Amanda Janssen
Transfer Eliana Sarrow, Senior Leah Derrick, Senior Fallin Fabrega, Senior Ryan Kramer, Senior Laura Armendariz, Transfer Riley Kozakar, Transder Marina Karapetian, Alumni Aryana Johnson, Senior Val Vidal, supporting Senior Amanda Janssen after her win in the 2021 Lip Sync Battle sponsored by iCLU Radio.
Radio production at California Lutheran University can be traced back to when KCLU first went live on the air in 1994. Since then, iCLU Radio has created a program and a club where students can learn radio production from beginning to end and express themselves through their own radio shows.
iCLU Radio President and senior Amanda Janssen, said iCLU provides students with the tools to become better speakers, build their self-confidence, and allows students to network with radio personalities who have successfully made it in the industry.
“Radio has not only made me more aware of what’s going on in the world and made me a more well-rounded person,” Janssen said. “It’s given me a lot of things to put on my resume going forward as a senior.”
Janssen said her favorite part about the club is that it is her escape from her day. Having the freedom to talk about what you want and play whatever music you want with your friends is something that she said she loves.
Kyle Tamkin, iCLU Radio station manager, has been developing this program since he was a graduate student at Cal Lutheran and has seen a lot of growth. Tamkin said that while being a part of the program, he realized the importance of networking and helping students explore their craft.
“It has grown a lot,” Tamkin said. “Back in the day, we were lucky to get five students in the class. Now, there are two radio classes.”
Tamkin said that his goal has always been to get students career-ready so they can go into the entertainment industry. According to Tamkin, being a part of the radio club gives you tangible experience that can be used in other industries because you learn to speak clearly and concisely.
“I would say two things. You 100% learn to be a better communicator,” Tamkin said. “Number two, you really do form a bond with people.”
Tamkin also said that he allows his students to express themselves on their shows and make it uniquely their own. Spencer Fischer, who is an adjunct professor of communication, said that this opportunity is something that students need to take advantage of because it isn’t something you see working professionally.
“It’s not available in commercial radio. Nobody gives you the opportunity,” Fischer said. “They’re like great, fantastic, get in this box, talk for this long, don’t talk more than that, play these songs and get your tiny paycheck and go.”
According to Fischer, he has worked at 14 radio stations, and before becoming a faculty member, he was a guest speaker for the Cal Lutheran radio class for four years. He said that he loves to teach radio because of the rewarding feeling attached to it.
“I genuinely love… making a team out of, scraggly band of non-broadcasters and making them, by the end of the year, a slick production,” Fischer said.
He said the main takeaways he wants students to leave with are that you are always going to struggle.
“If you can be comfortable feeling uncomfortable, the world is yours. And this will do that,” Fischer said. “It’ll make you a little uncomfortable and then you’re gonna conquer it, and then you will be surprised.”
Fischer said that he likes inviting guest speakers because they talk about the struggles that they faced to get to where they are now.
“Not one person that speaks to this class … thinks that they’ve made it,” Fischer said. “If you struggled, that’s what I want them to see.”
Janssen said that the radio club grew her confidence, and that is something that she wants other club members to experience. Janssen also said that she wants to give members the same confidence that faculty gave her to succeed.
“There’s a lot of amazing opportunities and amazing community if you’re unsure of what you want to do,” Janssen said.
iCLU Radio club member Olivia Madera said that this club helps students figure out who they are and opens up accessible doorways.
“I think that radio is all about being yourself and putting yourself out there, and you can talk about whatever you want,” Madera said.
Madera is one of three students from Cal Lutheran who have participated in KFI’s Studio 640 podcast and she said it was a rewarding experience. Tamkin said one student had the opportunity to return to the show five or six times.
“It’s definitely one of those things that’s worth a shot because you get your name out there and people start seeing it over and over,” Tamkin said.
Fischer said that many students come back to him at the end of the year to say that they never thought they would see themselves where they are now after taking this class. Madera echoed this statement and said that the class helps you break out of your shell and discover a different side of yourself.
“Radio gives you an opportunity to have a relationship with the community,” Fischer said.