The KWVA station is located on the first floor of the EMU across from the computer lab and to the left of Bartolotti’s Pizza Bistro.
request was out of the ordinary, he was more than excited to fill it for her. “I was a little shocked by the artist request. Typically when I get requests from that caller ID, it was older tunes like Charley Pride or Elvis,” Beck says. “I was more than happy to play some disco for that lady.” Collaborating with other DJs in the station is just one part of the community at KWVA, and Beck says that interacting with Eugene is another. During a show, it is not uncommon for the DJs to give away tickets, take calls from people and air
PSAs about anything from smoking marijuana to receiving a flu vaccine. For the DJs at KWVA like Krueger, Beck and Waggoner, it isn’t just about getting to play good music. It’s about becoming part of a community that can share an interest and passion. “This job has allowed me to meet dozens of people I wouldn’t have without this position,” Beck says. “I have made lasting friendships in my tenure as DJ Director, knowing that the lasting impact this job will have on me is to always seek out new friendships.”
Kayla Krueger is a second-year UO student, a KWVA DJ and is set to become the next DJ director. Krueger hosts her show under her DJ name, “Penny Lame.”
Krueger says KWVA is the most welcoming community she’s been a part of on campus. Next year, Krueger will be taking over Beck’s position as programming director, and she is excited to be more involved with the station. And Kruger is excited to keep doing what she’s doing, which includes DJing music and handling ticket giveaways. During one of Krueger’s shows, a call came into the show asking her about a ticket giveaway for a Cream cover band coming to Eugene, and she excitedly picked up. She thanked the caller, gave him the ticket info, spoke about the band Cream for a bit with her caller and then dove right back into queuing up songs on her computer and the two turntables behind her. Krueger says she likes that she can be someone who interacts with strangers over their shared interest in music. 10 | ETHOS | SUMMER 2022
Waggoner likes how close-knit the station is. He says he’s always getting compliments from other DJs about his shows, and he makes aneffort to listen to other shows to learn how to be a better DJ. He likes engaging with the community as well. “It’s cool hearing from the community, and it makes me feel proud that people enjoy what I do. I never really thought people listened to the radio, but I average around 200 listeners,” says Waggoner. Beck says that an elderly woman from a local retirement home once requested him to play “Dancing Queen” by ABBA during his show. He did. A few days later, Beck received a thank-you letter from the home with over 50 signatures, thanking him for the music he played and how he kept the retirement home company. Beck says that even though the
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