While the beloved Viking Television is well known throughout the school, its radio counterpart is awfully underrated. WHFH 88.5 FM Flossmoor is home to many extraordinary student-run shows. The station runs 24/7 and can be heard all over the world with HF students on live from 3PM to 7:30PM every weekday. 

     Hosts have the freedom and opportunity to discuss anything they choose, within reason and school appropriation of course. They’re given choice over the music played and when to play it as well. 

     On Wednesdays from 6-7:30PM, listeners can tune in to one of these productions. The Wave Riders is hosted by juniors Cameron Arseneau, Ewan Duckett, Josiah Bailey, King Figueroa and Saaungkh Tarrer. 

     The boys have had their show for over a year now and still enjoy it just as much as the first day. 

     “One of my favorite memories was our first show ever.” Figueroa reminisced. “I was very scared and antsy about being on, but being able to laugh and talk about topics you enjoy with people you enjoy is usually a great time, so, I got used to it, it got used to me and I’ve grown to love it.” He said. 

     While the radio board and its buttons and switches may seem overwhelming at first step in the studio, rest assured it is not as complicated as it looks. Hosts say it’s really easy to work with and get used to. 

     As a host, one of your jobs is to try and get sponsors to shout out and also find ways to promote your show. 

     “We typically get sponsors by asking family and family friends, and they’re more than willing to do anything they can to support us.” shared Figueroa. “We’ll usually try to promote it in classes during the day and just with friends, ask them to stop by, take a listen, and they usually will.” 

     With an hour and a half on the clock, moments of silence may seem inevitable. On the contrary, students have found simple ways to avoid this. 

     “The way we avoid silence is by trying to make each other laugh or just saying something really random and it’ll usually keep the show alive, or we’ll switch to another topic that we had maybe originally planned for later.” 

     The show may feel like a podcast but at the end of the day, the radio station is just like any other, which means hosts are required to have some music breaks. 

     “We try to choose music based on what topic we’re on, so if we’re discussing our enemy show the Failed Experiments, we’ll play a war song. We always end the show off with the song All Black Everything by Lupe Fiasco, and that’s kind of like our theme song.” Said Figueroa. 

     The radio station is an amazing outlet to have fun and one of the only complaints is having only one hour weekly. 

      “My favorite segment was this thing called Impersonator, where you’d have to try to do the voice of a character in a random situation, like say Kratos in a pawn shop and he feels like he’s selling his weapon for way too cheap.”

     Along with this, there are many benefits below the surface. 

     “I stuck with the show because of the sense of community it’s brought to the group, we care about each other, we check up on each other, communicate, we share responsibilities, we’re just overall good friends. My dad also motivated me to stay on the show because he felt like I was doing well with it.” 

     It’s also an incredible learning experience. 

     “From the show I’ve learned how to have better conversations with people, how to ask better questions, get better answers and be a better communicator.” Said Figueroa. “It taught me to be more confident with what I do, and to love what I do, finding ways to improve while still enjoying myself.”