During most college finals, all that can be heard is the cracking of mechanical pencil lead, and knees nervously bouncing up and down.
But, this is not so in final for the Radio Operations Workshop, a course offered by the Department of Journalism and Communication Studies at Colorado State University. Students prepared all semester to appear as a guest, host, and producer on their own 2-hour live radio talk show on 90.5 KCSU. The students, instructed by KCSU General Manager Hannah Copeland and assisted by KCSU Station Manager Julia Battagliese, interviewed one another on May 13, 2019, for 7-minutes each about their chosen area of expertise.
From tacos to songwriting, and from lighting design to ice hockey, the students of Radio Operation Workshop, or the Audio Twerkshop as they call it on air, reveal their talents and passions to their listening audience. The on-air final allows students to build confidence by talking about their favorite subject, grilling their classmates, and executing a successful technical performance.
Check out the time markers below to hear 12 unique interview topics, all glimpses into the lives of these students before they graduate or continue to progress in their careers at Colorado State University and beyond.
- “Getting started as a bluegrass fiddle player”
- Start time: 00:00
- Guest: Josiah Nelson
- Host: Yasmin Conchas
- “Why I love the Star Wars Series”
- Start time: 7:07
- Guest: Jeremy Schuster
- Host: Piper Davis
- “A lifetime of love for ice hockey”
- Start time: 13:46
- Guest: Kyle Wilson
- Host: Anthony DeCosmo
- “RAMP: Learning music, stage, and sports production”
- Start time: 19:03
- Guest: Yasmin Conchas
- Host: Max Fink
- “A lifelong barista reflects on her final coffee-pouring days”
- Start time: 26:23
- Guest: Piper Davis
- Host: Hannah Garcia
- “Growing up theatre: perspectives from in front and behind the curtain”
- Start time: 33:19
- Guest: Anthony DeCosmo
- Host: Matt Gusmerotti
- “How to get started in sports broadcasting”
- Start time: 40:37
- Guest: Max Fink
- Host: William Mergenthaler
- “Songwriting: from inspiration to composition”
- Start time: 47:54
- Guest: Hannah Garcia
- Host: Taylor Millette
- “What makes the Colorado Rockies so special?”
- Start time: 54:56
- Guest: Matt Gusmerotti
- Host: Josiah Nelson
- “One east-coaster’s quest to devour Colorado tacos”
- Start time: 1:01:46
- Guest: William Mergenthaler
- Host: Jeremy Schuster
- “The Bachelor: television’s quintessential emotional rollercoaster”
- Start time: 1:08:46
- Guest: Taylor Millette
- Host: Kyle Wilson
Whether you listen to just a clip or the whole podcast, thank you for your attention! To learn more about this class, you can contact the instructor at Hannah.Copeland@colostate.edu. To read about the CSU Journalism department, go to journalism.colostate.edu. Don’t forget you can stream live college radio 24/7 right here at kcsufm.com.