Name: Frances Sasport
Age: 20
Hometown: Pensacola, FL
Year: Junior
Major: Humanities
Courtesy: Frances Sasport
Her Campus (HC): Tell us a little bit about your journey thus far at Florida State!
Frances Sasport (FS): Starting out in Kellum Hall my freshman year, I mainly focused on my coursework and being involved in color guard for the Marching Chiefs, until I started volunteering for V89 during my spring semester of that year. Then my life went in an entirely different direction, in the best possible way.
HC: Ahhh the Marching Chiefs! You were in color guard for our beloved Marching Chiefs and had the chance to go to California for our big win in 2014 – what was that like?
FS: Everything I could have dreamt it to be. I had the pleasure of exploring a completely unfamiliar place with some of my best friends at the time and every moment of that trip seemed absolutely surreal. Once it was official that we had won the National Championship, the entire stadium went absolutely insane. I’ve never been in such an exhilarating atmosphere before then.
Courtesy: Frances Sasport
HC: I’m so jealous! That must have been absolutely magical. How did you end up at V89?
FS: My roommate freshman year (currently one of my greatest friends) and I came across the V89 Cattle Call online and immediately became interested in seeing what it would be like to volunteer for a radio station, so we started out as members of the Public Relations department and fell in love with the entity that is WVFS Tallahassee.
HC: As do we all when we walk into the station. I met you in PR, too! You’re only a junior and already the Program Director and a DJ at V89 – what exactly do your PD duties entail?
FS: As Program Director, I am basically the student leader of our announcing department. My duties include hiring/firing disc jockeys, creating a programming schedule for each semester and running department meetings every Sunday to assess a weekly agenda.
HC: And you do an amazing job at it! What’s your favorite part of working at the station?
FS: Honestly, it’s the people. Being surrounded by students and community members that also have a strong passion for something (music, broadcasting, news, sports, etc) is always the greatest part of my job. I kind of found who I am through volunteering for V89 and I couldn’t see myself anywhere else right now.
HC: I completely agree! This station changes lives and teaches us so much everyday! You work with a lot of people – how big is your staff and what’s it like managing your peers?
FS: My staff in the announcing department consists of an estimated 50 or so students/community members. It’s definitely a challenge having to assert authority to people who are my age and even more so to people who are older, but I try to keep a level head and show my staff that while I am younger and less knowledgeable in some ways, I care more than anything for the well-being of the station and the volunteers who are involved, and my sole duty is to help improve us as a whole.
HC: Yeah, it’s absolutely a challenge guiding that many people but you’re always calm and cool! Any advice for other student leaders and managers supervising their peers?
FS: Patience is important. Always try to establish a professional relationship with your peers, even if you already have a personal one. One of the biggest challenges is staying formal when you have to tell one of your friends that they may have done something wrong or need to improve.
HC: We recently traveled together with V89 to New York City for the CMJ Music Marathon (aka the time of our lives). Can you share with our viewers a little bit about CMJ2015 and your experience?
FS: Traveling with my friends/other department heads was easily the highlight of my year, and possibly college experience. During the day most of us attended educational panels dealing with various topics within the music/college radio industry, and directly after we toured the city trying to see as many bands perform as we possibly could. The weather was perfect, the people were friendly, and we got to see some great performances such as Panda Bear, Glass Animals, Empress Of, and Shannon and The Clams.
Courtesy: Frances Sasport
HC: Ah yes, Shannon and The Clams were amazing! What’s your secret to managing school, work, and running a radio station?
FS: Ultimately, spending time with my friends is the best stress reliever. No matter how busy I get or how many things I’m involved in, there will always be time set aside to maybe watch some Netflix or play music with them.
HC: I know you have exquisite taste in music. What are three bands/artists you recommend right now?
FS: Woset, Stealing Sheep, and Wet Nurse.
HC: I second that – all of these bands are incredible! What are you currently watching on Netflix?
FS: I recently started The X-Files from the very beginning, and I am obsessed.
HC: It’s 2020. Where are you and what are you doing?
FS: Hopefully working for either Adult Swim on Williams Street in Atlanta as a PR representative, or maybe assisting with production for a record label in NY. Whatever I decide to do in life, I want it to be involved in either music or media.
HC: I have full confidence you’ll make it to one of those careers, no doubt! If you could have grown up in any generation or time period, when would it be and why?
FS: Definitely between 1910 and 1940. I would have loved to have been alive when Jazz was born in New Orleans and also experience the uproar of swing in the 30’s and dance to Benny Goodman killing it on clarinet.
HC: I could totally imagine you dancing it up in a jazz club somewhere! What’s your advice to people interested in getting involved with the station?
FS: Don’t let your busy schedule discourage you. Start small. Join one department at a time if you are already taking on a lot outside of the station. Also, don’t be afraid to speak out in meetings, or say hi to the skittish freshman sitting next to you. They could end up being your best friend.