WCBN DJs at the station’s end of summer bash. | Courtesy of Mia Lambert
“I’ve wanted to be a radio DJ for as long as I can remember. How do I get my own show on WCBN?”
I may have literally gasped when this question landed on the WSS desk. I TOO have had the same dream, so kindly pardon the clear self-interest in my reply.
If you’re anything like me, 88.3 FM is preset, the website is tabbed, and the app is downloaded. You may have also stalked the site’s mellow CTA: “Interested in becoming a DJ? Training will take place at the station (basement of the SAB) on Sundays 7 p.m.–8:30 p.m.! Contact [email protected] with questions.” So simple. So completely terrifying in its brevity.
Can this really be all it takes?? Of course I wanted more, so I reached out to WCBN training director Quinne Dowe and outreach director Mia Lambert. If these women hadn’t been so welcoming, I might have flubbed my way past the information we need—they’re just that cool.
Training does indeed start on Sunday nights, for students and non-students alike, in the basement of U-M’s Student Activities Building. Quinne leads the first of four phases, an orientation with up to seven people crammed into Production Room C. (Pro tip: if you get lost, call the station line—you won’t be the first.)
Phase two is the hurdle that makes most trainees sweat and often quit: recording a 30-minute demo. The rules are simple—include one vinyl and one CD, and don’t commit any FCC violations (that’s zero profanity, spoken or lyrical).
A current DJ reviews your demo during their required “service hours.” A minimum of six per semester, the more hours you clock, the better your chance at landing your preferred time slot. Quinne says most demos are approved; just keep it clean and you’ll likely make the cut.
Phase three is shadowing three different DJs of your choice during their shows, including a spin or two in the DJ chair. Quinne describes phase four as the easiest: station policies, scheduling, and finally… when YOUR show might debut. At the start of the semester, those open slots are often at 2 a.m., but if you hold out, less bleary hours inevitably come around.
When I ask Mia what makes a great DJ, she doesn’t miss a beat. “If you’re bringing your authentic self and your authentic passions and desires and loves for the world… that’s such a real part, and an important part of being a DJ, especially at WCBN.”
Quinne wholeheartedly agrees. “I think some people get really stressed out by the idea of ‘…I’m doing this on my own, or someone’s listening to me and will judge my music taste…’ But I think my biggest piece of advice would be just have fun with it and be your authentic self, because that’s what we love to see.”
That’s sound advice, not just for DJing, but for life!
Next week’s reader question: Please help! I moved to Ann Arbor last spring from California, so this will be my first Michigan winter. Seems everyone’s already panicking about the weather. Is there anything I can look forward to?
Need advice about something Ann Arbor-ish? Email [email protected].