Tuning Into Tradition: WHFC's College Radio Renaissance

Rich Bennett 0:00
So you all heard me talk about the local station here. FC 91.1 FM Several times. And actually they're a partner of Irv Harper, Kenny Levine. And I'm always pushing every time they have a fundraiser. It's important that people donate. And we're going to find out why. Because, number one, it's not like your regular radio station. It's better, I believe. Oh, but these. I don't want to go into too much. But they are training the broadcasters of tomorrow. And when I say tomorrow, literally could be tomorrow. So I have oh, my God, a full crew here from HFC. I have Terry Troy, I have Matt Terry. I have Paul Chappelle. And oh my God, I'm going to pronounce it wrong. 

Nasia Creamer 0:53
NASIR Yes, that's it. NASIR You got it. 

Rich Bennett 0:56
Okay. So thank God I didn't miss that one. But we're going to talk about the fall fundraiser and the importance of it and how well the station is doing now. So first of all, welcome, everybody. You two met. 

Matt Terry 1:11
I do remember. 

Rich Bennett 1:14
First thing, a very important explain to everybody the importance of college radio and why you rely on donations. 

Terry Trouyet 1:27
Well, number one, Rich, you know, we train future broadcasters, as you mentioned before, through our student learning lab. It has been a big success. And we started that in 2021. And last semester we had seven graduates. We're looking for a larger number of students to be involved in the student learning lab. So you have that aspect of it. You have the training when it comes to on air. Podcasting, which is really big and very attractive to students. You have the ability to be creative, which we want our students to be. We don't want them to all of a sudden come into a situation and hey, this is formulaic. This is what you do. One, two, three. We want them to get involved, use their creativity. Understand that if you're going to be in radio, you don't want to sound like the person down the hallway or on the next radio station. You want to bring yourself to the radio station. And also the fact that as a college radio station, we have to get dollars from the listeners. Listeners are very important to us, and that's why we have four of our four fund leads coming up September 18th through the 24th. In addition, we have a spring fundraiser and maybe there might be a little tiny fundraiser in between, you know, something special for the holiday that we're kind of working on right now. So, you know, those aspects of it are very important to the existence of WHCA and, of course, having everyone pledge. I mean, that in itself is a process because not only are you expressing the need financial need of the radio station, but you're also encouraging listeners to get involved. Listen, give us some feedback if they'd like. But more importantly, donate the dollars by pledging and I can give a plug right now for that. And that's w HFC 911. org. 

Rich Bennett 3:24
Yeah, it's very important because a lot of people don't realize, you know, you don't have advertisers, so you're not getting money that way. You have to keep the equipment updated and meaning with that, not just repairs, but also changing with the times. Because now that you're teaching podcasting, you need equipment for that at separate microphones. That's a separate mixer board headphones. You know, and whatever else. And a lot of people don't realize that. Now, something very important to explain to everybody how great the station is, because when it comes to music, thank God there's still jazz to 

I mean, it ain't just the music because you guys got a variety of music, but great programs as well. 

Terry Trouyet 4:16
Yeah, one of the things we, we wanted to do in the beginning, which was create a format that was going to be attractive to a younger listener but at the same time have somewhat of a broad approach and can talk about this a little more in depth. But you know, we coined what was called triple A plus plus and a plus plus. It's kind of that little magic sauce that we've thrown into it. And that's why you're going to hear it. You're going to hear, you know, groups all the way from the 1950s, sixties and seventies, eighties. We throw in everything when it's done in kind of a really nice way, you know, what we call a music system here and pulled pork and elaborate a little bit more on it. 

Paul Chuffo 4:57
It's really is the biggest potpourri you can find on a radio station. We take all comers as long as it's all ready to go on the air, it's, you know, I'll throw it into the mix. And really the key to one of those pluses is the fact that these are all Hartford County people bringing their music. They're all friends and neighbors that are interested in doing this. We have have a list up here. And if you see the really long list that some of the recent graduates, plus all of our community volunteers, and that's like almost 30 people that come every week and participate and are really into it. The shorter list is the existing students that are coming back. Plus we're expecting a bunch more. But these are all people, you know, from, you know, see them at the supermarket, see them, you know, around town. And they spend their time every week really carefully crafting and and bringing entertainment. 

Rich Bennett 5:59
On the air. 

Paul Chuffo 6:00
And that's that's really the plus that I love. 

