Every day, Charlottesville hears R&B and classic soul on "92.7 KISS FM, WUVA, Charlottesville's Ten In A Row Station." Behind the scenes, University students produce the shows, write the news stories and cover sports in the area. Students serve in the positions of both the general manager and president of the station.
In fact, WUVA is one of just six incorporated radio stations in the country that is completely run by college students. There are a few paid staff members who take care of administrative business, but everyone else attends the University.
"We're just like any other radio station," said Danny Rubin, a fourth-year College student and general manager at the station. "It's not a college radio station that comes from a dorm and only people on Grounds can hear it."
WUVA reports on issues ranging from local to national stories. The station focuses on University sports and local news, but the trick is finding a balance.
"We're part of this community," Rubin said. "It matters more to listeners if the story is in their backyard rather than halfway around the world."
Even though WUVA consists of staff members who are mostly under 24, the community takes them seriously.
"A lot of people don't know we're students," said second-year College student Lindsay Jones, who is one of the station's news directors. "We keep a very professional tone on the air."
Rubin uses evidence of hearing WUVA all over Charlottesville to point to the station's credibility.
"There are a significant amount of radio stations in Charlottesville with serious followings, and we're No. 2 in the ratings book," Rubin said. "We're doing something right."
WUVA was not always heard throughout Charlottesville, however. In 1947, WUVA started as an AM radio station broadcasting from the basement of Lefevre dormitory. Only students on Grounds could hear the station until 1979 when the station was first broadcast on 92.7 FM.
Just like other radio stations, WUVA's DJs plan their own shows.
"We have to keep the demographic in mind, but we get freedom in our shows," Jones said.
Rubin emphasized that the radio station offers a host of opportunities for students interested in journalism or other facets of the media. Aside from DJing their own shows or reading news stories, students may find their niches off the air as well, in such fields as programming, researching news and sports stories or marketing.
"There's a spot for everyone interested," Jones said. "That's the idea we're hoping to create."
The weekly time commitment is as varied as the different positions. For example, a DJ can go to the station and spend an hour once a week pre-recording his show. Students interested in the news department can expect to spend about two and a half to three hours each week researching their stories, including interviewing relevant sources and writing and recording their blurbs.
"It's not a huge time commitment, but it's a lot of fun when you're doing it," Jones said.
Rubin's time commitment as general manager is heavier. After being elected last year, he said he has basically let the different departments run themselves, acting as an overseer and resource to answer questions.
"For me, this is like an extra three-credit class," Rubin said. "There's always something that needs to be done. But it's as little or as much as you want."
Fourth-year College student Lynn Blaney's time commitment is heavier as well. At first, she started out with a show from midnight to 3 a.m. but then moved up to the prime-time show from 7 p.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. In the middle of all this, she accepted the job as president of the station.
"At first, I was hesitant to take the position, but today I am glad that I did," Blaney wrote in an e-mail. "The experience that I am and will gain is incredible."
The Board of Alumni visits the station once a semester to gauge progress and make sure the station and the Board are still pursuing the same goals. Former students who now serve on the Board have used WUVA as a springboard to jobs such as the chief financial officer of NBC Universal and other radio stations as NPR.
Working with WUVA is priceless, staff members say, especially for those interested in careers in media.
"We teach students to remove their biases and become journalists rather than just finding stories on CNN," Rubin said.
For Rubin, WUVA will not only polish reporting techniques but will also hone life skills.
"Radio is a great place to learn," he said. "You've got to write well, speak well and have a lot of composure."
Working in radio is beneficial even for those students who do not want careers in the media.
Jones, a possible economics major or Commerce student herself, said she values the business knowledge she is gaining through the station.
"WUVA gives me the ability to step into the adult world of business while still holding my position as a student," she said, adding that "business experience is always positive on a résumé."
Blaney, on the other hand, said she plans on using her experience at WUVA to launch her acting career.
"I am moving to L.A. to start my career as a film actress," Blaney said.
Beyond gaining life skills, WUVA is a place to meet other people with the common interest of keeping the radio station flowing.
"We want everyone to get to know each other, not just be a DJ and then go home," Rubin said. "We enjoy what a college radio station is."
Blaney agreed.
"We are all a family here," she said.
Jones found she has benefited from working at the station in a more general way.
"This is my favorite thing I've done at U.Va. so far," Jones said.
Danny Rubin is a staff writer for The Cavalier Daily.
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