Harold William HalbertThe disc jockeys at Cabrini’s radio station, WYBF FM, The Burn, find being a DJ a wonderful experience. Many have their own shows and find it a thrill.
Sophomore Craig Vagell began working for WYBF his freshman year, but before he had his own slot he was told that he had to take a test and go through a six-week training session. Fortunately, Vagell only had to undergo two weeks of training because he had prior experience.
By his first semester of his freshman year he had his own show on Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon. “It was an adrenaline rush knowing that there were people listening on the other end.”
Vagell became interested in becoming a member of the executive staff, either production manager or being in charge of the station in general.
Because of his commitment and interest, and an essay he wrote, Vagell is currently the production manager for The Burn and has his own specialty show. “I picked my own format on how I want my radio show to be, so I usually play old school rap, punk rock and Q102 style.”
In addition to having his own show, he also does promotions for the Campus Activities and Programming Board, Student Activities and the radio station itself, as well as public service announcements.
“When Web-casting went up this year, it was the biggest thrill of my life,” Vagell said. He was the first DJ to web cast live on WYBF. Now Cabrini’s DJ’s can be heard worldwide.
Vagell is known to some as the voice of Cabrini College.
Junior Kit Dewey truly enjoys being a DJ and finds being on the radio relaxing. She feels more comfortable speaking to people now and improvising since there is no script.
Dewey finds being a DJ very useful for improving her public speaking skills. “You may be alone in a little room, you can’t really see the audience, but it’s still going out to them. You still have all these people listening, so you have to be comfortable on the microphone.”
Dewey enjoys being the promotions director of WYBF. She makes appearances in the cafeteria and the food court. Sometimes the station gives away t-shirts and CDs.
She also organizes promotional ideas for the station. Right now, if you buy a pin from the radio station for a dollar, you will receive a free soda every Tuesday in the food court. WYBF is also giving away free Playstation and X-Box games.
Dewey said being a DJ is “great for someone who wants to go into promotions or marketing.”
Sophomore Dave Ehrlich has two radio shows. He considers one of his shows “the fun one” because a planning session an hour before the show allows him to invite anyone to be on it. “Basically I can do whatever I want. We usually goof off for two hours and play metal.”
Ehrlich has a friend who has good connections with local bands. Next year they plan on having a local music show with some locals as guests, including the band Effervescent.
