Tuesday, May 17
Old radio shows don’t die, they just drift away
By Julia Mulcrone ’11
“You’re listening to WHCL 88.7 FM Clinton, New York, broadcasting live from Hamilton College.”
These words open “Cookie Party,” the weekly radio show I’ve hosted since sophomore year with fellow seniors Rebecca Heus, Jenna Johnson and Charlotte Munson. In the spectrum of shows on WHCL, which can range from talk-oriented to music-focused shows, “Cookie Party” falls somewhere in between, airing a mixture of music and chitchat. After much heated deliberation, my fellow DJs and I decided upon the name “Cookie Party” because it evokes the fun and laid-back attitude we hoped to bring to our show. We wanted listeners to feel as if they were sitting in on a lunch conversation among good friends. Considering Rebecca is an avid baker and has been known to mention her baking endeavors on-air, the name made even more sense. Not until later did we realize the name corresponded to a segment on The Sarah Silverman Show, but the name still stuck.
The studio’s recent move from the beloved-but-worn basement of Bristol Center to Sadove Student Center has made WHCL a more visible — and audible — part of life on the Hill and “Cookie Party” a more public undertaking. Thanks to Sadove’s speakers, we finally are 100 percent certain that people other than our parents are tuning in. Even better, the new studio’s huge picture window looks out onto Martin’s Way, which allows us to see how people are responding to “Cookie Party.” Recently, a friend texted me to look out the window. Inspired by the song I was broadcasting, she and another friend were dancing like fools.
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As our time at Hamilton dwindles, we cherish “Cookie Party” more and more. After all, when will we ever again be able to sit around together, chatting, playing music of our own choosing, knowing that it is entertainment not only for us but for a bunch of strangers as well?