Rich Bennett 6:03
I don't know of any other station where you could be listening to Dave Brubeck Quartet or whatever, one minute and then turn around and then you're hearing some bluegrass or Johnny Cash and then into Run-D.M.C. or Kiss. I love it while you guys know me. I love a variety of music, but I think now you guys are also focused more towards the students as well as listeners, which I love. And just hearing some of the students on the radio and you can hear their passion for it at least I can. And I think that's a very important thing too. So. 

Terry Trouyet 6:44
Yeah, they love it. They love it. And, you know, and, you know, again, one of the things we've always wanted to do with our college radio station is to make sure that when students do come to us, that they're not going to be bored, they're not going to be doing that, Hey, go get me this and do this and whatever, but actually say, hey, here are the areas that you can choose from. We have on air, we have production, which is very important. Also, you hear a lot of students voices on that. You have shows, long form programming that they can work on and do production behind the scenes. So today, a lot of those shows that you're listening to a student with proper supervision, of course, you know, put those shows together so they sound just as professional as if we were going to be on any radio station in in America. We want our students to understand the importance of, you know, pledging and fundraising on the air. And by the way, they get very excited about it for good. 

Paul Chuffo 7:44
It's true. 

Terry Trouyet 7:44
It's been in the public radio area. You know, for set. We've seen centuries. Okay. 

Rich Bennett 7:52
But I wasn't going to say anything. 

Terry Trouyet 7:55
Terry, 

I know you're right there with me, But but 

but one of the beautiful things. 

Rich Bennett 8:06
Is the white beard eyewitness. 

Terry Trouyet 8:11
But, you know, again, one of the best things about it is our students really get hands on knowledge about what to do. Again, things have changed. I mean, I remember, you know, splicing tapes, you know, and for audio purposes. Right. And now today, you've got the digital world. Well, the majority of our students have grown up with the digital world. If I ask them to go splice together a piece of tape recording here, they will look at it and go, What's a tape? What's the replay for? Right, Right. What is a tape? Right. You know. So, I mean, it's refreshing, you know, And so we continue to grow through the student learning lab. And each day that they come in, it's a new day. It's like it's fresh to them. They're doing all these new things and getting involved. And again, each student can go at the speed that, you know, works for them. So it's like, okay, you know, day one, you got to finish this. You know, you take your time, you get a good grasp of what you're doing because eventually you're going to have to apply the skill and so far it's been great. 

Paul Chuffo 9:22
Yeah. Getting back to the fundraising thing in the students, we actually had one early on in the fall of 2021. In the spring of 2022 came around and we were trying to figure out maybe do we, do we just do like some constant on their messages? Do we do this Like, let's try this something different out, Right? And the students actually came to us and said, when can we do that on the air saying where we ask for money. 

Terry Trouyet 9:51
What we what. 

Paul Chuffo 9:53
We want to do that again? Yeah. Yeah. It was so much fun because they like they paired up, they had like actual conversations in the air with each other and they all across the board improved their skills by having those conversations and creating direct messages for the, for the listeners and expressing how much they had loved the station so well. 

Rich Bennett 10:13
And I think also too, when it correct me if I'm wrong, I don't know if the fundraisers, if you guys have been hitting your goals or exceed them, but I would think that when listeners hear from the students, they know it's real. 

Terry Trouyet 10:29
You bet. I mean, that's been one of the big benefits and the fact that each student is different. Each student, like all said, is our neighbor and they have a story to tell and we encourage them to tell that story along with the fundraising aspect of it, because, hey, we're in this environment where if you're going to get somewhat involved in what you're doing, you've got to connect. You've got to have a story that they're going to connect to. And our students do it in a extremely creative way, and we like it. It's working people. People will do mention, because I was out a couple of weeks ago and I ran into a number of parents of some of the students. And so, yeah, they love what they're doing, They love the podcasting, they love being on the air and right there validates what we're doing. It's successful. 

Rich Bennett 11:22
Do me a favor, each one of you. Of course. Ladies first. Tell the listeners why you're into it, why you're into the public radio. 

