What it takes to be a Radio 1851 host

Becoming a DJ or radio personality at St. Joe’s is as simple as having the desire to be one. No experience is required.

“Anybody who wants to be involved in radio can pretty much have their voices heard right off the bat,” said Radio 1851 Manager Nicholas Senatore ’19.

Senatore said the station wants to foster a creative outlet for enthusiastic students in contrast to driving interested students away because of an overwhelming or intimidating application process.

Once the new host has established a theme or genre for the show, Senatore pairs the rookie up with a polished and accomplished DJ to mentor. There is a brief training session and the new host is given feedback periodically when necessary.

Senatore explained that most universities have much more rigorous training programs and require years of experience for students to get their own show.

While getting a show may be easier at St. Joe’s, doing well on air is more complicated, Senatore said. Senatore had his own show with a friend before he decided he was a better fit for a management role with the radio. He said people often underestimate the challenges.

“I think there’s a lot of people out there who just think ‘Oh, I’ll start my own podcast,’” Senatore said. “You can’t just go on the radio and ramble about anything for an hour. You need to have some sort of layout to be followed. It’s uncomfortable, it’s awkward and it takes time.”

Patrick Kennedy ’17, M.S. ’19, a St. Joe’s graduate student studying international marketing, hosts his own show, ‘Pop Culture with PK,’ on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. that deals with celebrity hot topics, movies and music.

“A good host needs creativity, spontaneity, originality and the ability to improvise,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy said he understands the struggles of hosts who fear being recorded and distributed to audiences live on the air, but for him, it’s second nature.

“It comes pretty natural to me,” Kennedy said. “I’ve been a big talker ever since I was like 5 years old. The less you think about what you’re doing, the less you have to try to articulate your thoughts and try to find out where to go. I have ideas of who or what I’m going to talk about, but there’s no script.”

Kennedy started his radio show his junior year and has since fully committed a large portion of his time toward furthering its popularity on campus via social media campaigns and creating the best listening experience possible for his audience.

“The radio show is a significant platform that I love,” Kennedy said. “My humor is satirical, ironic, tongue-in-cheek, and it may fly over people’s head and make them think ‘who is this grinch?’”

Kennedy said a group of students once stopped him and said they loved his show and had been listening. He said the positive responses are great, but even the negative responses can be used for constructive criticism.

Elana Valentin ’19 hosts an alternative and indie show where she introduces underplayed or unpopular music, adding her own commentary inbetween.

Valentin said her show is about 90 percent music, and 10 percent talk, but her confidence as a speaker on the air has continued to improve since she began her show during her freshman year.

“I was extremely nervous going in,” Valentin said. “I have very little background in any kind of acting. For whatever reason, it’s become really easy to go on the air, not see anybody’s faces and read off a script. It’s almost like speaking to myself for an hour.”

Valentin chooses the music that she herself enjoys and draws inspiration from. She said her objective for the show is to reach different demographics and to introduce people who aren’t as well known with those who listen to the top billboards.

“A good radio host is someone who isn’t afraid to do their own thing,” Valentin said. “People are hesitant about becoming a DJ, and it’s a great expressive outlet that people don’t take advantage of. Over time, because they love doing it, they inevitably get better and let their show evolve as they see fit.”

Valentin’s show can be heard on Radio 1851 on Mondays at 4 p.m.