Tufts' free-form radio station WMFO features student DJs and behind-the-scenes workers, but it couldn't function without a loyal crew of local Medford and Somerville residents — so-called "community DJs" — who dedicate hours each week to presenting programs and training new students.
"[Community DJs] know what WMFO is, they know what the spirit of the station is," said senior Chase Gregory, WMFO's assistant general manager. "They give it this kind of free-form continuity and this culture that would be hard to maintain if the students were the only ones running the station."
They also help provide a key link between the university and the community, according to Gregory.
"It does matter that we're a part of the community, and that we can expand ourselves in this way," she said.
Although these DJs are united by their love of music and college radio, they all have unique perspectives, which come across clearly in their individual programs.
"They all bring a kind of eclectic culture to the station that would be lost if it were just students," Chase said.
Edward Beuchert
Edward Beuchert is a community DJ who says he is fascinated by the psychological, communicative and social aspects of music. In the Medford area since 1998, he remembers flicking through stations on the highway in 2001 when he heard AC/DC on WMFO and instantly pre-set one of his channels to 91.5 FM.
In 2004, his neighbor and the WMFO general manager at the time invited him to guest DJ a set, offering him his own show shortly after.
"[It was] like so many other things in life, a series of accidents," Beuchert said.
Beuchert currently DJs two weekly shows. "Plastic Sushi, Strawberries and Time" always has a theme; it begins with Japanese music before adopting a free-form style for the remainder of the time.
"I try to mix it up to be as relentlessly free form as we do at WMFO, mixing as many genres into the show as possible," he said.
Beuchert's second show, "Tears of the Gods," concentrates on a specific artist or genre. Beuchert's shows rely heavily on his talents in sound production, which stem from his early years interning at recording studios and building electronic effects for guitar, he said.
The so-called "sound collage" that comprises each show is a continuous flow of music and superimposed audio clips from movies, TV shows, documentaries and political speeches — which often connect songs, or may be inserted directly into music.
"What I'm trying to do with these sound collages is take the impact that music can have as a direct line to our emotions, and combine that with the audio clips that are, in a different way, an appeal to our logic or an appeal to our reasoning," he said.
Beuchert, who majored in philosophy and computer science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, aims to emphasize the emotional impact of a quote or a piece of music.
"I like to give my listeners these ‘Aha' moments," he said.
Beuchert is also in charge of WMFO's public service announcements, which are necessary for the station to receive funding and to remain commercial-free. He obtains the information, and then reads and records the announcements. Beuchert also developed the WMFO iPhone app and trains new DJs.
"WMFO is a real treasure," he said. "[It's a] window into Tufts and the life of Tufts students."
Joann Keesey
Joann Keesey grew up in New York, but has been in Boston for 30 years. She runs two radio shows: "Between the Worlds" and "Celtic Dawn." She first became involved with the former — a Pagan radio show — while helping a friend run it.
"I would come by occasionally and do bits for him on the radio and I had a fairly extensive collection of Pagan music because it's one of my interests," Keesey said. "As one of my friends puts it, it's ‘pagan music that doesn't suck.'"
Soon after, in 1995, her friend left WMFO and asked Keesey to take over the program. She then took over "Celtic Dawn" in 2000 when the graduate student who ran it moved to Arizona.
Keesey describes her show as "a mix of traditional and innovative Celtic music" that runs the gamut from local groups to indie rock. To continuously expand her selection of music, she keeps her ear to the ground for local, national and international bands so that she can play what she and her listeners want to hear. It's also her goal to find and present talented local musicians live on her show.
Keesey added that she thoroughly enjoys working at WMFO, and appreciates the freedom of college radio, being able to play what she wants instead of following a pre-set playlist.
"I like the station," she said. "It's got a great mix of people, and the students are absolutely fantastic and motivated."
Sue Edelman
Sue Edelman (A '85) is a self-described "total radio junkie" from New Jersey who's one of several hosts of "Something About Women." Although she never worked at WMFO while attending Tufts, Edelman used to listen to the show she now DJs, which was first broadcast in 1975. She called the producer to join the collective in 1988 and is now one of the longest-working DJs at WMFO.
Edelman's show focuses on and promotes female artists, a return to the program's roots.
"[‘Something About Women'] started out being somewhat political and playing early feminist music," Edelman said, adding that the show is now less political, but has kept its focus on women.
Edelman loves 1970s pop and blues, citing Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James, Koko Taylor and Suzanne Vega as some of her favorite artists and pioneers in women's music. However, she's quick to point out that her taste develops and changes constantly with the new music she actively seeks out.
"For the public, my goal is to expose people to music that they might not otherwise hear … [and to give] a voice to artists who otherwise wouldn't get found," she said. "I just want to find music I love and share it with people."
When she started at WMFO, the station only played vinyl and cassettes, Edelman said. Over time, CDs and iPod players, as well as online music services with a nearly infinite collection of songs, have expanded access to a huge variety of music.
"The great online stream has just opened up the listenership all over the world," Edelman, who receives feedback through Facebook and other social media, said.
Edelman praised students' attitudes toward the local residents as they take advantage of the community members' expertise and appreciate the continuity they bring. She is in a unique spot to praise college radio as she maintains the websites of five different commercial radio stations in the Boston area.
"When you look at commercial radio pretty much anywhere these days, it's like it's all programmed out … with the same songs," she said.
Edelman added that without the pressure to sell advertising, WMFO's DJs are free to spread their creative wings on their shows.
"The artistic freedom you can have is amazing at college radio — that is very rare," she said.