Nasia Creamer 11:32
Well, hello, everyone. My name is Major Creamer, and I am a radio assistant and producer here at WHCA and co-host of Under the Lights, which airs Saturdays at three. And why I love being part of WHCA. It kind of goes back to what you're talking about, about the diversity of the music. But what we call it here at W HFC is music discovery is what we call it. And you can, as a listener, discover so many different songs, genres, artists just by hearing the passion of the students. Like one student might be passionate about R&B, another student might be passionate about soft rock, so they bring their passions to their show and it's diverse. And for me, my passion. I am a performing artist, so I love dance theater and things like that. And when I first came in 2019, I had mentioned to our previous station manager that I wanted to do a performing arts show. He was like, okay, we'll get you know, we'll get it and shout out in our AP to our fields. He had a showtunes show called Showtime, actually. So I am the predecessor of him and I just love that W HFC gives me the space and the creative freedom to take what I love, which is show tunes and movie soundtracks and give that to the audience. And they can hear all different types of movie soundtracks and shows. And so I hope that the audience now has discovered new Broadway shows, new movies and songs that they love because I'm passionate about it. And the second thing is because I'm a producer, like I am a show host, but my love is production post-production. So the fact that I can give my talents back to the students and show them what it means to be a producer and how to produce and how to edit and cut and make the music sound right. All of that I'm giving back to the students. And then when they come back and they show me what they learn. So it's not only developing the students, but it's also developing me as well. So I love that W HFC gives me like that whole aspect and I think the listeners should just give back to the HFC because we are giving so much of ourselves as staff. But just to the listeners and to our students as well. 

Rich Bennett 13:59
I cannot wait for the big the first big in-person fundraiser that you guys do. So I wish everybody can see you on stage dancing. 

Nasia Creamer 14:08
Yes, I will give it to you. 

Matt Terry 14:12
You are a great. 

Rich Bennett 14:17
Go ahead, Matt. 

Matt Terry 14:19
Go ahead. Okay. Well, I think one of the reasons that I'm drawn to radio personally and I'm going to also comment on the creativity aspect, I'm a creative deep down. And one of the things that I like to do in my own spare time is write, write fiction. And I think that the storytelling mechanics that people can develop while in radio is a very essential function to any kind of storyteller, whether it's your hobby or you want to do it for a living. I think the storytelling capabilities that a person eventually achieves once they start doing radio on any level are just going to help them a lot later on in their creative life. Another reason that I'm gravitated to radio is that much like Terry is a voice actor. That's something that I, I also do voice over. And for a guy behind a microphone, you know, radio being on air, that's that's practice, you know, that's practice. Good being in front of a microphone, it helps you hone your craft and I think that that's just something that it's hard to find anywhere else. You know, where can you do these kinds of amazing creative things? What are the only places that I know of is right here at HFC? And the best part about it is, is that you don't have to be a student. You know, you can be you know, somebody from the Hartford County community and if you have an interest, you can come here and you can learn these kinds of things. I mean, that's that's just to me, that's incredible. I mean, you can find that anywhere else, right? You can't find it anywhere else. 

Rich Bennett 16:11
Yeah. Because you guys have had some volunteers there for ever, it seems like. 

Matt Terry 16:15
We sure have. 

Rich Bennett 16:16
Matt, have you actually published any books yet? 

Matt Terry 16:19
Not yet, but it's coming. I'm. I'm. I'm in the throes of getting my. My first fiction novel together. So. 

Rich Bennett 16:28
Nice. 

Matt Terry 16:28
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 16:29
Nice. I just started writing my first book last month. 

Matt Terry 16:32
Really? Yeah. That. That's awesome. That's awesome. 

Rich Bennett 16:36
I was going to write my life story, but I figured nobody. Not even me, when. 

Matt Terry 16:42
I. 

Rich Bennett 16:44
Pull over to you, sir. 

Paul Chuffo 16:48
Well, I. I have such a deep love of WHCA, because if I've been a producer for 30 years in radio, started with college radio in a student run station that was fiercely independent. Really like I spent a lot of time really honing what they what they were doing. It was also open for students to come and participate 

and then went on to, you know, a radio career. But it actually sums up nicely when I was working for WNYC in New York is around when podcasts started coming out early 2000 and people at the station, you know, it's a very serious public radio station. We're like. 

Matt Terry 17:36
Well. 

Paul Chuffo 17:37
How do we deal with this? It means that anybody can can make this stuff. And I was like, Yeah, isn't it great? And they were like, No, no, it should be. You know, there's a craft to it. I'm like, Sure, there's a craft, but let people make their mistakes. Let them let them create their own voice with this stuff. This is open. This is like an open forum. This is great. But I think that should apply to radio as well on their radio and not just podcasting. It should be a place where people can make mistakes and figure out what their passions are and and figure out what kind of story they want to tell. You know, and it took me a long time when I was in college to figure out why, who I was. 

Matt Terry 18:24
So. 

