WTHS Radio: Details on the DJs at 89.9

Below is a small sampling of some of Hope College’s most passionate music fanatics. Each of the students below has an hour-long show on WTHS 89.9. These short features explore a little bit more about some of Hope’s very own radio personalities.

Frankie Kronewetter (’23)
Major: Communications, emphasis on film
Show: “Frankie’s Late Night Slice,” Thursdays 10 p.m.
Dream WTHS Guest: Howard Stern
Kronewetter’s self-proclaimed “eclectic taste” shines through every Thursday night as listeners are treated to a new theme each week. These themes have ranged from “famous songs you didn’t know were covers” or “unexpected artist collaborations” to “female musicians you should know about.” Kronewetter defines her music taste as having an emphasis on classic rock, spreading occasionally in the direction of punk, new wave or folk. The list of live concerts Kronewetter has attended is quite extensive; it includes The Who, Joan Jett, The Pretenders, Rush, Bruce Springsteen, Brit Floyd five separate times, Roger Waters, Tom Petty, Stevie Nicks, Dead and Company, and live tributes to the late David Bowie and Prince.
The decision to join the WTHS crew was not a hard one for Kronewetter, who says that it served more as a replacement outlet for her after she had to leave both her vinyl collection that reached into the hundreds as well as her job at a record store at home when moving to college. “When I came here I was trying to find a good, creative outlet because I lost my job and my records, and I couldn’t bring that with me,” Kronewetter said. “The radio station was that new thing to dive into.”

Jacob VanderRoest (’21)
Major: Chemistry
Show: All About the Albums, Thursdays at 7 p.m.
(Some) Favorite Artists: Pink Floyd, A Tribe Called Quest, Simon and Garfunkel
VanderRoest’s show, as its name makes clear, is focused entirely on artists’ albums. VanderRoest defines himself as a “major advocate for listening to albums rather than playlists or individual songs.” He says that his show is a way to share with the Hope audience that “the cohesiveness of a well-crafted album is an absolute joy.”
VanderRoest’s show features guests who bring their own album recommendations, including Hope’s very own President Scogin back in October. In between songs, VanderRoest discusses with guests the influence of this specific album on their life, dissecting the album’s impact and organization.

Jonah Wooley (’24)
Major: Psychology and Communication
Shows: “Party Starter,” Fridays at 8 p.m.; “Mako Morning Show,” Thursdays at 7 a.m.; “Scatterbrain,” Saturdays at 7 p.m.
Dream WTHS Guest: Rob Lowe
After realizing there was a niche in Hope’s radio content that needed filling, Wooley created his show entitled “Party Starter” as a way to get students “amped up and ready to have a good time on a Friday night.” Understanding that a Friday evening needs a constant stream of party anthems, Wooley tries to limit his talking on the show and focus on a music-forward format. “With my songs… the music never dies,” he says.
Other than hyping Hope up through the airwaves on a Friday night, Wooley hosts two other shows on WTHS. He spends Thursday mornings at the studio bright and early for the “Mako Morning Show,” where he and his occasional collaborator Emily Mann (’24) fill the hour-long talk show with “fun’ weird conversations with good energy,” as he put it. The dialogue that takes place on the show named after Wooley’s nickname ranges from the “era of TikTok music” and its impact on music culture to any other topic that the guest of the week feels fluent in.
The third show that Wooley is a part of is entitled “Scatterbrain,” after both Wooley’s broad taste in music and his ADHD. “I frequently genre hop – it’s very scatterbrained,” he said. This was Wooley’s first show on WTHS, after he joined during his second week of being a Hope student. “Even when I was touring colleges, I wanted to be a radio DJ and have a show,” Wooley said.

