Why I Will Always Love Radio
Shaping Cultural Experiences
Travel has been an integral part of my life since I was a young child. I grew up in a multicultural, bilingual home in the Netherlands with a Polish mother and a Dutch father. My
Update & BBC News Link
A brief update: One interview video will be uploaded tomorrow evening. I believe the BBC News One-Minute World News provides well-balanced reporting of news, hence why I wanted to share it. Top stories on May
From Nigeria to Boston
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VNkCazT_T4&feature=youtu.be
When you first meet Oluwagbeminiyi Osidipe, you encounter a very vibrant, friendly, and unique personality. Oluwagbeminiyi or Niyi – as she shortened her name for simplicity – was named by her mother, who had a “very personal experience” when she had her, Niyi explained. Niyi is a Yoruba Nigerian transplant who arrived in the U.S. in 2006. As one of the most densely populated (West) African countries, Nigeria derives its name from the river that spans its land. To the South, it borders the Gulf of Guinea to the Atlantic Ocean. Originally colonized by the British, Nigeria gained independence in 1960. Its main ethnic groups are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, who speak English and their own respective languages, while major religions include Islam, Christianity and indigenous beliefs. Niyi shares her story, her views on politics, cultural differences she’s embraced with humor, and what we can learn from each other by expressing curiosity. Her message is simple: travel enriches us through its exposure to new cultures, and enables us to grow.
Mark Twain on Travel
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” (American author Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad).
Have you had the opportunity to travel (extensively, within your country, or even once abroad)? Can you relate to Twain’s sentiments? How does travel enrich us?
Pleasing The Taste Palate
Food has the wonderful quality of uniting us no matter where we are. There is nothing partisan or narrow-minded about food. It simply invites us to indulge, create recipes, and share with others. Two of my favorite Polish dishes (included in collage) are pierogies and barszcz czerwony – a beetroot soup – served on Christmas Eve in Poland. How does food bring us together? What are some of your favorite dishes and why? Can food trigger memories?
Stereotypes: Truth or Fiction?
DEFINING STEREOTYPES: “An idea or statement about all of the members of a group or all the instances of a situation.” (Merriam-Webster). Stereotypes enable bias and preconceived notions to perpetuate, but can also reveal valid
Annual Human Rights Report
“The world changed immeasurably over the course of 2011. Across the Middle East, North Africa, and far beyond, citizens stood up to demand respect for human dignity, more promising economic opportunities, greater political liberties, and
Euro Crisis & Emerging Stereotypes
Brief Crisis Breakdown Since the onset of the global financial crisis, or Great Recession, in 2007, the Eurozone has feared impending growing global debt levels, as well as sovereign debt within European countries themselves. In
Remembering Tiananmen
Today marks the 23rd anniversary of Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in Beijing, China. Inflation, a lack of career prospects, the fall of Eastern European communism, and political corruption, are all said to have fueled anger
Coffee's Uniting Power
A cup of coffee can bridge cultural gaps. At least, that’s what Gizem Salgicil White, founder of Turkayfe.org, believes. Her organization aims to create awareness of Turkish culture, particularly within America. Gizem is a Turkish native,
“In seeking truth you have to get both sides of a story.” – Walter Cronkite on journalism.
It all started in my teens. Watching the evening news sparked a curiosity on many levels. Learning about other cultures, taking in important events that shape history, and hearing personal stories that leave an impact, all influenced my interest in journalism. Years of travel with my family opened my mind up to the idea of pursuing that curiosity on a professional level. With that in mind, I applied to Emerson College in Boston – a renowned university known for its core focus on communication and the arts. It was the beginning of an exciting four-year period of my life. College provided opportunities to grow in the journalism field (from classes to 3 internships to extracurricular activities), to meet friends with similar interests, and to absorb valuable lessons from professors who were all journalism veterans.
I would recommend any incoming college freshman to jump at the chance to get involved with on-campus activities. Not only do you get to apply theory from class, but you also get to expand on your skills. I will never forget the experience I shared with classmates and friends through extracurricular activities such as through the award-winning college radio station, WERS.org, through online student radio station WECB, and through WEBN – a student-run television station. The one thing that sticks with me the most was working at WERS.org. It was there that I was able to grow into journalism by delving into many roles: as a news reporter, and later as the leading producer, long-form news reporter, and on-air host of its Associated Press award-winning public affairs news show, “You Are Here.”