Paul Chuffo 18:24
And the radio actually helped it, you know, because, like, I had to actually present myself, like, who am I? And I think that I see that happening here at the station. I see people opening up. I see people really like coming out of their shells, creating a community amongst each other because they all have this shared interest, but they're also just becoming more open to the world. So that's why I love watching it. 

Rich Bennett 18:49
And now to the man, the legend himself. 

Terry Trouyet 18:53
Is someone. 

Matt Terry 18:53
Just walking up 

with. 

Terry Trouyet 19:00
Richard to kind of you know, I've had such a a long career, a varied career in various areas, you know, including, you know, commercial radio, public radio, college radio, producing sports radio, TV, running, running TV. Yeah. I'm from television. And, you know, working for NFL radio and networks. So but one of the things at the center of everything that I do is this love and this passion for radio. And, you know, it's always been the old saying, hey, I'll do this for free, you know? Well, maybe it depends on where you are in your career. But the bottom line is, when I got in, that's exactly how I started. I started just basically listening to various radio stations and saying, Hey, you know, I'd really like to be doing this. And, you know, I'd be listening to the radio late at night, you know, And, you know, my parents would come upstairs and say, Hey, turn the radio off and get some sleep because you've got to go to school tomorrow morning. Yeah, I turned it off for a couple of minutes and then I'd put it back on. And what I was doing at that time you had these great amp signal. Yes, like WLS in Chicago and C k l w in Detroit, even Cousin Bruce C out of ABC in New York. And all of them were making big impressions on me as I was growing up, including local personalities here in the Baltimore area. You know, people like that Daddy of Hot Rod and Johnny Dark, who I had a chance to work with, Jack Edwards, the the legendary names and individuals that I heard as a kid growing up, only to work with some of them during my early years in broadcasting. What a thrill. Because because one of the things I found out about working with them is that they were real human beings. They weren't just this voice that was coming out of the radio station. They were real human beings. They had ups and downs and good days and bad days. And but when they opened up that microphone, you didn't know. You couldn't tell what kind of day they had because everything was fun, fun, fun. And I came along early on in radio where radio was such, you know, fun. I mean, it's like everybody is just enjoying what they're doing. And then, of course, as the commercial land started, get more formulaic and doing things over here. As I made my move into public radio again, I found that area where everyone could be creative in their own space. And it was great whether I was, you know, working with NPR, working with, you know, public radio stations here in the area, you know, it was this passion that we all had. We're all on the same wavelength. And it was a beautiful thing. It still continues to be a beautiful thing. And I wanted to rekindle that feeling here at HFC. And, you know, as Paul said, you know, we we're enthusiastic about what we do, and that is infectious because, you know, students come in and the beauty of it is we see students who are a little bit withdrawn. You have students who are I'm going to conquer the world. You have many of them in between, and we want all of them to enjoy their stay here. That that's the bottom line. And they do. I mean, you know, I hear them and I'm sitting and listening to them and going, wow, that's a good idea. Why didn't I think of that? Well, you know, it's a big difference. I got all this experience over here. This is new vision over here with our new students, and they're bringing their passion. We encourage them to continue because that's part of the learning process. You got to love what you're doing, you know, and you'll learn more and be open to it and at the same time are able to to help them along the way because they all have questions and we're able to to answer those questions and it just make it a great place to be that that is my passion for the station making sure that all of our students get the proper training, that it is a very, very open environment everyone can enjoy and have fun. You know, that seems to be the theme I'm going through. And so that seems to be the theme that I started off with in my career. And here I am X number of years later and boom, that fun is right there. 

Rich Bennett 23:37
Yeah. One of the great things too that I love that, especially since you guys are doing the not just the broadcasting but also the podcasting. I believe that the broadcasting field is growing, is expanding, and I hope to see more people, you know, decide to go to school for it. Because you think about it, Terry, especially when you and I started, we had a AM and FM, now you have AM FM, Sirius. 

What? I think you should have HD radio, right? And now podcasting and as Matt mentioned early earlier too, some of that also goes hand in hand for a lot of that is voiceover work. And for those of you listening, God if you're not, if you have a passion for broadcasting or even podcasting, look into it, you know, join HCC, go to the Student Life Center because you're going to learn a lot. You got to learn a lot. And I'm hearing that already with the guys and girls on the radio. And Terry, like I mentioned to you before we started, I already had a student magazine who does a podcast come on my show to promote his podcast. How many other students do you know of that are actually doing podcasts right now? 

