“You could get the sense that you could get lost in the stacks,” said senior DJ Tali Raphael about the old WQFS studio. “Even though it didn’t extend on forever, it was just higher than you, than me. … A sea of records and music and possibilities.”
It is no stretch to say that the old WQFS studio will be missed, but along with the rest of Founders Hall, WQFS has been renovated for better or for worse.
Sophomore DJ and WQFS promotions director Eric Chubb said it was personalized by the various DJs.
“There was graffiti everywhere, and it was just a great space,” said Chubb. “It was very cozy. Very homey. Also kind of creepy. Very creepy. But awesome.”
Erin Fox, director of student leadership and engagement, became the primary representative for all student organizations once the Founders renovation planning started.
“I would consider the flagship organizations (to be) WQFS, The Guilfordian, C.A.B. and the senate,” said Fox. “So I really wanted to highlight those groups, especially WQFS and The Guilfordian having won so many awards. … If we’re putting out a quality product, I’d love to have a space that gives our students the best opportunity for success.”
Having won 11th place in the Princeton Review’s Most Popular College Radio Stations for both the 2011 and 2013 editions, it is clear that WQFS is putting out a “quality product.”
Despite the mass of memories the previous studio held, the renovated station provides that much deserved “ opportunity for success.” What it lacks in history, the revamped studio makes up for with new upgrades to the space. For example, there will be more room for guests, such as local musicians and interviewees, as well as new windows looking out of the studio into the rest of Founders.
“I’m excited about (the windows) because I’m thinking that if I were deciding if I wanted to come to Guilford and I went on the tour and saw someone in there playing whatever they wanted to play and having a great time, I’d be so excited,” said Kate Schwab, WQFS general manager.
Music Director Daniel Raeder, while still welcoming the new space, maintains some hesitation.
“Every time I went in (to the old studio), I was feeling like I was a part of this history about everyone who has come in before us,” said Raeder. “This new space doesn’t have that feeling, but it will eventually.”
While some may be hesitant about cataloging away the station’s history or working in a more open and transparent environment, there is one thing that will not change. The Guilford DJs will continue, in the words of Fox, “sending that music love out into the universe.”