Running every aspect of an hour-long public affairs show is no easy task, but, to me, it was all for the love of the news. I’m a news junkie and proud of it! I happily spent most of my time at WERS. Friends there became like a second family and helped run WERS through their departments (news, on-air DJs, student management, live mix… you name it). Reporters contributing to “You Are Here” – who were also among my closest friends – were inspiring fellow journalists who dedicated their energy to bringing the utmost quality and care into reporting. The show was our joint success. The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine even dedicated a feature to us and other leading college radio shows.
Why am I writing about this now?
Earlier today, I learned about a possible change coming to WERS that left me speechless, confused, and longing for answers. A LinkedIn post in an Emerson alumni group mentioned this editorial from our Emerson College newspaper. I would be remiss to not comment – especially on a time I feel so strongly about in my life.
The whole point of college radio is that it is a “learning ground” – you explore your interests and have fun, you occasionally make mistakes, you work as a team, and you become more knowledgeable. Being at WERS taught me many of these valuable lessons, which you simply cannot grasp in the classroom. Even though it is a college station, upper management made it clear that WERS.org operates as a professional station with specific behavioral guidelines, and there are expectations towards listeners. I never felt as though it was “simply” a college radio station. I treated my time there as a real journalism job.
LINGERING QUESTIONS & YOUR INPUT
Is hiring a professional host for a college radio station the right step? Are there other underlying reasons for this that we don’t know, but will hear about? Isn’t there a way to educate on-air talent to avoid mishaps or “appalling behavior”? What is the future of radio? Did you take part in college extracurricular activities?
Any WERS alumni want to share their comments?
Hi! I'm the founder of Culture With Travel and #CultureTrav. Please chat with us on social media and contribute in the comments! Follow @Nicolette_O
Comments (5)
Globetrotter2012
07 Apr 2013I used to be an Emerson Mama involved in Parents Leadership Council for four years. It was with a genuine pride and a sense of advocating for a truly remarkable college that I co-developed reach out programs for the incoming students and their parents…
Some of the many “selling points” were the unique, hands on possibilitilies for the students in the TV studios and the radio stations. I met so many enthusiastic, talented students who went an extra mile to learn and gain experience! All the work at the TV stations, WERS and other radio stations were in addition to the rigorous academic programs and not for credit. Kids got involved because they loved doing it and were hungry for the experience!
I always thought that they might have learned even more if they were taken seriously and given guidance by a dedicated member of the teaching staff, but they were often left to their own devices and passion (especially the radio kids). Still, they succeeded as many awards for WERS attest.
Yes, there were – at times- some oopsie daisies – while live on air, but that’s the charm of the student radio stations.
I hope that Emerson’s new President will not bend under pressure of the Board of Trustees and other power brokers who have mainly a financial bottom line on their minds. A healthy financial condition of the school is one thing, commercialization of the radio is quite something else…
Emerson used to be a unique place to learn and grow.
There is a role here for passionate alumni and students to preserve this spirit. Donations are always so welcome to sustain so many programs, so instead of declaring a votum separatum I sincerely hope that alumni will petition the President and have their voices heard. They opened their checkbooks so many times; now – as they are successful media professionals – they should also open their mouths effectively!
Go Alumni! For the sake of the new generation of the media wizards, speak up!
Nicolette
08 Apr 2013Thank you for taking the time to chime in, Globetrotter! I really appreciate your input.
I think the key points that you left me thinking about are that Emerson provides many hands-on opportunities for students no matter what their talents are. Because of those chances, students get to learn and gain important skills they can use in their respective fields. I believe that offering guidance by a professor or advisor would be far more relevant than providing a “professional host.” What good would it do to substitute a professional in? Last I checked it was a college radio station to be “manned” by students and upper management that oversees operations. Being a part of WERS was (to me at least) a privilege and a tremendous responsibility – and above all else, a great learning experience and opportunity to grow while having fun, too.
marksackler
07 Apr 2013I was classical music program director at WERS in 1972. I miss those days…
Nicolette
07 Apr 2013Thanks for commenting, Mark. I miss my days at WERS, too! What do you think about the (proposed) change?
marksackler
07 Apr 2013I will rethink my annual contribution if they do that. It is unthinkable…