The Envoy

Hundreds of Hunter students who walk across the third floor sky bridge every day, may catch a glimpse into a small room covered in music album covers. That room is the home of Where Hunter College Speaks (WHCS) Radio station. 

Located in room 309 of the West Building, WHCS has been Hunter’s student-run radio station for the last 50 years. The station airs a multitude of shows that appeal to Hunter student’s diverse interests like music, sports reporting, and even podcasts on philosophy.

When the station was originally broadcasted on air waves, rock ‘n’ roll legends such as Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton performed live concerts for WHCS, but one doesn’t have to be a music aficionado to tune in or get involved. 

The radio station is an open “community space for people to make music, listen to music, share music, and overall engage in a community that isn’t really found at Hunter,” said Stella Chu, the general manager of WHCS. 

The station also has been recognized by New York University’s popular station, WNYU. On their own air time, WNYU often shouts out and commends the work being done at WHCS. 

“It’s really a creative outlet for people to express themselves in a school that doesn’t really provide a lot of those spaces,” Chu said. As general manager, Chu, along with her other board members, is responsible for paperwork, maintaining the order and cleanliness in the room, and opening and closing the station.

Creativity and self-expression are the foundation of WHCS. Students can express themselves without the threat of censorship since the station doesn’t have to follow the Federal Communications Commission radio guidelines. 

 The value of student voices at WHCS is indicative of the station’s name, said station manager Valerie Duran. Her responsibilities include accepting show applications and weekly creating schedules, assisting in keeping rowdiness in check, and also opening and closing the station. 

“This [is a] free space where people can speak their minds and play uncensored music that they think invokes a message,” Duran said.

Xavier Barrero, a junior studying film and television, is the DJ of an experimental show called “The Bazement”  , which airs every Tuesday at 2 p.m.. On his show, Barrero plays techno, house, and acid-house music. 

Barrero spun music for rap shows before the COVID-19 pandemic and began experimenting with mixing rap and house music during lockdown. 

Barrero says he hopes to inspire listeners to expand their music taste and discover new sounds. 

“I’ll try to blend super nerdy electronic music with stuff people will recognize,” Barrero said. “I’ve been trying to go back into the ‘90s and 2000s sounds and mix them with current music.” 

Hanuel Lee, a junior studying film production, hosts a variety show named “The Weather Report” on Mondays at 10 a.m.. Lee reports the week’s weather and shares music they enjoy. They also sing and present their creative writing on the show.

For Lee,  being a part of WCHS radio provides  a great outlet for expression and is easy to get involved in. 

“Listening to someone else talk can be very comforting,” Lee said. “It can also encourage people to think, ‘Oh, I can do this too!’”

“Welcome to Night Vale,” a fictional podcast featuring LGBTQ+  characters, is Lee’s inspiration.

 “You can feature queer characters in media without relating it to advertisement,” they said. “Radio is a mouth of the people who want to share their opinions, and that tends to be loud queer people.”

Junior and environmental science major, Onel Galagedara, is an audio engineer, production manager and host of a show called “Sprout.”  He interviews underground musicians like Xaviersobased and ensures that the WHCS equipment and shows run smoothly. 

Onel dreams of ushering in new glory days for WHCS, but the station faces some financial challenges. 

“All we are really asking is for more funding and our budgets to come on time,” Galagedara said. “And for USG to stop sidelining this place and actually promoting it and giving it the respect it deserves.” 

As for the future, the executive board and other staff at WHCS say they want to host more events on campus to brighten student life. In the past, the radio station hosted the Halloween Bop-a-Thon fundraiser last October, for which Galagedara was the event’s DJ. Chu says they hope to host more events during the spring semester.

Shows will resume on Feb. 5th. If you are a student interested in sharing music or your niche interests or want 45 minutes to speak your mind, the registration form for spring 2024 is here. 

You can listen to WHCS live on their website and catch programming updates on their Instagram page!

(Edit 1/30): A previous version of this article mistakenly spells Valerie Duran as Valerie Durran and Onel Galagedara as Onel Galagdera. We have since corrected the spelling.)