Terry Trouyet 24:55
Paul probably has a better answer than I. 

Paul Chuffo 24:58
I know a handful that have come in and gotten sort of gotten skills good There are. Well, you were talking about Jordan, right? Yeah, Yeah. He's doing this podcast with his friend and 

I know of three others that are working on podcasts 

to actively and hear and to that have learned some skills and they're just doing it at their house. So it's, it's, it's moving along. It's, it's a lot of times it's when we're teaching podcasts, we do the training, We let them use the studio a handful of times. If they're doing a podcast for the school, then for the station, then we let them use it until they're done right. If if we're just teaching them the training, we let them use it a handful of times and by then, you know, should have enough skills to be able to, to hammer through it. But yeah, there's, there's, there's more and more people that are actually, if not into podcasting are coming to me and saying I want to learn how to interview people. And I'm like, Aha, I've got a podcast you can work on and you know, it's getting them into it. And really they're, they're starting to learn how to, how to engage and not look at the paper, at the questions and like actually look and talk to people to have a conversation. And that's, that's a huge step for us. 

Rich Bennett 26:28
Oh yeah, big time, big time. It's something else you just said there too, because, you know, they can do it from home. 

Matt Terry 26:36
Right? 

Rich Bennett 26:37
And actually, even with being on the radio now, I never thought I would see the day where you could be on radio station and doing it from your home because you would need a front row, Terry, but you would need a huge basement with a lot of equipment to tell. 

Terry Trouyet 26:58
You would be rich on setups. I mean, everybody sets up their little home studio in certain ways. The key is to make sure that, you know, you don't have too much vibration of sound off the walls. And in treatment, that's the name of the game. But getting back to what you were saying, yeah, I mean, I've done voice tracking for other radio stations right from my studio at all. I've done voice tracking for this radio station right from home. If we have to make a change. For example, if I was doing something and I wanted to, you know, maybe put a certain liner in or or put an announcement in about something, I can easily go downstairs and I can do that. It is the norm today in radio. You know, within the industry there is the pros and cons, you know, but we feel better when we're, you know, in a radio station, you know, outside of our own home. You know, to me, it doesn't make a difference if you're if you have the passion to drive and you're really into what you're doing. You know, I could be on the other side of the world and still do my radio show or do a podcast or whatever. It's it's it's the content. It's content driven. It's your focus on what you want, what is the purpose? Why are you why are you voice tracking what you know, What do you know about your neighborhood that you can bring to the radio station? What's happening in your backyard? And I there is an old saying from Jay-Z's promo, you know what's happening in your backyard. So, I mean, it's those type of things that I tell students, Yeah. You know, if you have a little basic setup for podcasting at home, you're well ahead of the game. Yeah. If you want to add more microphones, you know, to look at getting a mixer that you're going to use, your microphones are not that expensive anymore. You know, you can get a good quality microphone, you know, for less less than 50 bucks. They really have fantastic sound. So it's not an expensive proposition anymore, but you just want to make sure that when you do put your your little home studio together, that you have the best 

insulation and soundproof environment that you possibly can have. That's you'd be surprised how many $50 microphone sounds like a human inside of a properly treated environment. Oh, yeah. Really? Well. 

Rich Bennett 29:24
I'm just I know you're right, because I remember when I first started and I still use it sometimes, like if I have a big round table pockets, I still use the one microphone and that's the blue Yeti, you know. But the blue Yeti, I mean right now if a plane was flying overhead it would pick it up because it said strobe. Yeah, but you're, you're in a lot of, a lot of people that get into podcasts and and even broadcast well, podcasts are more because they're buying their own equipment. They don't realize the difference between a dynamic microphone and a condenser microphone and what you need. And that's that's, I think, where a lot of people mess up or how to even talk into the microphone properly. Usually, Yeah. 

Terry Trouyet 30:06
That's part of education, too, I think to go into the process and that sense, you have to know what type of equipment is going to work best in your and what you know for me. So, you know, I have a microphone locker over here, you know, but each one of those microphones, whether you're talking about my Norman or Norman or my Sennheiser 416 shotgun microphone, I have the same seven be the Ari 20, you know, and others, you know, the KAD 100 is fantastic microphone. But each one of them has a purpose for being there. Okay And and when I, you know, have a client that wants me to do voice work or whatever, I make a decision as to which microphone I really think it's going to be right best what they want in the end because I've had some send back and you know was that the shotgun microphone that you used? Yes, it was. Well, that was kind of a little too aggressive. It was like, you know, like you're growling in. Could you use a different microphone? And I'll just go and I'll use a different condenser, you know? Yeah. So, yeah, I mean, that's part of what what students have to learn to see. 

