This young man is the very entertaining host of a weekly run radio show. At only 22, he is a part of Philadelphia’s largest free-format non-commercial radio station, WKDU.
Jonathan Plotkin became fascinated with the Drexel radio station when he attended his first meeting freshman year. Even though he was unable to commit, he vowed to return after his first co-op. He eventually became a full DJ.
Jonathan plays down-tempo, electronic, instrumental, and dance music on his weekly radio show. He is just one of 40 DJs with scheduled shows that range from punk, folk, and drone to reggae, and metal music. Jonathan is also in charge of New Member Coordination; he has the chance to meet prospective DJ’s and guide them through the training process.
When asked what his favorite thing about his position at the Drexel Radio station was, Plotkin mentioned the freedom of his position. He receives a “blank check” every week to play whatever music he likes. In addition, he loves interacting with listeners. “I’ve had the same show time for about a year now and there are a few people that always call into my show, so it’s really cool knowing that people are listening,” Plotkin says.
In addition, Jonathan enjoys the liberty of WKDU because it is not constrained by advertisers or labels. This freedom allows Jonathan to promote interesting new artists. The station’s over 40,000 items allow listeners to hear music you can’t find anywhere, even with the Internet. WKDU has won Station of the Year twice and has also been honored as the Champions of the Local Scene.
As a civil engineering major with an MS geotechnical engineering, being a DJ at WKDU allowed Jonathan to alleviate some of the stress that engineering puts on its students. In addition, it allowed him to make new friends that he might have not met if it weren’t for the Drexel radio station. Despite his interest in music, Plotkin does not want to DJ professionally because he believes it would take the fun out of it. Although unsure about his professional future, he currently holds interests in geotechnical design, which he is planning on learning more about during his next co-op.
When not playing music or learning about geotechnical design, Jonathan enjoys cooking and baking, which he hopes to do more once he goes on co-op.
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