WEGL Radio, Auburn University’s radio station, is entirely student-funded and student-operated. Locals can tune in to 91.1 FM to listen to a variety of genres, sports broadcasting and weekly programs hosted by members.
In the Harold D. Melton Student Center, the organization has its own private radio studio where each of these shows come to life. Station manager Rae Nawrocki, senior majoring in graphic design, has been a part of WEGL since their freshman year.
Nawrocki is in charge of all the administration, collaboration and meetings within the station. They spend the majority of their time in the WEGL studio.
Nawrocki appreciates the diverse range of majors at WEGL, finding it rewarding to see people from all academic backgrounds come together to share their passions.
“For us, we have such a variety of majors and different people who come to us for an outlet to express themselves,” Nawrocki said.
One of the music programs included within WEGL is The Rotation, which airs each Friday at 7 p.m. and is hosted by juniors Abby Thompson and Sam Kennedy.
The Rotation host Abby Thompson works in the WEGL office during her weekly radio show.
Thompson is a psychology major and Kennedy is double-majoring in psychology and law and justice. Although their majors do not exactly align with the work they do for WEGL, their passion for the station is made evident through the various playlists and graphics they curate for their show's weekly theme.
Among some of their past playlist themes are "Rainy Day Blues," "Get Over It," "Music Your Dad Subjected You To As A Kid" and "Coming of Age Movie Soundtrack."
“We also did 'Artists Who We’ve Seen Live,' which is fun because then we could talk about our experiences at each of these concerts,” Kennedy said.
Thompson and Kennedy both agree their music taste has completely changed since joining WEGL. The wide variety of music tastes throughout the entire organization pushed both hosts out of their comfort zones.
“WEGL Day has been our favorite memory since joining. We played a ton of random songs and even did karaoke on air,” Thompson said.
WEGL Day, a day of 24-hour broadcasting in honor of the organization's birthday, has a special place in both Thompson and Kennedy's hearts. On last year's WEGL Day, The Rotation aired at 2 a.m.
Nawrocki, Thompson and Kennedy all believe that WEGL has a positive impact on the Auburn community and their own lives as well.
“It gives the opportunity to go to things we wouldn’t have known existed. There’s a ton of house shows and little concert things that we would have not known about without being a part of WEGL,” Kennedy said.
WEGL offers Auburn students numerous opportunities for growth, often pushing them beyond their comfort zones. Listeners can tune into 91.1 FM to experience the station's diverse programming and discover the creative talent within the Auburn community.
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