October 10, 2008...
What do an aircraft engineer, an English instructor, a veterinarian, a Mideast expert and a broadcasting student have in common? They can all be heard on Trident Technical College’s latest innovation – a professional Internet radio station.
TTC will officially launch its Internet radio station Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 11 a.m. with a kickoff celebration on Main Campus in North Charleston. The public is invited to attend the ceremony where TTC President Mary Thornley will cut a ribbon of audiotape with a razor blade to officially announce the station, a tribute to the bygone era when tape was edited manually.
The radio station’s main purpose is to offer students in TTC’s Radio, Television and Film program an opportunity to use the skills learned in media courses in a real-life, hands-on application.
“Before the Internet radio station,” says instructor Marcia Warnock, “I’d tell my students, ‘Let’s pretend we’re writing a public service announcement for a radio station.’ Now it’s no more pretending. We’re really being heard all over the world.”
Students in the Radio certificate program create most of the programming and playlists for the station. The radio format is neo-eclectic. “This is not your typical college station,” explains Warnock. “Our format is like the weather – if you don’t like what you’re hearing, just wait a few minutes and it will change.”
TTC’s station strives to be an alternative to conventional radio by presenting informative and entertaining programming akin to National Public Radio, blended with a diverse musical playlist. Radio students’ work play regularly along with commentary and essays from TTC faculty and staff. TTC radio blends college news, study tips, opinions, interviews and information with a diversity that reflects TTC’s curricula. Thought-provoking locally originated programming is interspersed among the best classical, rock, hip-hop, jazz, blues, folk, reggae, country, new age and other exotic genres of music.
The station is on air 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Programming is rotated on a regular basis. For listeners’ convenience, contributors’ commentaries will be downloadable as podcasts in the near future.
Warnock, who worked for years as manager of Charleston’s public radio station WSCI-FM, says the experience of working in a real station is invaluable to students. “It improves speaking and delivery skills. It looks good on a resume. It gives hands-on experience to future broadcasters. It gives a public voice to anyone who wants to take advantage of it,” says Warnock. “It improves the broadcasting ‘gene pool,’ hopefully bettering the industry for everyone in the next generation.”
To listen to TTC radio, visit the station’s Web site at http://ttcradio.wordpress.com/. The radio station kickoff event will be held in the Student Center (Building 410) on TTC’s Main Campus at 7000 Rivers Ave. in North Charleston. Before the event, the guitar duo Sun Set Strings composed of Radio and Television students will perform original music on acoustic and electric guitars. Refreshments will be provided by the RTV student organization, the Society of Broadcasters. TTC radio welcomes submissions from TTC students, faculty and staff, as well as from the Charleston community and greater listening audience.For more information, call 574-6852.
