Fireflies, letters from prisoners, and a dolphin shower radio are just a few highlights from my visit to Vassar College radio station WVKR 91.3 FM in Poughkeepsie, New York. While summer can be a bit sleepy at college radio stations, it’s often a fun time for me to visit, as campus parking is plentiful and student station managers have fewer academic commitments.
WVKR sticker posted at the Vassar College radio station. Photo: J. Waits
On the evening of July 5, I ventured to WVKR, which is somewhat hidden on the third floor of the College Center building. Luckily one of the summer station managers, Micah Fedenko, had clued me in to keep an eye out for a staircase across from a printer. It’s not unusual for it to be somewhat of an adventure to find a college radio station within a campus building.
Radio at WVKR. Photo: J. Waits
Just having wrapped up sophomore year, Fedenko’s passion for WVKR was evident, as they reminisced about being invited by friends to the station late one night and discovering “crazy stuff” and “amazing” music. Now a show host and an incoming Station Manager, Fedenko revealed that they had “minimal exposure” to radio while growing up in Brooklyn (largely due to being car-less) and was surprised to find such a rich music culture after arriving at the Vassar College radio station. A proponent of radio as an outlet to showcase underexposed music, Fedenko curates a program focused on playing artists of color and queer artists of color and explained, “All revolutions have had radio.”
Micah Fedenko in front of sticker-covered cabinet at Vassar College radio station WVKR. Photo: J. Waits
Mix of Programs, From Polka to Activist Radio
Run by students, with a mix of student and non-student hosts, WVKR’s schedule includes both long-time shows and ever-changing student programs. As expected, summertime features fewer student DJs. WVKR airs a fascinating mix of programming, including two (!) polka shows, a talk show hosted by high school students, Activist Radio, and numerous music shows (blues, oldies, reggae, jazz, country, and more). Its longtime mission has been “to promote music not heard elsewhere and to serve the community interest through eclectic radio programming.”
“Polka People are Happy People” T-shirt at WVKR. Photo: J. Waits
Longtime Prison Talk Show
After spotting a stack of envelopes with return addresses at prisons, I asked Fedenko if WVKR had many listeners at nearby correctional facilities. They filled me in about the long-time, Voices Beyond the Wall: New York Prison Talk Radio show that airs every other Sunday at 3pm. Having just recorded an episode of the Radio Survivor show about a prison-themed installation, I was especially interested in the role that the show plays in the local community.
Letters from inmates at WVKR. Photo: J. Waits
Prisoners Listen from Eight Nearby Correctional Facilities
Proving an outlet and communications tool for prisoners and their families, the popularity of and important service that the show provides was hinted at by a stack of letters at WVKR from correctional facilities. Having also been a DJ at a college radio station in listening range of a state prison, I asked Fedenko about the nearby prison and learned that the station is near several. Glancing through a stack of unopened letters in the station’s mail pile, I counted no less than 4 different facilities. I later found out that listeners tune in from eight prisons in the Hudson Valley.
Music office at WVKR. Photo: J. Waits
Voices Beyond the Wall Honored by NY State Assembly
Coincidentally, Voices Beyond the Wall, was profiled in the Hudson Valley Press the day before my visit, in part because its host was honored by the New York State Assembly. The article recounts the show’s decade-long history, explaining that,
…’Voices Beyond the Wall,’ is heard every other Sunday in eight correctional facilities in the Hudson Valley as well as by their families, friends and countless others, including a world-wide audience via the Internet. It focuses on the challenging, real world transition many inmates will soon make, a reentry that [host Ernest] Henry hopes he can inspire with tales of success from others who have gone down a similar road. In addition to providing pivotal political and societal information in the first hour, the show contains a core interview in the second hour, and concludes the final hour with a reading of letters from men and women in prison as well as questions posed from family members.
As Fedenko and I continued our conversation about the power of radio, I was struck by how a college radio station can be a lifeline for not only students finding their place within a college community as well as for even more vulnerable incarcerated citizens.
“WVKR stands against hate” flyer on the wall of the college radio station. Photo: J. Waits
Station Launched on FM in 1976; Radio Activity Began 80 Years Ago at Vassar
A long-time college radio station, WVKR was granted an FM license in 1976, the descendant of an AM carrier current campus-only station that began in the early 1970s. Radio activities at Vassar College stretch back even further, as programming arrangements with local radio stations began 80 years ago, with short broadcasts running as early as 1938, according to Vassar Encyclopedia.
WVKR show host in studio. Photo: J. Waits
Leo Blais Sign, Skull Planter, Big Bear and Other Quirky Mementos
Today, WVKR broadcasts at 3400 watts, with the signal reaching not only the Hudson Valley and surrounding areas of New York, but also into Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The radio station space is full of whimsical touches, with an altar-like collection of items (stuffed animals, a jester-hat wearing mini Christmas tree, a globe, and more) lined up on a window sill in the lobby.
Leo Blais sign and other items on window ledge at WVKR. Photo: J. Waits
Some college radio station staples are present, including couches, Leo Blais-crafted cardboard WVKR sign and a skull (this time around, a Day of the Dead-like painted skull planter). A large sculpture of bear holding a WVKR sign stands proudly in front of the window. Fedenko explained that DJs bring “tokens” when interviewing to become a member of the station and an array of these “mementos” are on display.
WVKR bear at the Vassar College radio station. Photo: J. Waits
Lots and Lots of Vinyl and CDs
Shelves at WVKR contain a large collection of LPs and CDs, although Fedenko told me that student DJs mostly stick to digital music sources, with a lot of the older community member DJs playing vinyl. Regardless, physical music is stuffed into many nooks and crannies at the station, from the lobby, to the on-air studio, to back rooms.
LPs and CDs in college radio station WVKR’s on-air studio. Photo: J. Waits
The music office is like a college radio time capsule, with its walls and cabinets sprinkled with decades-old band stickers (Groovie Ghoulies, Josephine Wiggs Experience, and Flipper jumped out at me), radio-specific graffiti (“Call Rhino!”), and even a copy of a CMJ publication (RIP). A “Music Archive” behind closed doors also offers a glimpse into the past, with vinyl records from floor to ceiling.
Door to WVKR music office. Photo: J. Waits
The on-air studio is surrounded by a large stash of vinyl and CDs along its periphery. It is also outfitted with at least four turntables and multiple CD players and cassette players, making it possible for DJs to play music from an incredibly large number of sources.
Turntables in WVKR studio. Photo: J. Waits
Radios, including WVKR’s Dolphin Shower Radio
I was pleased to see that WVKR has an appreciation for old school radio. I saw radios on display at the station and a WVKR-branded dolphin shower radio is one of the recent promotional items crafted for the station’s fundraising efforts. Before tearing myself away from the station, I couldn’t resist buying a shower radio for myself. Making my way to the parking lot after dark on the warm summer night, I was delighted to spot fireflies, a sight that I had not seen in decades.
Dolphin shower radio at WVKR. Photo: J. Waits
Thanks to Micah Fedenko for the wonderful tour of WVKR! See my full list of radio station tours, including all of my college radio station tours on our brand new Radio Station Tours page. As I write this, I’m plotting out numerous tour stops in the coming months.
