By Zoe Hughes
Staff Reporter
Amarillo College’s FM90, along with hundreds of college radio stations around the world participated In College Radio Day on Friday, Oct. 3, celebrating the creativity, dedication and community that defines student broadcasting.
College Radio Day is an international event that highlights the unique role college stations play in promoting local talent, offering hands-on experience for students and preserving the free-form spirit of independent radio. At FM90, students and alumni gathered to share music, stories and memories of how the station has shaped their college experience.
For mass media major Jackson Parrack,. who hosts a weekly variety show on Tuesdays at 5 p.m. the day was about coming together around a shared love of sound.
“I think it’s important because all the students get to come together,” Parrick said. “It’s kind of like a community. We all hang out for a day, and then we kind of just go our own ways after that.”
Parrack said his show shifts genres depending on his mood, moving from electronic to hip-pop to rock. For College Radio Day, he chose to play “Beverly Hills” by Weezer, a nod to his mother, a longtime fan of the band.
At the FM90 studio, other student DJs brought their own styles to the airwaves. Abiail Anderson, who goes by the on-air name “DJ Gage,” hosts “Light Up Radio,” a special show that features progressive house and trance music. The engineering major said the experience allows her to explore her passion for mixing and electronic production.
“My favorite thing is mixing the audio, making multiple songs into one,” Anderson said. “It’s really fun for me. I enjoy every bit of it.”
Anderson said her love for trance music came from her mother, who played the genre when she was growing up. “Over time, that influence just came up into me liking electronic music,” she said. “It’s awesome. I love it.”
Although Anderson is not a mass media major, she said she is grateful to have access to the same opportunities as students in that program. “College radio lets us be authentically ourselves,” she said. “It makes me happy, the spirit, the vibe, all of it.”
For first-semester FM90 DJ, Savannah Jimenez, College Radio Day offered a glimpse into the community behind the microphone. “It brings everybody together as a community,” Jimenez said. “You get to see all the different DJs and their styles and pick up on things that you really wouldn’t normally know.”
Jimenez said college radio differs from commercial stations because it focuses on learning and creativity. “It’s more of the students, it gives us a chance to really express ourselves and get to know what we’re doing,” she said.
She added that the experience has opened her to discovering new artists and musical styles. “I think it was Weezer,” Jimenez said with a laugh. “That’s a band I hadn’t really listened to before.”
FM90 Program Director Amy Presly said College Radio Day highlights the station’s long tradition of giving students a place to grow their skills and confidence.
“I love college radio because it helped me as a student when I was going through the same program a long time ago,” Presley said. “It helped me get out of my shell. I absolutely love music, and this was a way to be around music all day.”
Presley, who has worked in the broadcasting industry for more than 25 years, said college radio remains a vital space for experimentation and connection.
“There’s something daring and bold about letting student DJs have live microphones,” Presley said. “You can’t recreate that anywhere else.”
As students wrapped up their time at FM90 for the day, the energy inside the studio reflected that Presley described a mix of excitement, collaboration and shared love for the art of radio. “College radio is such a special form of media,” Presley said. “It shows that this is still a place where students can learn, create and find their voice.”
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