The Intern Journal: WVCR 88.3 FM, The Saint

A few months ago, Ashlyn Hunter '26 was running errands on a Saturday afternoon with her mom and sister. They tuned the "dial" into 88.3 FM, The Saint, Siena's on-campus, high-watt radio station and caught most of the 3:00 PM show, A Tune of One's Own. Hunter's mom loved the way the DJ focused on women artists and told well-researched stories about the musicians between songs. Hunter's sister had a different take.

"She told me, 'Yeah, it's really bad.' She wasn't completely wrong. I was cringing listening to my first show, too."

Sisters will be sisters. Hunter, a communications-journalism student who will graduate later this month, needed an internship to close out the major. She never considered radio, and certainly never considered anything on-air, but then she got an offer from Darrin Kibbey, general manager at WVCR.

"I decided to go for it, and it's been so much fun. First, I learned the mechanics of radio and editing, and how sound is played through the broadcast computers. I got to interview the lead singer of a band that was coming to the Capital Region. And then, I got my own show."

Hunter never once aspired to be on-air talent, but after a little arm-twisting, she created the concept for her own weekly show, dove into the research, and launched a Tune of One's Own. She expected to get a time slot in the middle of the night. But quality programming deserves a larger audience.

"I never really thought I would enjoy being on air, but I'm getting much better! I tune in to listen back to my show every Saturday."

Hunter continues to work behind the scenes as well, but not just at WVCR. Her internship at The Saint led to a job at Talk 1300.

"Darrin called me one night and said, 'There's a job opportunity. Are you interested?"

Paul Vandenburgh, president of Capital Broadcasting, is a Siena alumnus and frequently seeks out Saints. After Kibbey made the connection, Vandenburgh offered Ashlyn a job as a production assistant. From the control room, she's the technical director for a call-in show. She plans to leverage the part-time opportunity to find full-time employment in the media when she graduates, but she hopes to stay local for one major reason.

"I don't want to give up my time slot on The Saint."