is prime psetting hour = more listeners). You're probably wondering why my show has this name and where the heck it came from. You see, the name of my show conveys the unique combination of music I play; that is, hard rock/metal and classical music.
Here is a sample playlist:
"Quartet No. 1" by Sofia Gubaidulina
"Am I Evil?" by Metallica
"Children of the Grave" by Black Sabbath
"Violin Sonata No. 3" by Brahms
"Ciaconna in D Minor" by Bach
"Pathetic" by Lamb of God
"Achilles Last Stand" by Led Zeppelin
Hopefully you can see how the name of my show is relevant now! Not only do I play eclectic works, but I also give away concert tickets on air and sometimes I invite friends to chat on air or just to hang out in the control room with me. It's great to be able to have this hour of airtime, an hour of freedom. I can play any songs or pieces I wish, the sky is the limit. My radio show is a highlight of my chaotic week—it's a time where I'm forced to sit down, relax, and enjoy music. And you too can have a radio show at MIT. It's as simple as applying for airtime and preferencing your ideal timeslots. There are also perks with having a radio show, such as having full access to the entire record library. That's right, the ENTIRE library (think about the new music and artists you’ll be exposed to! I've discovered quite a few interesting bands since I've been a member at the station). Besides the library, you also have access to free concert tickets, definitely one of the coolest benefits. There are literally concerts in Boston/Cambridge everyday of the week, and you can potentially see these great artists for free. Feel free to listen to WMBR streaming live on www.wmbr.org. The shows are also archived, so you can even listen to previously aired shows. Enjoy the great music of WMBR. Rock on!
P.S. Photos coming soon!
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The author has filed this entry in the "Music & The Arts" , "Student Organizations" section; check it out for further reading on this topic. |
Responses To This Entry:
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DUDE AWESOME MUSIC
+first xD
Posted by: Anonymous on February 22, 2010 01:58 PM
haha! pathetic too eh? i will be your loyal listner, if that is, i get into MIT. We too have a great radio programme precisly at 11 around here. treat! you should move on to jazz too hehehe.
Posted by: mukhe pakka 14 on February 22, 2010 02:29 PM
Really cool mix of genres. Classics and rock are awesome ;)
P.S I hope I'll have a pleasure of listening MIT radio the next 4 years...))
Posted by: Samir on February 22, 2010 02:40 PM
Cool taste in music Shelby! Zeppelin and Bach are some of my psetting faves!!
Posted by: Mei Z on February 22, 2010 02:43 PM
Trivia - WMBR, the name of the station, expands to Walker Memorial Basement Radio. I believe it was the first college radio station in the US.
Posted by: Piper '12 on February 22, 2010 06:20 PM
That is awesome.
Posted by: jamesmgg on February 23, 2010 02:23 AM
Peaceful purgatory is the best thing about my Tuesday night!
Posted by: Anonymous on February 23, 2010 01:14 PM
Piper - Hate to be a stickler, but WMBR was far from the first college. That Honor goes to WHA at Univ. of Wisconsin in Madison, which pre-dates the ancestor of WMBR, the low-power station WMIT, by 32 years. (1914 vs. 1946) By some accounts WHA was the first radio station, period.
Posted by: Anonymous on February 23, 2010 02:54 PM
this sounds totally incredible
i would play beirut and chopin all day. hahaha
Posted by: Matto on February 23, 2010 09:56 PM
Shelby, if you've never heard of Apocalyptica, you might like them. Classically trained cellists (one of whom has/gave up a lifetime seat in the Helsinki Philharmonic orchestra) who turned to playing metal. Now they write their own songs, too--an interesting combination of classical and metal. I like your music choices :) If I get into MIT I will be a loyal follower of Peaceful Purgatory...Cheers!
Posted by: Amethyst ('14?) on February 23, 2010 10:03 PM
My dad was the second ever general manager, program director, music director, and technical director of this radio station way back starting from 1967 until 1973 when he used to go to MIT. It's pretty cool to read this and see how much music has evolved while still keeping its roots at the same time. It's also cool to bond with my dad and talk about the old days haha.
Oh and I totally agree with Matto, Beirut all the way! And maybe some Yeasayer, Belle and Sebastian, and whoever else.
Posted by: Sharon Rubin on February 24, 2010 01:01 AM
Awesome. I love your choices.
Posted by: martin('14?) on February 24, 2010 11:03 AM
