WPEA: Big Red Radio
WPEA, Exeter’s very own radio station, streams for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week within a 20-mile radius. It is the oldest continuously-operating radio station in the United States. For students and faculty on Exeter’s campus, it has been an avenue to pursue a variety of interests and connect with peers through music, commentary and performing arts. General manager and senior Anna Clark sees it as “a small intimate space” where individuals can share their passions in a way that is “completely different from all the other publications on campus.”
The station made its debut in 1964 from the basement of Amen Hall after John Pearson ’64 acquired a license from the Federal Communications Commission and permission from faculty. The station has been running continuously ever since and now airs from the Academy Center basement.
According to senior Chandler Jean-Jacques, WPEA is a creative outlet for Exonians to explore their interests through original live radio shows. “I like that we really have the freedom to craft whatever type of show we want,” she said. Jean-Jacques currently hosts The Current, a news talk show, with her brother, lower JD Jean-Jacques.
WPEA proctor and upper Nick Schwarz discusses both professional and collegiate football on his original radio show The Gridiron, which he began his prep year. The Gridiron is a way for Schwarz to merge his interests of the performing arts and sports, as he focuses on the history of the game and strategies rather than hot takes. “I'd say it is just sort of a happy marriage of my two interests,” he said. “It’s a pretty rare thing to be able to combine those two things.”
Clark, an active member of WPEA since her prep year, views her radio experience as a time to bond with her co-host, senior Euwie Park. “I would say the radio station has been one of the early bonding opportunities for [me and] Euwie, who was my roommate prep year,” Clark said. The two of them ran a show called Clark and Park’s Jubilee until this year that featured lively commentary and music that corresponded to national holidays.
WPEA offers Exonians a special opportunity to collaborate and connect with their peers. Schwarz recounted his experiences of getting to know the DJs through their musical styles and commentary. “WPEA is really great because students at Exeter all have very different interests and they can give a little taste of themselves through the radio,” he said.
Lately, Schwarz has been tuning into Art Heist, a show hosted by seniors Natalie Love and Bryce Morales. “They'll go from the quirky, wacky, idiosyncratic news stories and then also have this weekly soccer feature that sort of goes to show you how weird—in a good way—Exonians can be,” Schwarz said.
For Clark, the radio has been a way to connect widely within and beyond the Exeter campus. “I was able to give people a lens into PEA and connect with the greater Exeter community in a way that oftentimes I would say students don't recognize,” she said. Thanks to the station’s 20-mile radius reach, Director of Student Activities Kelly McGahie says that WPEA also receives many calls from listeners outside of the Academy.
McGahie specifically recalled a phone call that came in during Clark and Park’s show that featured a community member with down syndrome who was interested in radio. “I heard from a member of the town of Exeter community saying, ‘I heard a radio show and I think there was a young man who has down syndrome who's doing a radio show and playing old rock and roll. Please tell him that he's doing a good job,’” McGahie said.
Clark hopes more Exonians will gain interest and appreciation for WPEA, as it is a club that has brought great memories to many. “I think it's kind of a shame that on tours, some tour guides forget to point out that the school has a radio station because that's pretty unique for a high school,” she said.
Schwarz agreed, noting that WPEA exemplifies the multitude of opportunities that distinguishes Exeter from other schools. “The fact that this school has a radio show or radio station [is] just the perfect example of the great opportunities that you can find at Exeter and nowhere else,” he said.
McGahie hopes more Exonians will get involved in WPEA and take advantage of this special opportunity going forward. “I would encourage people who have a creative spark and an idea to take advantage of it. We'd love to have them,” she said.