Rich Bennett 31:24
So you guys are teaching everything which is important. And so you got to have all you can say. 

Paul Chuffo 31:30
So speaking of microphones and getting back to the fundraiser, there's there is a handful of microphones that we are using right now that are, you know, due to the generosity of the music department, lending them to us 

because we don't have the budget for these kind of microphones we need we need to actually raise the funds and and get our own microphones instead of borrowing them for the music department. You know, they're very generous and they're very sweet about like helping us out. But, you know. 

Rich Bennett 32:04
We've been reading my mind because that's what I was getting ready to ask y'all was for the pledge drive this fall. What is the goal? Because I know the one that you guys did before was to get a mixer for the podcasting studio. And I think you got was it the zoom or the road road? You guys are okay. So what did I take it to go this time is for better microphones. 

Paul Chuffo 32:28
Better microphones. Also, we need to we have two production studios, so we're looking to replace in the other room the mixing board. That sounds 100% better. We're trying to do that on the production and as well, so that that's when we're recording interviews and podcasts and promos and pieces that that'll sound better. But also profanity. DeLay is the thing we're looking for, right? You can take calls. 

Rich Bennett 33:01
Oh. 

Terry Trouyet 33:03
So, you know, seven second delay is what we need, Rich. And they're not cheap, but they're certainly beneficial for us because if we're going to be doing live talk, you know, sometimes you get overly enthusiastic listeners who want to really express their feelings and thoughts and use kind of strange French words 

where. 

Matt Terry 33:32
You know, we're going to. 

Terry Trouyet 33:34
Make sure it does not go on to the rest, you'll be told, because then the FCC will say, well, we know what you what they said, you know, and you have to pay for it. So, yes, you know, a seven second delay would be great. Also, when I go and look in the studios, you know, I start having all these dreams of, you know, what it would be like and things like that, you know, And we talk about, you know, having your studio sounding more soundproof, know, those are some of the things we have to also put in to, you know, our studio to make them sound better. Certainly, the new board, as Paul mentioned, we also had a vision of another studio building, another studio. And the purpose of that studio on would be again, to alleviate some of the production and post-production jams that we have. I mean, it's sort of a lot that's going on, so we need a studio for that. Also, Performance Studio is one of the things I've dreamed of and that would would be a part my midday concert series that I'm dreaming of also. So with that we'd have local groups here in Harford County, even some of the groups for professional big time groups that are coming through, they want to stop by and do a midday concert for the studio. 

Rich Bennett 35:05
That would. 

Terry Trouyet 35:05
Go on in the studio. Right? You have the ability to put it on air, you know, a live concert, you know, And so, I mean, all that's out there, you know, but it is it is possible to do as possible, make it a reality. And this is where all of our fundraising comes in on air fundraising drive September 18th to the 24th, right now, we do have a fall membership marketing campaign that started August 4th, that's running through September 24th, and that's courtesy of our friends in marketing, our community college marketing, which is great. And again, forging a good relationship with stakeholders here at the college has been beneficial for us. On September 20th at McGurk's, we're also having our fundraiser there from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.. We had one that was back in the spring, right? Paul And it was extremely successful. It was one of the best fundraising nights they've ever had a McGurk's night. So we encourage all our listeners to come out to that club. So it's one of those fall membership drives where we are. We're going to just pull out all the stops. 

Rich Bennett 36:18
Good. 

Terry Trouyet 36:19
We'd like to be able to get dollars in from our listeners and others because we've had organizations also have sent us dollars too. And one of the things, one of the big benefits that we have seeing also and Matt can talk to this is that we have a newsletter. I don't know, we have received the newsletter. Yes. Okay. So that's another way that we're able to reach our listeners. And Matt, if you'd like to talk more about the newsletter, that'd be great. 

Matt Terry 36:44
Yeah, thanks there. The HFC newsletter, we started this about a year and a half ago and it really has started to take off. What the newsletter does is it shows our listeners what it is that their donation dollars are going to around here w HFC, and it also clues them in to what's happening at their favorite local college station, which lately has been quite a number of things. We have links to stories that students are able to get done during the semester. We also have links to different podcasts and videos that are created through the course of the year by the staff and the faculty here and where we're really, really wanting the newsletter to reach as many people as possible. So I'm just going to say it. If anyone wants to sign up for the HFC newsletter, it shows you what we have going on here, this really amazing learning lab that we have and give me an email, a m, a d r y at Harford Dot edu as may Terry at Harford dot edu and I'll get I'll get you signed up for it. 

