Blue Echo inactivity results from lack of student engagement

Blue Echo, UNC Asheville’s student-run online radio, remains inactive months after graduation of participants. 

“It will be active when students want it to be and there’s enough people who want to get it up and running,” said Anna Claire Jackson, Associate Director for Student Involvement and Campus Life. 

The organization’s office, located on the second floor of Highsmith, has been vacant for the past year. 

“We want to think about ‘what do the students want for that space?’ ‘what’s a good use for it?’” Jackson said. 

The most recent activity from the student organization was last spring, before many of the officers graduated. Jackson said in order for it to be a registered student organization again, Blue Echo needs a student president, treasurer and six general body members. 

“We have a template, they have to do that template and then they would do a meeting with the involvement ambassadors,” Jackson said. “If everything looks good we register them.” 

UNCA freshman, Moon Stracener, said they hoped to be involved with Blue Echo but received no response after reaching out with their roommate to the email address posted on the organization’s office door. 

“We’re super interested in getting involved with music, especially on campus knowing there are a lot of music lovers here,” Stracener said. “It’s super cool to introduce smaller artists from the area to the campus.” 

Executive Director and General Manager of Asheville FM, KP Whaley, said members of Blue Echo occupied a weekly DJ slot on the Blue Echo Radio Hour after technical issues led to the organization’s dissolution. The show, managed by UNCA graduate Gwyn Lyles, started as an effort to keep Blue Echo active. 

“What I understood is they were not really getting much support from the University,” Whaley said. “They were stuck, they were just all sitting there as a club with nothing to do and that’s when we stepped in.” 

Through the Blue Echo Radio Hour, UNCA students completed the training process to become radio DJs on the station faster than other community members. 

“It takes about six months to get through our system,” Whaley said. “What we were doing with Blue Echo Radio Hour is fast tracking everybody with a supervisor of the show so they didn’t have to go through the hoops.” 

Due to the station’s semi-annual schedule change and lack of further involvement, the show ended in July. 

“Interest waned and Gwyn graduated from UNCA,” Whaley said. “If there’s any interest in rebooting Blue Echo Radio Hour, I’m more than willing to entertain the idea and work with students who have an interest in radio.”