WIUX makes top-50 competition for mtvU’s College Radio Woodie Award

IU’s student-run radio station, WIUX LP 99.1 FM, is one of 50 stations in the running for mtvU’s College Radio Woodie Award.

“The exciting thing was we got picked for the list of 100,” junior Ryan Patena, general manager of WIUX, said. “I honestly have no idea how we got chosen.”

Junior and IDS reporter Kelsey McArdle, who is music director for WIUX, said she received an e-mail about the nomination four days before voting for the top 50 closed.

“Everyone’s really dedicated to getting people to vote,” she said. “Winning this award would kind of blow everyone’s mind.”

WIUX was recently recognized on iTunes in the staff favorite section, Patena said. The station was one of 10 picked in October and November 2008, again in April and for the entire summer, he said.

Hundreds of listeners are online at any given time, and WIUX has 10 to 15 times as many listeners because of iTunes recognition, Patena said.

“Hits went up from 50 per day to 5,000 per day,” McArdle said.

The variety of WIUX programs might be one of the reasons the station was nominated, McArdle said, representing every niche in the community.

“We try to play what we like, but also what the community likes,” she said.

Sophomore Madeline Dowling’s show airs from 2 to 4 p.m. Sundays. She described it as “songs people love, songs people didn’t know they loved and songs people forgot they loved.”

“What makes my program different is I have Grandma’s pick of the week,” she said.
“She’s my only consistent listener I’m sure of, and she doesn’t like most of the music I play. If I play a Dean Martin song for my grandma, she’ll be happy.”

The nomination for the mtvU award could open up a lot of doors for the station by gaining the support of people interested in working with the best of the best, Dowling said, as well as catch the attention of employers.

“We have the highest level of interest from students this year,” Patena said. “We had over 200 applicants for 120 to 150 time slots. We have a completely full 24-hour-a-day live DJ schedule for the first time in the past few years.”

It is exciting for members of the station’s crew to be recognized for their hard work, Dowling said.

“Just being nominated is huge,” Patena said. “It shows that the dedication is not going unnoticed.”

WIUX already has good credibility, WIUX DJ and sophomore Adam Jennison said.
Spreading awareness of the station is the best way to expand it, he said, and expansion at this point is the biggest thing.

“I’ve been voting a lot,” Dowling said. “There’s no limit to how many times you can. I just leave the page up and click it 30 times while I’m on the phone.”