Junior Lauren Scott and sophomore Gavin Listro will lead Hillsdale College’s radio program next school year.

Scott will be the next program director, and Listro will be the senior producer, according to Radio Free Hillsdale’s general manager Scot Bertram. The program director manages outreach and student management, while the senior producer reviews all students’ content and sound quality. 

“I’m very excited to make radio look less intimidating, because I think a lot of freshmen come and think that they have to have experience, or it just looks really overwhelming for them,” Scott said. “I want people to realize that the radio station is a place where you can come and talk about what you love. We will guide you through; you’re not going to be figuring anything out on your own.”

Bertram said he looks forward to working with next year’s leadership team.

“It’s actually odd how it turns out most years that the students who I estimate would be best for the specific positions end up applying for that specific position,” Bertram said. “It’s rewarding to see them improve, and it’s humbling in a way that this is where they choose to spend their time. There are many options for extracurricular work in activities all around campus.”

Scott will replace this year’s program director, senior Josh Barker. According to Barker, the Radio Free Hillsdale’s second live election coverage event introduced the station to new students.

“That was incredibly fun and engaged a lot of students who are not part of the radio program,” Barker said. “The biggest success the program saw this year was being named the College Radio Station of the Year by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters last month.”

Barker said Scott will excel in the new role due to her experience and organization.

“Lauren has been involved in radio for a while and done very well,” Barker said. “In fact, back when I worked at Career Services, I hired her as the host of ‘Beyond the Bubble,’ Career Services’ podcast, another position she still holds. In her role as assistant promotions director for the station, she was a national finalist for Best Press Release at the Intercollegiate Broadcast System awards this past year.”

Bertram emphasized Scott’s enthusiasm for the station.

“She’s probably our chief cheerleader,” Bertram said. “She is one who is always singing the praises of what we do around here. Lauren was my summer intern last summer, and so she spent a couple of months here plus a few weeks getting to know how the station works.”

Scott currently hosts “Beyond the Bubble,” “Great Men Back Then,” and co-hosts “The Collegian Week in Review” with junior Maddy Welsh and sophomore producer Megan Pidcock.

Listro became involved in radio because of his older brother.

“My brother went to Hillsdale and graduated in 2020,” Listro said. “He did radio with his friend, and when I came to visit as a sophomore he let me on his radio show. It was always something I wanted to do, and I also loved music a lot. My goal was to talk about music on the radio, to combine those two things.”

Listro started at Radio Free Hillsdale with a music show called “I’ve Got Aux,” which he co-hosts with sophomore Bella Dix and junior Alexandra Hall. This fall he will help students adjust their sound quality and teach them how to use the station’s software program, Audition, as senior producer.

“Gavin’s grown quite literally since freshman year,” Bertram said. “He is one of our students who’s more involved in the music-based programming that we have. I think he’s got great experience to launch into next year, and be a resource for our student hosts who want to improve the way things sound.”

Listro said radio was one of the few constants in his childhood, since he moved often, although he noticed distinct regional differences.

“I lived in Medford, Oregon, for five years,” Listro said. “There’s more country, even on syndicated stations like KIIS FM. Then I moved to Florida, and it’s very much wrapped in rap and R&B.”

Listro discussed the importance of radio as an audio-only medium.

“I think radio takes a lot of visual bias out of the media,” Listro said. “There’s just an opinion and you can look at it as just that.”