One of the things I was most looking forward to about coming to DCU was getting involved in the university's radio station, DCUfm. I'm now several weeks into my assigned show and absolutely loving it.
Midweek Mayhem airs on Wednesday afternoons from 1-2pm and is co-hosted by myself and three other people. Two of us are Multimedia students and the other two are Communications students. The format of the show is simple - we chat about anything we like and spin a few tunes in between. Topics range from quirky news stories to what's on TV and everything in between. Last week we managed to string together an entire conversation about chocolate bars. A lot of it is planned, but some of it isn't, hence the chocolate bar discussion. Basically, this first semester is all about helping newcomers to the station to get settled in and get used to the software and the whole idea of being on air. Next semester is when we get to propose new shows and let our ideas flow.
Before I started, I was set on the idea of producing and editing. I didn't feel confident about the idea of presenting at all; in fact, it terrified me. I had done some editing while on work experience at Beat 102-103 in Waterford when I was at school, and that was what first sparked my interest in radio as well as put the idea of production in my head. But when I became involved with DCUfm, I just sort of fell into presenting unintentionally. I felt sick with nerves before the first show, but I gradually eased into it and started to enjoy the experience. Once you get over the novelty of hearing your own voice through your headphones, it becomes easier. Now I'm really glad that I ended up presenting, and I'll definitely aim for that in the future when looking for work in radio. Apart from anything else, it's done wonders for my confidence, and it just goes to show that you can be shy like I am and still host a radio show successfully. In fact, I like being able to both present and produce, and I'm now quite confident at driving the desk during broadcasts.
Okay, so we're not super professional just yet. It's a student radio station, and that means making mistakes from time to time. But thankfully those have been few and far between, and we haven't made any major blunders like accidentally shutting down the entire system (though yours truly came quite close on one occasion). We're learning as we go, and it's fantastic getting to use professional software that you would come across in any of the top radio stations in the country.
I really look forward to our weekly slot, and I can honestly say that joining DCUfm is by far the best thing I've done here. It really is a highlight of university life for me. I love it so much that I'm hoping to propose my own music show for next semester. I've also joined the Documentary Team, and we'll be working on some exciting projects over the coming months. As well as this, myself and two other DCU students are also in line to make a documentary for a separate production company pretty soon, which is really exciting. Good times are ahead! In the meantime, listen in to Midweek Mayhem on Wednesdays from 1-2pm on http://www.dcufm.com.
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