On Tuesday, March 26th, 2019, Hip Hop Director RIZZYSTAYDIZZY visited eWMCR College Radio located at Montgomery Community College. Read below his six-part series pop-up visits to radio stations in the DC-Maryland area!
11:22 – My father and I got a ride from our auntie who lives in Gaithersburg, MD. We drove to the Rockville area where Montgomery Community College is located. I ask for directions for the radio station and about a handful of students pointed me in the right direction.
11:46 – I walk into the communications building and in this long hallway. I walk down and I see WMCR and a student who gave me a brief tour. I was then escorted to Professor Tiffany Copeland’s class, (WMCR Radio Station Coordinator). I gave a short presentation to a lecture hall of more or less 30 students and told them about myself, KZSC, and opportunities we have here in California. About a handful of students came up to me after and we chatted for nearly 30 minutes about future goals and what it’s like in the West Coast. According to Professor Copeland, a lot of students were touched and felt even more motivated to continue in the music or radio industry.
12:04 – Professor Copeland had to continue on with her busy day but I was able to gather some contact information from both herself and her students. I ended up being interviewed a couple of days after by a fellow student Dwayne (aka Dreamz). Shoutout to the whole WMCR squad. I’m glad I was able to inspire some folx!
Read more about WMCR below & peep some pictures RSD took!
Interview with Tiffany Copeland, faculty and Radio Station Coordinator – The first African American radio station manager at WMCR
1) History/background of your radio station
“Well, the station started by a group of students in the 1970s. They were playing records in the school cafeteria. They operated in the cafeteria for a while until they were given an area in a building to broadcast music. Everyone back then just had a love for music. We still have an album collection because of those days.”
2) Broadcasting online or FM
“We were broadcasting on a frequency, but for some reason, the frequency was not renewed hence an online format.”
3) How many students / DJs at your station? How does one become a DJ?
“We use the station for some of our classes, like Audio Production, Radio Production, Radio Station Operations.”
4) Does your station get enough funding from your university/college?
“Yes, we are a state college so we have enough funding for most things. This is not the same for other schools though.”
5) What makes your station, your station // What is your image?
“The image of our station is that we are a fun and exciting place to be, and are in our community and concerned about the Montgomery College community. Currently, the station has top hits format and usually, there’s about 10 DJ’s while the radio production class is offered, which is once per year. We also have three lab techs working in the radio station.”
6) What do you expect your station to look like / sound like / be in the future?
“I expect that we’ll be more oriented towards our online presence as opposed to trying to regain a frequency. That we will be more interactive with our listeners online. And that listeners will do more broadcasting from remote locations.”
Thanks to current faculty and Radio Station Coordinator, Tiffany Copeland, for hosting me! Stay tuned for the blog of the other five DC radio stations RSD visited! — Read more about WMCR above & peep some pictures RSD took!
