Radio Lives On
Radio domination
As a first-year student, Ben Queen, ’23, decided to stop wearing headphones and instead carry a speaker in his backpack.
“Some students would call me Speaker Kid,” Queen said. “That stuck with me and my friends once we started realizing people did that. But really, I just wanted to get to know people, and that’s the amazing thing about music — you can truly connect over it.”
His theory worked. Not long after, Queen got a job at WDCE, the university’s student-run radio station. At the time, the station played strictly rock music, and the antenna’s signal barely reached the edges of Henrico.
“Radio is about finding something that resonates with you.”
“I decided to carve out a new path for the station,” Queen said, “because radio is about finding something that resonates with you.”
By Queen’s senior year, he was general manager and a lead DJ, and WDCE was streaming rap, pop, and R&B anywhere there was internet access.
Today, Queen is still at the soundboard as an associate producer at Sirius XM. He produces shows on a channel called Fight Nation, which features the biggest news in combat sports like boxing and wrestling.
“[My role] is a little bit of everything,” Queen said. “Whether uploading audio clips or meeting with talent, I take it show by show.”
Queen started a website called EQuelizer. The site’s tag, “Find something EQlectic,” mirrors its creator’s mission to share the stories of musical artists and explore new albums and genres. For example, a 2024 Album of the Year list breaks down Queen’s choices — and reasons — for the top 10 album releases of last year.
“At some point I want to be a lead producer on my own show,” Queen said. “And who knows? I might be coming for radio domination.”