The SUNY New Paltz radio station, WFNP The Edge, recently received recognition from Stephen Colbert on The Late Show. He joked about relying on the station for fashion advice. Nevertheless, it’s a wonderful thing for the school’s station to be recognized publicly.
WFNP The Edge is SUNY New Paltz’s official radio station. Their airtime is filled with podcasts, news, public service announcements, talk shows, music and more. DJ’s for the station are SUNY New Paltz students, and they have specific times when they are on the air. It’s a very hands-on experience and a very unique opportunity for students.
“A DJ’s segment consists of one hour of a [DJ] getting creative freedom to share whatever they please over the radio waves. Typically, a standard radio block on WFNP has the student playing music off of a playlist that they have created, usually from Spotify, and, occasionally, a ‘mic break’ will take place in between every few songs,” second-year DJ, Jimmy Purr says. “The DJ also has the responsibility to play four PSA’s over the air and at least one Legal ID at the top of every hour. At the end of the day, hosting an hour block on WFNP is, at least in my view, a great way to not only have fun, but to get legitimate studio practice in.”
What’s special about WFNP is that it’s a perfect way to have a real DJ experience without the pressure of being on a professional station. They can express themselves and spend time interviewing friends or family while learning the craft of radio. The DJ’s are using high quality equipment including a soundboard, Megaseg, and microphone setup.
The future of radio is changing rapidly. The influence of social media and the internet has caused people to stray from listening to traditional radio stations. WFNP is combating this by streaming most of their DJ’s segments online.
When asked what the future of radio looks like, Purr stated, “The future of radio is absolutely uncertain in my eyes. It’s obvious that our generation isn’t really listening to the actual radio, but a form of neo-radio absolutely lives on to this day, in the form of a podcast, of course. So, right now, could radio die? Absolutely. But podcasting is, without a doubt, keeping the radio waves on life support.”
You can tune in to WFNP The Edge on their website WFNP.org or on 88.7 FM.