Rich Bennett 38:07
It's a great newsletter to. 

Terry Trouyet 38:09
Thanks. 

Rich Bennett 38:10
Put together. Thanks. We we like to keep you up to date. 

Matt Terry 38:14
Yeah, exactly. That's the whole that's the whole idea of it. That's the whole idea of it. It's to keep people updated about what goes on here at HFC, where their donation dollars are going and what the students and the staff and faculty are up to here at HCC. 

Rich Bennett 38:29
So something else you guys have been doing to keep people up to date and get your name out there in the faces of the students out there and the broadcasters is social media. You guys have been blowing that up. 

Terry Trouyet 38:44
Yeah. And you know, nature is is on that And she can chime in here and and tell you a little bit about our social media. 

Nasia Creamer 38:52
Yes. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter W is just the 91.1. And we just really want to let our listeners and our social media followers know what's going on. I'm here to station the music. We play it. The the good thing about radio is that it's all about the voice behind the mic. But social media, you get you get to see what your favorite deejays, radio personalities look like, what they like, what their interests are. We try to really just get our listeners involved and what we do, we try to give them a back pass backstage pass, look at the radio station and all that. We have everything we we do our YouTube, we do different tours on our YouTube page. So we just have a lot of social media initiatives where we just want to bring all of our W HFC family into us so you can see what we do and what your dollars go towards the music. We like everything and social media is my thing. Like, like I said, I'm creative, so that's fun for me. So I really I'm glad that everybody's enjoying the social media pages. 

Rich Bennett 40:07
I'm surprised you haven't started a Tik Tok yet and you could do things like Dancing with Paul, You know. 

Matt Terry 40:15
You know, I think the answers. 

Paul Chuffo 40:17
Itself, doesn't it? 

Terry Trouyet 40:21
That could maybe end up. 

Matt Terry 40:22
Taking. 

Rich Bennett 40:26
I so now I'm going to put each of you on the spot. Sorry, I hate to do that, but it's 60 seconds or less. 

Tell everybody why they need to make a pledge, you know, for this fundraiser. 

Matt Terry 40:47
They need to make a pledge rich because it keeps this local college station going and they have them. The listeners are the reason that HFC exists, and they've told us that they like the content because we're still here 40 years later and I would say make a donation to keep the creativity going because college radio is one of the most creative environments there is. 

Rich Bennett 41:18
That was good. 

Terry Trouyet 41:19
So yeah, I would say that, number one, that I've, I've see is growing leaps and bounds. We're doing so much and the support of the listeners is extremely important, especially with our Student Learning Lab. We have various initiatives that we have coming up throughout the school year, certainly making. Sure. That one thing I really want to mention here is that we're celebrating 40 years and we'd like to have our listeners show their appreciation by supporting us for another 40 years. We need to raise the funds to continue to expand the radio station. We also would like to create a celebratory T-shirt, so the 40th year T-shirt. And so we're in the process of getting that done too. But it is going to cost dollars, so we'd like that. The equipment certainly is needed for the radio station to keep our students, you know, up with the latest equipment that's here, support for the various shows that we're developing. One in particular that you may or may not have heard of, and that is veteran sit rep. Okay. And so that's our new program where we discuss issues directly impacting veterans. And Rich and I, we're veterans, of course, and so it's a very important program to keep going as well as all our podcasts that are open. Pod Bean Pod Bean is a portal where we store podcasting. So we want to keep all of this going and we cannot do it without listener support. It's extremely important we know listeners are there. We've had just historic growth in the number listeners for this radio station. Now the key is for our listeners to show their appreciation by making their donation to De W HFC 911. RG. 

Nasia Creamer 43:26
For me, I think it is the growth of the radio station thus far and we've had so many people tell us that they love the programs, they love the music. Matt and I together have been at WAMC for 40 years, but under the leadership of Terry as our station manager and now as a programmer, this station has grown leaps and bounds. And if the listeners like what they're hearing and they want to hear more of it and they want more programming and more music, I think they should help us out. And with this pledge drive because it's only up from here, we're continuing to grow and with their help, we can grow even more. 

