After ceasing to be an FM station in 2012, Furman University News Channel Radio lost relevance among students. Many, like Opal Weber ’27, didn’t even know it existed before last semester. After connecting with then-president Eric Newman ‘26, Weber recruited sophomores Pauline Bailey ‘27 and Riya Lala ‘27 to transform the organization. The four, alongside Ossian Quinn ‘26, make up the club’s current executive board and have led to the station’s resurgence.
The radio club had previously made several failed attempts at restarting, encountering licensing and streaming issues. Quinn, who is well-connected in the music world at Furman, had worked on one of these attempts before and was encouraged by the new leadership to try again.
“I had tried to join a group that was trying to start it two years ago,” Quinn said. “It fizzled out — , nothing happened. But then Eric reached out to me, and we decided to give it another go.”
News of the club’s resurgence spread by word of mouth, amassing a large amount of interest early on. In only a few months, the club gained 24 members, beginning this semester with 21 weekly shows.
FUNC’s programs feature a vibrant mix of commentary and student-selected music, demonstrating a level of curation and personality not often seen much in the streaming age. Their emphasis on content diversity allows for shows like Fran Morris’s “Jazz Study Hour” to exist alongside Sophie Burr’s Christian podcast “Honey in the Rock” and Aubrey Hume’s hilarious and artistic “Watching Paint Dry.”
Shows are live streamed via Live365, a free app available to students and faculty. Every week, the streaming schedule is posted on the group’s Instagram account, providing listeners with a guide for when their favorite shows will be aired.
“At the beginning of a club, there’s so much room to improve and grow,” Bailey said. “There’s so many possibilities, which is really exciting. Every meeting we have more and more ideas that come up.”
The club has many visions for future growth. Working with the Furman University Student Activity Board and the Outdoors Club, FUNC Radio plans on hosting the Full Moon Festival, a music festival in March that will feature student bands like Normal People, The Lucky Sevens and Chosen Family. According to the FUNC team, the event would provide the club with exposure and deepen its relationship with the musical culture on campus.
Once they have enough shows, FUNC wants to bring back the FM station and start streaming shows constantly throughout the day, maybe even providing a space for student bands to preview new music.
One thing that isn’t changing about the group is their flexibility. Shows are pitched and maintained entirely by students, and the recording process is also student-run. The shows are recorded on a weekly basis and can include special guests to add commentary or music. Any form of music or commentary can be submitted for recording as long as it is not offensive or deemed to be too irredeemably explicit.
“That’s what’s so great about this club,” Bailey said. “People can bring their ideas and say what they want. We’re offering people an hour of time to do whatever they want to do.”
Students can listen in on FUNC Radio from 3:00-8:00 p.m. Monday through Friday on Live365.
