It’s Thursday night, and whether your all-nighter takes you DT or to the library, you can alwaysget pumped up for the night ahead with DJ Weasel’s radio hip-hop show, Survival of the Illeston 91.1FM. Her Campus sat down with Vermont native, Jenna Postler ’13 (aka DJ Weasel) to learn how her roots with Skidmore College Radio began with the influence of her big brother, and where her 3-year relationship with WSPN may take her after college.
Her Campus: When you came to Skidmore did you know you wanted to be involved with Skidmore Radio?
Jenna Postler: I did. It’s something that my brother did when he was in college and he had always had a lot of fun with it. I thought it would be a good way for me to get involved on campus and be a member of a club.
HC: What drew you to Skidmore?
JP: I was interested everything small liberal arts colleges had to offer, which led me to Skidmore. Being near the East Coast, and close to the New England area was definitely an appeal.
HC: When did you first become involved with WSPN?
JP: I started my freshman year. What they do at Skidmore is typically give freshman the worst time slots because WSPN is a 24-hour, 7 day a week radio show so inadvertently people have to have the 2-4am or the 4-6am slot. So I had the 2-4am for several semesters before I upgraded to my current time on Thursday nights.
HC: Has your show stayed mostly the same since freshman year?
JP: The music that I play is basically the same. I play hip-hop music, but different semesters I have had different focuses. This semester my theme is southern hip-hop. In the past I’ve centered my show on old-school hip-hop or more general hip-hop. Last year, I wrote a bi-monthly companion column in the Skidmore News that corresponded with the social and cultural issues that surrounded what I played each week. It was a fun twist to mix print and audio.
HC: What kind of sources do you use to find new music?
JP: I’ve always had a large collection. I started listening to hip-hop at a young age because it was something that my brother and I did together. My collection has grown over time, but often I find new music on YouTube or a variety of hip-hop websites, which come out with new, unreleased songs daily.
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HC: How did you become DJ Weasel?
JP: In junior high and high school my brother and his friends started calling me ‘Weasel’ even though I don’t really think I have weasely ways. All these kids would see me in the hallways and would yell out ‘Weeze’ or ‘Weasel’ so that sort of just stuck. And I thought it was unique and would make a good DJ name.
HC: Is it challenging to come up with new playlists for the show?
JP: Not particularly. Most of the time I find it enjoyable to go through the music and pick what I will play each week. I get to do what I want and talk about the music I like to talk about. It’s pretty rewarding to get to share what you like with a wide audience; it’s a release from academic work. I also like it because I receive several calls from both students and people from town.
HC: Do you have any regular callers?
JP: My brother calls, my mother calls sometimes. Sometimes my friends and housemates call. It’s always great. I’ll be on Facebook chat and people will be listening online and chatting with me as I do the show. You can also listen on a dial radio and its fun to get in your car and drive around and hear people on WSPN that you think you might know.
HC: Do you plan to stay involved in radio after graduation?
JP: I don’t really see myself pursuing it after college, but I do think it has been valuable in allowing me to learn about different types of media. I’m interested in publishing and journalism and that coupled with radio. It’s interesting to get a grasp of audience and I feel like my experience with the radio station has only really helped me to develop a feel for that.
HC: How can our readers request a song?
JP: You can just call the radio station at (518) 580-5783, or if you personally know me you can always text or Facebook message me.
The next time you’re in the car, chilling at home, or waking up for class, tune into WSPN to support your peers. And don’t miss Survival of the Illest every Thursday from 10-12pm on 91.1 FM!