Andrew Silagi (’24)
Major: Secondary English Education
Show: “Chameleonic,” Saturdays at 8 p.m.
Dream WTHS Guest: Sufjan Stevens
Similar to a chameleon in an ever-changing environment, Silagi’s music taste is anything but straightforward. “I try to find the cream of the crop from every genre,” he said. Silagi’s show occasionally hosts guests who discuss the music choices of the week that vary from indie, experimental, electronic or different fusions between multiple genres. He and the show’s guest go “back and forth between our different interests and different songs that we like.”
Silagi was brought to WTHS through both family and friends –his older brother had hosted WTHS shows in the past, and Jonah Wooley convinced Silagi that it was finally time to join the team. “I love music, and I love sharing music with other people, so [this show] is a great opportunity.”

Evan Mulshine (’22)
Major: Computer Science, German
Shows: “You Probably Won’t Like This,” Mondays at 9 p.m; “New Music Show,” Sundays at 10 p.m.
Dream WTHS Guest: Zach Hill
(Some) Favorite Artists: Deerhoof, Hieroglyphics, Death Grips
If you’re looking to discover new genres of which you had no knowledge before, Mulshine’s “You Probably Won’t Like This” is the place to be. Mulshine’s taste in music is very hard to pin down. His list of interests includes experimental modern hip hop and early ’90s old school hip hop, noise rock, subgenres of experimental rock, jazz fusion and jazz funk, to name a few. The name of his show, while he sometimes worries that it “turns people off from listening in the first place,” is based off of his experience being repeatedly denied the aux cord by his friends in the car. This denial led to his increased desire to share his untraditional taste with the Hope community and explore new kinds of music himself.
Mulshine also takes part in two other WTHS shows, including the “New Music Show” on Sundays and a show run by Dre Solorzano called “Dre Doesn’t Swear for an Hour,” which is on air every Sunday at 8 p.m.

Adam James Czeranko (’22)
Major: Computer Science, Mathematics, Psychology
Show: “The Variety Show,” Wednesdays at 8 p.m.
(Some) Favorite Artists: Sufjan Stevens, Julien Baker, Adele

Czeranko’s show brings its listeners on a tour of endless numbers of genres, including (but, of course, not limited to) pop, alternative, oldies, TV/movie music, video game music, french music, japanese music and more. A favorite genre doesn’t exist for Czeranko, whose show simply features whatever song he wants to play that day.
Wednesday nights on WTHS aren’t just a one man show, however. “I love having guests on my show who have never branched out from their favorite few genres,” Czeranko says. He enjoys hearing what these guests have to say about the wide array of sounds that he has to offer his listeners, stretching the boundaries of traditional genre categories in his own unique way.

Luke Elder (’21)
Major: Communications
Show: “The Juke with Luke,” Sundays at 7 p.m.
Dream WTHS Guest: Mac DeMarco
A three-year veteran of the WTHS show, Elder has been sharing his passion for classic rock and indie music with the Hope community ever since he transferred in as a sophomore. He had considered joining the radio-host world at his previous university, saying that he just “never jumped on it.” The moment he got to Hope, he said, “I really want to do this. I’m not going to wait anymore.” Elder finished all of his required hours of shadowing in one week and started his show right away.
“The Juke” is a way for Elder to share new parts of well-known bands with his listeners. He often introduces songs by popular artists that listeners might be familiar with. He gives The Beatles as an example: “rather than playing “Let It Be,” I’d play “Savoy Truffle.’” Elder often hosts his show solo but has featured guests in the past to both discuss music and occasionally play live music. His fondness for live music has been a challenge in the last year, as opportunities to attend live concerts have been virtually nonexistent due to COVID-19 restrictions. In past years, however, Elder attended concerts featuring AC/DC, Kiss, The Who, The Black Keys, Cage the Elephant, Modest Mouse, One Republic and Dead and Company six separate times. His WTHS show has proved a great outlet for Elder’s clear enthusiasm for music, a way to share it with others. “I play stuff as much for my own enjoyment as much as to try and educate or interest other people,” he said. “It’s been a lot of fun. I love doing my show.”