Photo by Alexis Treadway
Prowl Radio
Prowl Radio
UWM now has a student-run alternative online radio station, Prowl Radio. Debuting on the airwaves this past spring, Prowl provides an opportunity for UWM students to have hands-on experience with DJing, audio production, interviewing artists, reviewing new releases and more. The station is based on campus in Cunningham Hall and is operated 24/7 via streaming server Live365 while live DJs on air utilize the cross-platform software Mixxx.
Alexis Treadway is Prowl’s co-founder and current station manager. She explains that creating the station was a matter of seeing a need and filling the need. “I was in a JAMS (Journalism, Advertising & Media Studies) class where we were learning about radio, and I was thinking about how we don’t have something like that here even though a lot of other schools do. There was a gap, but something could be done about it.”
After presenting the idea to advisor Rachael Jurek and getting together with like-minded students, Treadway created a student organization for Prowl Radio in fall 2022; their first day on the air was a few months later on February 1st. “We got a lot of names on our list at the fall involvement fair,” she recalls. “That’s how we met a lot of the core people who are part of it now.”
The station’s goal is to be as accessible as possible for students, enabling them to be involved with whichever aspect of it they please; while some may gravitate towards the live broadcasting side of Prowl, others may prefer to be behind the scenes writing content or doing tech. “You get out what you put into it,” Treadway said. “There’s a little bit of everything for everyone.”
New and Local
Prowl Radio logo
While Prowl plays a wide variety of music, they emphasize new and local releases, even having a “Local Listens” hour every night from 9:30 to 10:30. Because internet radio is not regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), DJs can play whatever they want.
“Talk To Me” is Prowl’s artist interview series featuring local and touring acts, coordinated by the station’s Music Outreach Director Grace Pagel. “Recently there’s been interviews who have come to us which is super cool,” Treadway said. “We’ve been hibernating a bit for the summer, but people have still been wanting to stay involved and contribute.”
Merchandise is available as well; the Prowl Radio logo was designed by Pagel and is featured on hats, shirts, coffee mugs and more.
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In terms of the upcoming school year, the folks at Prowl Radio hope to be more involved on UWM campus, starting with a Battle of the Bands event they are hosting during Fall Welcome Week. “Everyone loves free live music, and it’s one way to get our name out,” Treadway said. “Because we’re student-run we can let peoples’ ideas grow and run with them, so we’re always here to help if you have something you want to do.”
They also plan to branch more into talk radio and podcasting.
“Everyone who’s part of Prowl is determined to make this thing huge,” Treadway concludes. “There’s a lot of hopes and dreams mixed in everywhere which is super fun to see.”
Visit Prowl Radio’s website at prowlradio.weebly.com for more information or to get in touch. Listen here - live365.com/station/Prowl-Radio-a75044.
