On the Brinck

Nestled within the heart of the Mass Communication department at Morningside college lies a small room with the power to be so much larger. I’m talking about the Fusion 93 KMSC radio studio. Home to many students throughout the week, the KMSC studio is a place where hands-on learning occurs. The array of red, yellow, and blue buttons and levers is enough to make a grown man envious. The sheer volume of electronic equipment is enough to give a tech guru chills. A large, flat-screen computer is home to many a song, but the arranging of them is the difficult part. Sitting in the relaxing studio chair is one that not too many people enjoy, but still, many are quite fond of it. Using the combination of buttons, levers, sliders, clickers, and vocal performance, radio is a medium that everyone can enjoy. When done right, hundreds of people can become one with the person doing the controlling in the studio. A control board that looks so exquisite to common folk is the source of entertainment, learning, and enjoyment for someone like me trying to establish a connection with a listener.

As I observed KMSC station manager Ryan Tellinghuisen and sports director Dan Corey conduct their weekly Monday afternoon show, I noticed things that usually go unnoticed when I’m the one in control of the studio. Thanks to Dan Corey’s collaboration with Game Time Sports Grill in the lower level of the Olsen Student Center, one lucky listener will be subject to the delicious aroma of a “steaming pizza pie,” as Ryan commonly exclaims, for winning this week’s edition of KMSC Pick’em. If it weren’t for the unfortunate sign on the door of the studio saying “No food or drinks allowed in the KMSC studio,” the studio would certainly bare the fragrance of hot wings or pizza. Instead, the smell of dust slightly burning inside of the many studio machines massages the nostrils. The discussion of sports fills the air, inside and outside the studio.

Several hours later, it was my turn at the helm of the contraption known as the control board; one button depressed, a fader raised, and an eerily quiet room with the faint screaming of music in a pair of headphones. This is what occurs when the microphone is turned on. It’s show time. “Welcome to Fusion 93 KMSC,” I exclaim, as I get ready for a jam-packed evening of fun, music, and more fun. On this particular night, a very special show was being broadcast from the warm confines of the KMSC studio, nestled in the heart of the Mass Communication department.

On a typical night, I spin the tunes of yesteryear. Well, spinning records definitely sounds cool, however it’s more like button pushing, but that is well beside the point. This night was no different in that regard, but a unique voice would make its presence felt across the skies of Sioux City on this Monday night. A young man from New York by the name of Joel Hoekstra has made a name for himself being an extremely busy guitarist. As a member of Night Ranger, the Broadway musical Rock of Ages, and even Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Joel Hoekstra’s partial presence in the Fusion 93 studio was one to bring relative star power to the transmitter atop Lewis Hall.

As Hoekstra hung up the phone, this show was back to its usual ways. The studio fan blowing to keep me cool, and the tunes a-rocking to keep the listeners cool. This is how I spend my Monday nights in my little corner of the universe, locked in the cozy confines of the KMSC studio.

This entry was posted on September 13, 2011 at 7:03 pm and is filed under Comm 208. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.