by Annie Devine

Despite the advent of television and the Internet, radio remains an enduring form of entertainment. That much is evident by how many people participate in WKCO, which currently has over 100 student DJs. That mass appeal of radio is precisely what WKCO general manager Charlie Collison ’15 and President Sean Decatur tapped into during their two-hour show this past Sunday, during which they alternated between talking on the air and playing music that they both chose.

The project began when Collison learned that Decatur had a radio show—called Blues and Commentary—of his own when he was a student at Swarthmore College. Decatur and a few other friends were on the air twice during his four years as a student, so he remembered it being fun, if not peculiar. “It was one of those things that I would say is a really naïve and pretentious college student perspective on what is interesting entertainment, and what I fear actually was not very entertaining or interesting,” Decatur said. The show featured Decatur and his friends playing classic and contemporary blues and reading passages of relevant social commentary between songs. “We played an Eric Clapton song and followed it with a reading from Weber,” he said. When Collison gave him a tour of the WKCO studio, Decatur noted that the technology had advanced considerably since he had worked with radio. “This is aging me a great deal but we actually had records,” he said, laughing.

Collison hopes the collaboration with the president could potentially open doors to future shows with other members of the faculty and administration of the College. As a senior, Collison has spent a lot of time with WKCO and believes this it is a worthwhile experience for Kenyon students. As Decatur’s appearance goes to show, college radio can follow students long after graduation, and can be so delightful that it compels presidents to revert, if briefly, to their college hobbies.