By Mehninehn Smith
Student radio at Eastern New Mexico University has come a long way from its beginnings in the 1960s in an attic space in the Administration Building to its current home as an online station housed in the Department of Communication.
HoundWaves currently airs more than 50 DJs, who host more than 40 shows at enmu.edu/radio.
HoundWaves is home to shows of varied genres, from movie and TV soundtracks (3-4 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays) to guitar instrumentals (5-6 p.m. Wednesdays) to rap (10-11 p.m. Thursdays), as well as talk radio such as the Sunday Sports Hour (8-9 p.m.) and Native Connections (5-6 p.m. Tuesdays).
This ability for DJs to be independent is one of the more enjoyable aspects of college radio, according to Roger Gatchet, an assistant professor of Communication and the faculty advisor for HoundWaves.
New and upcoming DJS can experiment and create their own programs without the normal restrictions of commercial radio, Gatchet said. For example, the show Nerdphenia (3-5 p.m. Sundays) gives listeners the entertainment of knowing what to do in case of a zombie apocalypse and other topics such as Star Wars, technology, and science.
Gatchet said the goal of the student radio station is to have a live DJ streaming 24/7 instead of unopened slots where canned music currently is played.
HoundWaves is open to current and past ENMU students, as well as faculty and staff of ENMU.
No experience is required and training is provided. Students interested in becoming DJs will undergo a simple training in which rules, policies, and regulations of radio are discussed. Trainee DJs also will participate in in-studio training, watching a veteran DJ in action.
Gatchet has been involved in student radio since 1998. His interest began with his father, who also was involved in radio in his younger years. Gatchet has previous experience working at KGUR (Questa Community College), KCPR (California Polytechnic State) and KVRX (University of Texas-Austin).