That’s Bruce Springsteen rolling out of the speakers on WVYL, and I’m already smiling ear to ear.
I’m so happy to be here.
The second that promo hit at the start of our Zoom meeting, John Records Landecker’s voice filled the room, and I was instantly transported back to that feeling—that pure, wide-eyed moment of being four years old and falling in love with radio for the very first time. That’s the power this whole thing has on me.
My name is Brandon Charles, and while I’m brand new as a writer on the dial, I’m definitely not new to this passion. That’s why it means the world to me that my very first big story is about this scrappy pop-up station Live365 is running right now.
For one week only, roughly sixty of the best minds in radio have come together to perform, to play music, and most importantly, to raise money for the future of this business—specifically for the young people coming up behind us. WVYL is the warm-up act for the main event: Vinylthon, happening April 18th and 19th on stations around the world.
Putting this station together in its very first year has been pure “pants on fire” chaos. But honestly, it’s also been one of the purest joys I’ve felt in a long time. Every Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, a bunch of us would jump on Zoom—sometimes with a guy in Turkey logging in at 2 a.m. his time—and in just thirty minutes we’d brainstorm nearly twenty ideas about shows, scheduling, social media, fundraising, and what we want this thing to become.
As someone who just became a trade writer and is also getting to be part of this scrappy little upstart called WVYL, I’m still pretty giddy about how beautifully it’s all lining up.
I first heard about WVYL through Brad Savage, who sent me a note that honestly made my day. He wrote, “I think this is such great news. There is no one better to do radio trade/journalist reporting. That is really fantastic—congrats on this coming together.”
Then, like any good programmer, he immediately jumped into the fun stuff.
He told me one of the shows would be hosted by Annie Z. Lillis of The Surfrajettes—she’s their drummer and a huge surf music fan. What I love is that she actually recorded all her talk breaks from the back of the tour van while they were on the road. Brad built the whole show around her playlist of rare, killer surf tracks.
Then he added something that made me smile: “Annie is from Akron and has a long history in several bands in this area. The Surfrajettes are a Toronto-based band. She joined a few years ago. Actually, now two of them are from Akron and two are from Toronto. Small world.”
The whole pop-up station idea actually started with Dr. Rob Quicke, the force behind both Vinylthon and College Radio Day. He saw how well a temporary station worked last year to promote the new season of Stranger Things, and thought—what if we did something like that, but bigger? Something fun that would also shine a real spotlight on Vinylthon weekend.
Dr. Rob Quicke was born in England and now lives in the U.S. He’s the founder of Vinylthon and College Radio Day, and currently runs the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism & Mass Communications at Marshall University in West Virginia. Before that, he spent more than a decade as a tenured professor at William Paterson University in New Jersey, where he also ran the award-winning WPSC 88.7 FM. He’s led stations in Chicago, taught radio production worldwide, and holds a PhD along with degrees from Oxford and Goldsmiths College in London.
What really stands out is that none of those credentials are just decoration. Rob is genuinely exuberant about radio—but when it’s time to execute, he’s all business. That combination is exactly what made WVYL happen.
That’s also why, when it came time to launch the station, Rob knew exactly who he wanted on first. He turned to Len O’Kelly.
Len has spent more than thirty years in radio—on-air, programming, and everywhere in between, including nearly two decades in Chicago. After all that time behind the mic, he moved into education and now runs the School of Communications at Grand Valley State University, where he advises the student station.
When I talked with Len, he didn’t start with a résumé. He started with heart.
“I’m passionate about all things college radio,” Len told me. “I’ve known Rob Quicke for over 20 years and have been there on the ground floor of many of the wonderful things he’s done for college radio. But my real reasons go farther back than that.”
Then he went back to 1987.
“I wandered into the radio station at Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois. I was a freshman who didn’t feel completely confident about my pre-med major. I took a course called ‘Introduction to Radio’ with Prof. John Carey. Within two weeks I changed my major. Within a semester I was program director, and by my third semester I was pulling a paycheck on the air in Joliet.”
You could hear the smile when he said, “That all led to an amazing career in both the U.S. and New Zealand that allowed me to share studios with some of the greatest people ever to put on a set of headphones.”
After 25 years on the air, Len decided to give it back. He now teaches the same kind of course that changed his life.
And listening to him, I felt it in my chest—this is exactly what WVYL is about. Passing the torch.
That same spirit showed up when I spoke with Tabitha Grammer, middays and program director at 92.9 The River in Tulsa.
Thirty years in radio, and she still remembers the exact beginning.
“I started in college radio at 89.9 WLCA in Godfrey, Illinois,” she told me. “It was through that program that I landed an internship in St. Louis and eventually got hired on air.”
Then she said something that stuck with me.
“I’ve loved radio all my life. When I heard about WVYL, I knew immediately I wanted to be part of it. College radio is the reason I even considered a career in broadcasting. Thank you to everyone involved—it gives people like me a chance to honor radio and encourage the next generation.”
That one stayed with me.
And then there’s the voice that started it all for me—John Records Landecker.
Most people know him for his legendary years at WLS and his current home at WGN, but what stands out most is how forward-looking he still is. He’s been talking in recent interviews about radio DJs embracing digital platforms and social media to stay connected with younger audiences. He’s introducing artists like Olivia Dean alongside the classics, sharing clips, and constantly reinforcing that radio has to evolve.
Hearing someone with that kind of legacy still pushing forward—that’s inspiring.
All of these conversations are exactly why, the moment I heard about WVYL, I didn’t just want to write about it—I wanted to be part of it.
In a time when people are quick to say “radio is dead,” here we are—broadcasters, teachers, musicians, and dreamers—coming together like it’s our own communications protest. Proving that this stubborn, beautiful medium is still alive. The one that cuts through storms, chaos, and breaking news with nothing but a human voice and a spinning record.
That’s what WVYL means to me.
Not just a pop-up station. A reminder of why I fell in love with radio in the first place—and why I’m proud to be both a participant in this project and a new writer for On The Dial.
Thank you for reading.
Somewhere out there right now, I really hope another four-year-old kid is hearing a record spin on WVYL… and falling in love with radio for the very first time.
-BC