WTUR has a new recording studio in Horne Academic Center.
Kathy Bruner, co-chair of the art, film and media department, said the station has a new setup and four new microphones, creating a more conversational space for hosts and guests.
They are still working out some new decor, but the space is already brightened up by the windows letting light stream in.
“WTUR got a wonderful upgrade as we moved from the Rupp building to the Horne Academic Center,” Bruner said. “And it's both a larger space and also sort of a slightly re-imagined space, because what we had in Rupp had been designed in the ‘90s to be an FM station.”
Taylor has not renewed the WTUR FM radio license in about 10 years, so now they are focusing on webcast and podcasting.
Junior Devin Smith, film and media arts major and WTUR station manager, said students can do almost anything on their podcast shows. He said sophomore Ella Burch reads her writing chapter by chapter during her radio hour. People have run Dungeons and Dragons campaigns on the air, and one Taylor graduate even did a show where he read jokes from a book for an hour.
“You can put yourself out there,” Smith said. “You can put your work out there. You can exemplify people in the community… you can do just about anything with your friends, or by yourself if that’s your prerogative. The sky is the limit.”
Junior Ben Reitz, a film and media arts major, started a radio show his freshman year at Taylor called Conspiracy Cabin. He had a lot of fun playing a crazy satire character, won an award and was able to record the episodes and release them on Spotify.
Smith said that WTUR is a great space for people interested in podcasting because it conveniently allows them to record and release episodes themselves. They get the high quality of a professional recording studio without having to pay for it. It’s also easy to learn: not a lot of technical stuff.
Reitz continued his own podcasting streak with his show Theory-ELX, where he discusses video game lore with his co-hosts Nick Bragg and Jordan Norris. Sometimes, they bring in other guests as well.
WTUR allows students to interact with the hosts through the app RadioFX. People can take polls and ask questions through the app.
If students do not want to run their own shows, Bruner said they are also looking for old school DJs.
Film and media arts students can use WTUR to log media literacy hours, and the station can also count as the one credit hour course media lab. Smith said it can be a good way to build a resume.
However, WTUR benefits go beyond the resume, giving students the chance to have fun and build community.
“I hit the media hour requirement by now,” Reitz said. “The threshold – it's passed, but I'm just still having fun doing it. So I'm like, ‘why stop now?’”
Smith’s goal is to grow the station in the biggest ways he can.
His plans include updating their website with the dedicated work of the WTUR team. He also plans to bring back Tiny Desks, a show that talks about this and that. He’s hoping to get some campus events going, and to grow the community between the staff and show hosts.
Students can even get involved mid-semester by contacting Devin Smith or Madeline Crawford. Anyone can listen in with the RadioFX app by choosing Taylor and WTUR as the school and station they want to listen to.
