One of the most common ways to start a conversation is to talk about sports, especially in Memphis where Tiger fans are easy to find, especially in the middle of basketball season.
But at WUMR 92 FM University of Memphis students get to talk about the Tigers behind the microphone.
WUMR is the school's syndicated radio station that features a lineup of jazz programs and sports talk shows. One of their shows, "Sportsdesk," gives student volunteers an opportunity to voice their opinions on the Tigers, Grizzlies and other relevant sports stories.
The show, which airs every weekday from 8:35 a.m. until 9 a.m., is one of a dozen or so student-run programs at the 25,000-watt station located in the basement of the Theatre Building.
The station is always looking for new on-air talent. The station's production director John Hardin encourages all students to volunteer and learn how the station works as well as something about themselves.
"You don't get fired here," Hardin said. "If you mess up, it is not the end of the world. In media and journalism, everybody has their own style. You can figure out your style here, and WUMR helps you cultivate that."
At WUMR, students are able to run their own show after a few training sessions where they shadow one of the station's veterans until they get comfortable working with the equipment.
Hardin said working at WUMR offers a number of skills students would be hard pressed to find elsewhere.
"Radio is different than any other medium," Hardin said. "Here at WUMR, there is jazz and learning how to talk on a broadcast, you can learn how to be a disc jockey, as well as running a news program."
With the station's sports talk shows, training runs much the same way. Sports director Jacob Woloshin helps develop new on-air talent and teaches volunteers how to operate the equipment.
"At other places, most interns will be doing sports updates, writing their own updates and presenting them live on the talk show," Woloshin said. "Here you can step right in and contribute. The night before the show we give a broad schedule of what you need to learn about. Anything that seems relevant or something that people will be interested in is what we'll talk about."
Along with running equipment, new volunteers learn the ins-and-outs of the broadcast, including how to transition into commercials, how advertising works and broadcasting rules and guidelines. There are opportunities for both on-air talent and producers.
One of the "Sportsdesk," show hosts Stuart Settles said there are plenty of opportunities to learn about radio, but producers are some of the more sought-after candidates.
"Try to do behind the scenes work," Settles said. "It is hard to get a job on the air, but we always need people to produce our shows. It is important to get started, and we are always trying to hire producers."
In addition to the sports talk show, WUMR broadcasts live play-by-play of the men's and women's basketball home games as well as home games for the football team.
The live on-air experience can be invaluable, according to Hardin. He added that Memphis is as good a place as any to get immersed in the growing sports media culture.
