In the age of wireless technology, everyone is connected more than they realize. Those in and outside of the Muncie community are important to helping the radio industry thrive, from radio studio producers to franchise business owners. Knowing how radio frequencies are able to make studios function is vital, but the radio industry wouldn’t be a business without the people who run it.
Senior Maria Nevins, the general manager of WCRD radio at Ball State University, oversees all the work done in each of the studio’s departments and runs meetings for new and upcoming members. Senior Zack Vance, the assistant manager, helps disperse new members into different departments and assists with technical issues in the studio.
The non-profit student-run organization hosts various shows during the week that cater to a variety of audiences.
WCRD has two studios, Studio A for live broadcasts and shows, and Studio B for podcast or student project recordings. Both studios provide flexibility for students in creating content, and they are able to join the club as a means to use the space.
The antenna they use to deliver radio frequencies (RF) is atop the Teacher’s College, and it reaches audiences like students, faculty and community members within a 30-minute radius.
Unlike typical radio stations, WCRD doesn’t have a set type of standards for how they run or what shows they play.
“I just love the freedom of being able to come and you can have any show you want, any type of music you want,” Zack said.
Music played over the station has a wide diversity with tracks dating back to the 50’s, the same decade when the studio first originated.
Originally owned by students of the Muncie Community School District, the station was known as WWHI until it was bought by Ball State in 2004 for a single dollar that is proudly framed in the office today. In 2022, Ball State bought the license to officially call it WCRD.
The call sign for WCRD stands for “Cardinal Radio Dave,” attributing the credit to David Letterman, who helped fund the AM carrier current in the 1980s until it became FM, as it is today.
Before AM broadcasting existed for WCRD, cables were set up in each dorm building and the radios were mounted inside the walls. This provided easy access to students who wanted to turn the radio up or change the station.
WCRD first started out with only four student members after being officially named in 2022, but when they decided they needed to focus on documentation and consistency like their predecessors, the small number grew to 81 in three years.
Zack has been with the station for four years, and Maria for three years, and both students are set to graduate in May of this year. Their positions will be taken by undergraduates at the end of the spring semester.
Student life balanced with work life can sometimes be complicated, but it does come with its benefits. Both Maria and Zack still love what they do and receive course credit for their work.
They both hope to see WCRD grow in numbers, as well as the industry itself.
“That’s what I’m going to school for. I want to work in the radio industry, so I’m just hoping to see it grow,” Maria said.
Students hoping to follow the path of professionals in the radio industry not only need to know the structure of radio stations, but also the science behind the equipment as well.
According to ScienceInsights, “Radio frequencies are invisible waves of energy belonging to the electromagnetic spectrum that travel through the air at the speed of light.” These waves power every wireless device or system, like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, television and radio.
Stan Sollars, host of Indiana Public Radio’s (IPR) morning show, plays a part in the newscasting and weather reports of IPR. As a second job, he is a senior lecturer in the Department of Media at Ball State University and teaches students about vocal performance and sound design.
Stan said in the IPR station, the staff converts spoken words into electrical signals through microphones and into analog receivers. Then, a signal known as the studio-to-transmitter link is sent between transmitters across an area to receive sound as it is produced.
In this case, IPR covers areas from the southwest side of Fort Wayne to the northeast side of Indianapolis, including Delaware County.
The RF they use is turned up high, so no other radio can tune in unless a radio engineer has a special device.
Then, the high-frequency currents are received from the IPR station at the Muncie antennas and transmitters, and finally amplified into a voice. It is essentially a ping-pong game between antennas and transmitters with the sound waves.
Most frequencies have to be modulated for proper travel, and then demodulated for the voice to be understood. According to the American Electronics Association (AEANET), “The demodulation process reverses the modulation, converting the varying amplitude, frequency, or phase back into the audio or data signal.”
Despite the audio being recorded with older technology at IPR, there is a unique way to preserve and transfer recordings to digital.
Stan has a collection of digital cassette tapes from a former show on the NPR network called Rock and Roll America. He was able to transfer the audio in a digital audio tape machine, and after the magnetic tape was spliced as needed, it was transferred to the computer and saved on the new tapes.
“I’ve got magnetic tape in there that I’ve transferred over to digital. And so we’ve got to keep moving our work forward in formats that will survive,” Stan said.
As the digital age continuously develops, it’s important for radio stations to understand current audiences.
In local radio, it is important to promote what interests the public, as well as respect their time and the energy that they have in listening to a certain radio program.
“I hope that those of us in mass media, including podcasts, will remember to respect the audience. Know that the audience is busy and that the audience is worthy of our best work,” Stan said.
As hope sparks within FM radio, the retail demand for radio has seen growth in recent years.
Mark Osborne, owner of RadioShack/Osborne Electronics in Rushville, Indiana, began working for an official RadioShack store in 1979, eventually establishing a franchise store a decade later.
He sells various consumer electronics, including radios, batteries, cables and portable devices.
Radio as a hobby is a topic Mark frequently discusses with his clients, and there is currently a trend to collect radios or older technology.
“The memory of radio has kind of drifted through to the newer generation, and they’re interested in it. There [are] a lot of kids today that like to pick up Goodwill finds and turn them into working devices,” Mark said.
All devices are connected to radio waves, but there is a span of difference between each device in terms of their frequency levels.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) website includes information on how people can look up what radio frequency their devices are on, which can inspire and inform hobbyists going into radio collecting.
Shortwave radio, radios that are only 3 to 30 mHz and used portably, is a fading medium that used to be more music-centered. The current demand for talk radio and the weaker range of shortwave radio cause the loss of their spark for radio users.
Despite this, Mark is adamant that radio will not become a medium that comes to pass.
One of the newest recurring trends in radio is the General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS), a two-way short to mid-range communication system that allows families or friends to talk when phone service isn’t available, such as in emergencies. Citizens Band Radio (CB) is also popular, but doesn’t require a license like GMRS.
Radio is an educational hobby; it holds value in the real world because a young radio hobbyist can someday become a radio engineer or a radio host. Radio as a medium of entertainment and practicality is a long way from becoming obsolete.
“I don’t think it’s going to become obsolete or [stop]. It will continue to go on the level it’s at, or maybe slightly higher,” Mark said.
Radio is a vital field in today’s society. Though it is commonly thought to be overshadowed by modern technology trends, how radio affects people’s careers and livelihoods is not something to be ignored. Radio is far from dying; it is simply riding the waves of life as it disperses.
This article is a part of Ball Bearings Spring 2026 magazine: Waves. Read more stories online at ballbearingsmag.com and pick up the print edition of the magazine across Ball State’s campus April 16.
