2020年4月17日

Despite being away from campus, Susquehanna University students — from Philadelphia to New York to Baltimore — are still hitting the airwaves live on WQSU-FM The Pulse, they’re just 广播 from their bedrooms instead of the studio.

Susquehanna transitioned to online classes in March, but more than 50 students continue to broadcast live on the air every day, disseminating information on the coronavirus p和emic 和 sharing resources with the listening audience (such as tips for working from home or taking online classes).

Senior Mike McGimpsey, a 广播 major from Old Bridge, 新泽西, said he 和 his fellow broadcasters were more than ready to maintain the airwaves.

“We totally had a job to do. We have a responsibility to our community 和 our listeners to disseminate information 和 also let them know that we’re still here 和 put a smile on their face,” McGimpsey said.

Carly Rogers, a senior communication studies major from Muncy, Pennsylvania, hosts three shows a week. In addition to SU’s traditional mix of new 和 classic rock music, Rogers also offers words of advice in a time of uncertainty.

“I talk a lot during my show,” Rogers said. “现在, what I’m doing is giving people advice 和 tips on what they can be doing right now in their houses when they might be doing a whole lot of nothing.”

学生 broadcasters have been aided by Zetta, WQSU’s new automation system made possible by the radio station’s underwriters. The system features advanced voice tracking that allows students to schedule programming in advance 和 enables remote broadcast capabilities, which are especially critical now.

Additional tools provided by Susquehanna’s Office of Information Technology further enhance remote operations, said senior Kaila Snyder, a creative writing 和 广播 double-major from Northumberl和, Pennsylvania.

“None of this would be possible without them,” she said. “WQSU would not be able to have this new automation system installed without them.”

WQSU是12分,000-watt station that serves one-third of Pennsylvania, making it the most powerful student-run college FM radio station in the state.