More Than Just a Station

In the age of Youtube, Spotify, and Pandora, many previously-popular forms of media have either declined in usage or have simply been swallowed up by some other product of the internet. However, regardless of these struggles, there are still some forms of media that continue to thrive in this modern day. Radio, which has been around for decades, is one of these successful mediums. Radio has mainly survived due to its accessibility. Almost every area in the United States has some kind of radio station that broadcasts news and music every moment of every day. Even here in Greenville, there are multiple stations. Despite having many outlets, the favorite radio station of most Greenville University students is probably the university’s own WGRN.

Beginning over fifty years ago, WGRN has served as a way for Greenville’s finest and most outgoing to connect with one another. For a long time, the station served as a kind of side project that also found a way for students to fill requirements for their majors. However, since then, the station has become much more than a requirement-fulfilling side project, and it has progressed into a very well established radio station. While the majority of stations choose to focus on broadcasting only one or two kinds of radio substance, WGRN is best known for producing a wide variety of segments so that all listeners can find something they love to hear. Throughout their weekly schedule, WGRN broadcasts music, students shows, and university events.

Even though it seems relatively simple, balancing all of these various mediums through one station was not always a well-known formula. In fact, it is kind of a difficult task. Ryan Mifflin, who is the Operations Manager for the project, notes that this ability to successfully broadcast different forms of content makes a big contribution to helping set WGRN apart from other radio stations. While discussing the topic, Mifflin explained this secret to success. “Most radio stations play a certain amount of music each hour and have a specific amount of breaks they take each hour. We had to kind of blow up that model to make WGRN the best it can be,” he said, “We blend our music with student recordings and other announcements in a unique way to make a good product for the listener.”

While creating a good product for the audience is obviously important for a radio station, WGRN is also an outlet for many university students. The station is mostly run by students, so they are free to produce the content that they love without the fear of judgment.

Alayna Moore, who hosts two different shows on WGRN, reflected on her inspiration to join the station. “From satellite to local, I’ve been listening to radio all my life, so I knew I could host something really great if I put my mind to it,” she commented. While hosts are very important to the station, there are other valuable roles on the WGRN team. Even if a student may be intimidated by talking on the air, Moore assures that there are still plenty of opportunities to be involved. “There are recording spots, curator teams, event planning, and more if you want to be involved without being live on the air,” she said, “There is always plenty of room at the station for newcomers.” If anyone is interested in playing a part on the WGRN team, he or she is encouraged to email Ryan Mifflin (ryan.mifflin@greenville.edu).

Media by Ryan Nelson.