Little 500: Bringing IU into perspective

by Frank Therber

When I began my first semester as a sophomore here IU, I had never heard of WIUX. If those letters were mentioned to me, I probably would have guessed it symbolized a fraternity or sorority.

As I continued into my third semester, I became friends with our current co-Sports Director, Dan Karell. Dan spoke of WIUX numerous times in a journalism class we had together. Being an avid sports fan, I asked Dan about the station. He invited me to come in and hear his show firsthand. I was very impressed with his work, but wasn’t sure if I could handle speaking in front of any amount of listeners.

During that same time, I became friends with my current co-host, Kevin Bowen. We decided that we’d like to try out a show, and were fortunate enough to receive a time slot in the winter of 2010.

While it was a a neat experience, I was unsure how our show was perceived because I was very unfamiliar with the industry. I was hoping we weren’t bringing the station down with our inexperience.

Kevin and I were both fortunate enough to work on-site on Little 500 race day in 2010. That was when I realized how lucky we and all involved were to be a part of WIUX: We could have an integral role with an event like Little 500. I continued to become more appreciative of the opportunity as I went on to broadcast men’s basketball and football games.

Little 500 and our involvement with all of its associative events showed me how well-respected the station is around the campus, and also how fortunate IU students are to have such an organization.