Climb the steps of Robinson Hall up to the third floor, and you’ll find the Web Dartmouth College Radio station, more commonly known as WebDCR. The College’s freeform, online station is run by and for students, with broadcasts featuring anything from a curated playlist of “banjo bangers” to a “laugh-out-loud” comedy talk show, according to the station’s website.
WebDCR marketing and communications director Caroline Bailey ’27 hosts “Everyone I’ve Never Met” — a talk show that features interviews with different members of the College community, including Bailey’s “personal campus celebrities.” Past guests have included Will Vrattos ’27 and Kylie Del Rosario ’24. Bailey said she tries to push beyond the typical icebreakers of “name, hometown, pronoun and major,” instead asking interviewees about their favorite and least favorite Dartmouth classes and whether they prefer pancakes or waffles.
Music director Joey Jerva ’27 created “Left of the Dial,” a show featuring music he described as “what your dad listened to in college.” Jerva typically curates playlists based on either a band or theme — one broadcast, for instance, focused on 20th-century Appalachian folk music. For some episodes, Jerva intersperses commentary between tracks and digs into the background of each song.
Neither Bailey nor Jerva had radio experience before attending a WebDCR informational meeting last fall, they said. In fact, Jerva said he decided to join the station on “a whim.”
WebDCR welcomes members of any class year to host their own shows. During her junior year, WebDCR blog editor Denise Lee ’25 began her show “Blank Canvas,” on which she invites guests who she does not know well to play the icebreaker card game “We’re Not Really Strangers.” According to its website, the game aims to “empower meaningful connections” through honest responses and open listening.
Before going on air, prospective radio hosts must become acquainted with the station’s equipment — a fairly simple process. After attending an informational session, new hosts sign up for a show time slot — allotted based on organization activity level — and a training session with operations director Decker Jackson ’25. In these sessions, Jackson offers future hosts a tour of the studio and its equipment.
Under Jackson’s tenure as operations director, WebDCR has acquired new, easier-to-use equipment, allowing the station to achieve one of its main goals: “making radio as easily accessible to as many people as possible,” according to Jackson.
If hosts encounter issues while broadcasting, they can contact the WebDCR student-led technical team.
“If you ever need help, usually there’s someone there [in the studio] or you can text and someone will respond, ‘Oh, I’ll swing by and I can … show you,’” Lee said.
The technical team provides a wide range of assistance. Bailey said she has received help with adjusting audio levels, switching between music and transferring recordings of the show to Spotify from her producer and WebDCR’s production director, Ryan Stern ’27.
It takes time for hosts to figure out their radio routine, according to Jackson. “I would say in the beginning, I was a lot less organized … just showing up and trying to change [between songs] spontaneously, whereas now, I try to have more of a consistent theme, because I think it’s more interesting,” Jackson said.
While he finds that the format of radio is “super dynamic” and invites spontaneity — particularly when listening to audience requests while on-air — Jackson emphasized that solid preparation translates to a more engaging show.
“I often find myself telling more interesting stories or just being a better host when that preparation is done,” Jackson said. “I think that just came from experience — figuring out through trial and error that if I’m not prepared, my show is not going to be quite as entertaining.”
Radio shows evolve over time, requiring hosts to refine and modify their programs’ structure. Bailey said the general format of her show — asking questions that transition from simple ones to more complicated and comedic, rapid-fire prompts, with each section separated by a guest-selected song — has stayed the same since she started. However, she modifies the questions she asks each guest.
Bailey has also identified the questions that tend to perform well. She said she often asks, “Is it better to have loved and lost, or never loved at all?” because it always sparks “an interesting answer.”
Bailey and Jerva said their confidence increased as they continued to produce their shows. Bailey, a self-described introvert, said she noticed an improvement in her on-air presence when listening back to her older episodes.
“In the beginning, I sound really shaky and nervous and just kind of awkward,” Bailey said. “I’ve gotten a lot better at hosting and a lot better at just being comfortable meeting people and doing my show. … I think [that] has been the biggest growth — just listening to me be a conversationalist.”
Off-air, WebDCR works to attract more student interest in their shows. As one of WebDCR’s marketing and communication directors, Bailey recognized that the station’s Instagram account, campus emails and physical posters have helped bring awareness to the radio.
“[Around campus], the question was less of, ‘Oh, we have a radio department?’ to ‘Yeah, I’ve heard about that. That seems cool. How do I get involved?’” Bailey said. “I think [social media] just made people more excited about radio.”
For many, WebDCR is a stepping stone to a career in the arts. Jackson, a music major, said WebDCR has allowed him to gain valuable experience, since he hopes to work in the music industry. Bailey said — as an English major with a concentration in creative writing — it is helpful to have a piece of original work that “already, people care about.” Jerva said he followed his interest in radio and interned this past summer at another streaming station, Pilot Radio in North Carolina.
Aside from experience, WebDCR provides its members with community and connection.
“My favorite part about Dartmouth is … my radio people,” Jerva said. “It’s like a little family, and it’s just been great … making those connections and having this little community,” Jerva said.
Bailey said she appreciates that WebDCR provides a unique space for artistic expression to all students, regardless of previous experience.
“Having such a cool space for student expression is unlike anything else, and I love that it’s just such a piece of the Dartmouth community that is available to anyone at all times,” she said.