Paul Chuffo 44:07
Like they just said, there is leaps and bounds and growth. There are so many listeners more than the station has ever had in its past, and I think that's a testament to kind of the the unique spirit of Harper County, like the kind of maverick, you know, uniqueness that this, 

you know, I never I didn't grow up here, but moving down here realized that there is something special and sort of kind of outlaw about the country, about the county. You know, it's kind of our so, you know, what we're doing is that kind of it's almost a controlled anarchy. And I think it it's something that has really touched people. I think that it is something that reflects the county, but it is also it's its own monster in a very good way. And I think it's also the fact that it is a rare resource. We are the last community college radio station in Maryland. 

The rest of them have been sold off. Why? And we are one of the few, definitely the only around here, maybe this side of Maryland where you can come and get this training, where you can come and be trained for free as part of what we do. There aren't many opportunities like this, and one of them is in Harford County's backyard. 

Rich Bennett 45:44
I didn't realize you guys were the only one around now. 

Paul Chuffo 45:48
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 45:49
Well, you're the only one I listen to, so, yeah. 

Matt Terry 45:53
That works out that we're. 

Terry Trouyet 45:55
Yeah, that counts. 

Rich Bennett 45:56
So all you guys listening, something very important and I'd even notice. Definitely make a donation if you can make a minimum donation of $40 at the minimum for 40 years, I think that'd be a great idea. I mean, 40 years. Yeah, I didn't realize that. That is. 

Nasia Creamer 46:20
Yeah, I'm. 

Rich Bennett 46:21
Older. 

Nasia Creamer 46:21
Than me. 

Matt Terry 46:23
And. 

Rich Bennett 46:27
I told her to 

shut up. 

Matt Terry 46:34
About. 

Rich Bennett 46:36
Its ordering a.nd 

Is there anything any of you would like to add? 

Terry Trouyet 46:44
Well, one thing I'd like to say is that, you know, we want our listeners to know that we are here for them. We want our listeners to know that we will continue to move forward with them. It's a team effort and that their donations are going a long way in helping us achieve our goal. A new programming, new equipment. You know, we had our first AFC summer camp this year in July. All these new innovative things that we're doing at this radio station is because of listener support and we'd like them to continue to. As you said, Rich, we're celebrating 40 years by about $40 for those 40 years and do that UHF c91 1.0 RG And again, that's the fall fundraiser and membership drive is September 18th through the 24th. And you'll be hearing the students, you'll be hearing us will we're going to have a fun time. That's name of the game. I keep that theme alive. Yeah, we're going to have a fun time and we're going to raise dollars and the dollar is going to go, as I mentioned before, to help this radio station go into its future in a very, very strong way. 

Rich Bennett 47:55
And it helps the students. I mean, like I said, you're you're creating the broadcasters of tomorrow and podcasters of tomorrow so 

last thing for me, as you guys have anything in the air but we talk about the pledges and people make donations, which is very important. But any businesses out there, if they would like to become an underwriter, can you explain what a underwriter is and how they go about doing it? 

Matt Terry 48:24
Sure, Rich. What our underwriter is for a public radio station is they are a business entity or organization out there and are supporting their local college station. They are there is a monetary transaction involved that allows them to have outgoing messages that are scheduled routinely at certain points during the day. And we always try to program during as good of traffic hours as we can here at the station to give them the best visibility that they can. And it does just that. It helps local businesses and organizations maintain visibility. And it's and advertise that situation here at HFC. Not only does it benefit them without going messaging to help remind the community that they're still here, they're still kicking and what they're offering the Harford County area. But it also it goes right back to keeping this station on the air, helps with operational costs. And it also goes to helping us get new equipment for the students, new software packages, new learning experiences for them. And I wish we could we hope, see any of it goes directly to them and to the station and it keeps it right where it belongs, which is the public's hands. 

Rich Bennett 49:48
I want to thank you all again. And I have a funny feeling this is going to be the biggest pledge drive yet. 

Matt Terry 49:56
We're hoping. 

Rich Bennett 49:56
So where we will be, I mean, celebrating already? There has already. I mean, whoever thought that this station is well, God, 40 years. 

I'm doing the math. I keep forgetting. See, I think I'm thinking there is no way it started in the sixties, but I keep forgetting we're in like 2020. This is what throws me off. Does it prove to Terry it must be be okay. 

Terry Trouyet 50:27
We have ways of helping. 

Rich Bennett 50:32
I want to thank you all again. Now I got to go take my memory pills.