The Eureka College Radio Station, EC 103.1, has grown tremendously since its arrival on campus in the fall of 2022. One of the biggest successes in the department over the last year has been the growth of women joining the program, going from all men to half men and half women. Recently, there have been a few success stories from the women who have joined the program, like a new women’s podcast and the first female from Eureka College to be able to represent the radio program at this year’s IBS Conference.
Last semester, the radio station started a new women’s podcast called “Feminine Frequency.” The podcast features three students: Ella Walker (Junior), Jaden Randall (Junior), and Liv Hardin-Nieri (Junior). They will discuss women’s issues on campus, off campus, and more. The podcast is planned to air every week on EC 103.1.
Another exciting accomplishment for the tv and radio department was this year’s IBS conference. IBS stands for Intercollegiate Broadcasting System and is a conference that takes place in NYC where High School and College students submit different pieces that can win different awards. IBS is devoted to advancing the ideals of university broadcasting and just reached 80 years old. Each year they conduct their media awards, and Dr. John Malone, Associate Professor – Communication and General Manager of Radio/TV Stations feels proud to have his students succeed in making it into the Conference at Lincoln College, and Eureka College.
While students are typically the ones being nominated and receiving awards at this conference, Dr. Malone was also nominated for “Best Radio Faculty Advisor” and the awards will be announced on Saturday, March 8th. “We have been very fortunate in the past, both at Lincoln, and here, and this year is no different,” Malone said.
This year will be the first year that a female student will attend the conference. In 2023, Eureka had another female nominee, Madalyn Schmitt, but she was unable to attend. This year, Randall has been nominated for “Best Commercial” and will be attending the conference the weekend of March 7th, 2025. Randall has had quite a successful broadcasting experience since changing her major in the fall from Education to Communication and Media Studies, which makes this her first year being part of the radio program. She found out she was nominated for best commercial towards the end of the fall semester, and it came as a shock when she found out.
“Dr.Malone messaged me saying that we needed to talk, and I was scared I was in trouble. We were not expecting to find out the nominations for another week, so that was not on my mind,” Randall said.
After finding out she was nominated for best commercial, to say Randall was excited is an understatement.
“When he told me I was nominated I was in shock, and so proud. I just changed my major, so the fall semester was when I was really getting into broadcasting. To get these results so early on was so reassuring that this is what I could make a living doing, and to be recognized for my hard work has meant the world to me.”
Randall recognizes that she will be the first female to be able to attend the conference and is thrilled to be able to represent the women at Eureka College at IBS.
“I feel so lucky to be able to represent the women at Eureka College and the broadcasting major in a good way. It shows that all the challenging work is worth it,” Randall said.
The Eureka College Broadcast department has opened the doors for so many people to find new skills that they can take into their future careers in TV and Radio. The new number of women achieving success in this program is inspiring for those in the broadcast department, and beyond.
