Wired FM, Limerick’s Student Radio Station located at Mary Immaculate College (MIC) and Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT), has been selected as the Irish representative for the 10th Annual World College Radio Day. This Friday (2 October), the station will broadcast a one-hour radio programme from MIC to listeners around the world as part of this year's World College Radio Day 24 hour Global Marathon.
To celebrate Irish student radio and all that Limerick has to offer, the programme, presented by students from MIC and LIT, will showcase the vibrant arts and music scene in Limerick.
Manager of Wired FM, Ray Burke, said, “We are absolutely delighted to be selected as the Irish representatives for the World College Radio Day marathon! It feels like the perfect way to mark Wired FM’s 25th birthday, which falls this college year. We had a lot of stuff planned to mark that milestone that we have had to rethink because of COVID-19, so this is a really nice boost. We’re particularly happy with the primetime slot that will have us broadcast in the late afternoon in central Europe, at peak morning listening time in the US and at 3pm here at home”.
The theme for the 10th Annual World College Radio Day 2020 is ‘Global Solidarity Rocks’. According to Ray, “Now more than ever there is a need for all of us to come together and help one another through these tough times. World College Radio Day will celebrate the contribution of young people as creators of innovative content and unite college radio stations from over 30 countries around the world to bring awareness to the work and value they bring to the broadcasting medium.”
For the past 25 years, Wired FM has provided an accessible platform for new music and new voices, while also serving to create an awareness of the student community in the region.
For final year Bachelor of Arts student, Vanessa Flood, Wired FM’s involvement in World College Radio Day is an excellent opportunity to broadcast to a global audience. The Limerick native, who is studying Media & Communications Studies and English Language & Literature at MIC Limerick, was also selected to take part in the #AskBret PR campaign for World College Radio Day.
She said, “Since I have become part of the team at Wired FM, it has given me so many great opportunities from producing my own weekly show to being a part of the #AskBret campaign and now having the opportunity to participate in the special broadcast for World College Radio Day. I would highly recommend any student who has an interest in media and particularly in radio to get involved with Wired FM or their college radio station. Not only do you get valuable experience, but it is also such a great way to meet new people.”
The global marathon programme is just one part of a specially produced schedule on Wired FM to be broadcast on World College Radio Day. Beginning at 9am on Friday (2 October), various progammes will explore the theme of solidarity through discussion and music, including a specially curated programme of Limerick music for the International Music Exchange. According to Ray, “This is an excellent opportunity to showcase the best artists from our hometown with college stations around the world.” Some of the Limerick artists that will feature on the show include Denise Chaila, Post Punk Podge, Murli, God Knows, Windings, Theme Tune Boy, We Come in Pieces, and Hazey Haze, as well as other artists from Limerick hip hop record label, PX Music.
It will also include a unique programme, ‘Distance Creates Space’, produced in partnership with Helium Arts, an organisation that empowers children living with illness through creativity and the arts. During the COVID-19 lockdown Wired FM manager, Ray Burke, worked with Helium artist, Chelsea Canavan, to deliver online media training to a group of teenagers over the course of six weeks. The culmination of these six weeks was a programme that explored the effects of lockdown on this group of teenagers. In the programme, they discuss their observations and fears, and the positives they hoped would come from an enforced period of pause.
Normal programming on Wired FM will commence on 5 October and the station is currently accepting applications for new recruits to cover Current Affairs, Arts, Irish Language Programming, Student Issues, Sport, Entertainment, Specialist Music and more. According to Ray, “There’s lot of reasons to get involved in Wired FM. It’s a fantastic social network and you get to be part of an enthusiastic and like-minded team. If you’d like to work in broadcasting or become a journalist in the future, the experience and skills you will pick up by volunteering at Wired FM along the way are invaluable. It can also enhance other areas of your studies or interests, and most importantly, it’s a lot of fun!”
Wired FM transmits from Monday to Friday, 9am to 9pm on 99.9FM and online. The station has an open-door policy for all students in Limerick, so if you study in Limerick city and want to get involved, email manager@wiredfm.ie or fill out an online application form at wiredfm.ie.
Follow Wired FM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
For more information about College Radio Day and the College Radio Foundation, visit www.collegeradio.org. American musician and former front man of Poison, Bret Michaels, is the Official Ambassador for the 10th Annual World College Radio Day.
