Feeling Groovy at WNRC 97.5 FM

(L to R) WNRC President Justin Dolan; Community DJs Ed Carroll (Dudley) and Barry Wilson (Oxford)

"Working at Nichols College's WNRC literally saved my life," says Barry Wilson, who became depressed after going legally blind at age 56 from sudden retinal degeneration.  Today, he hosts the very popular Nichols College radio program called "Groover's Paradise" with radio station president Justin Dolan on Tuesday night from 5-7 p.m.  The show's an eclectic mix across many genres, but what makes the "groove" so special is Wilson's passion and depth of knowledge about root's music.

Wilson's lifetime is marked by notable accomplishments as a talented musician, promoter and radio disk jockey (DJ). He's quick to share his love for Little Richard and Elvis's early years, and has rubbed shoulders with some of the greats in country, including: Big Al Downing, Johnny Paycheck,  George Jones, Kitty Wells, Merle Haggard, Lynne Anderson, Waylon Jennings, Charlie Daniels, and Boxcar Willey.

Wilson, a native of Oxford, Mass., has a strong connection to Nichols College. As a music promoter in 1979, he brought Doctor Hook & the Medicine Show to Chalmers Field House for two, sold-out performances.  In 1983, his daughter, Cynthia Wilson-Belsky, graduated magna cum laude from Nichols with a bachelor's in business administration. In 2007, Wilson worked with Len Harmon, director of the Fischer Institute, to bring blues greats Paul Rishell and Annie Raines and country singer Hugh Moffatt to campus for free (and open to the public) concerts. And today, Wilson is a frequent guest speaker in the Arts & Entertainment classes of Professor Timothy Grigg.

Wilson says that co-hosting with Justin Dolan is great fun; "We just click." Dolan, a Nichols junior, says "I really enjoy working with the community DJs because they bring a different perspective and style to our station programming which widens our listening audience." WNRC 97.5 FM broadcasts 24/7 out of Nichols Alumni Hall on Center Road. Community week-day programs include:

A West Brookfield, Mass., resident, Dolan holds several scholarships, including the notable President's Achievement.  He says that he feels at home on the friendly Dudley campus, but most important to him academically is Nichols "excellent faculty, all experienced professionals in their own field." In between his studies and duties at the radio station, Dolan works part-time in Nichols Buildings & Grounds helping to keep the campus looking spiffy.

As a marketing major, Dolan is trying to incorporate relationship building that Professor Larry Muller stresses in his business-to-business classes. He says: "We want to have positive relationships with our listeners so that when the need arises, we can count on them for support. We place a heavy emphasis on promotional marketing and have a great relationship with another station, WGFP 940 AM, whose DJs constantly tell their listeners to tune into WNRC!"

"Whenever someone listens via the Internet, we know where they are listening from, what time, and how long," says Dolan. WNRC 97.5 FM offers live audio via the web and is currently trying to raise funds to help defray online streaming cost. "In terms of donations, we use an old rule of thumb for a small market niche such as ours. One donor equals about 40 listeners. This year, we are currently $300 dollars away from our fundraising goal of $3,000."

"But there is still time to donate!" says Dolan, who hopes to keep WNRC's community connection strong. Listeners have until April 15^th to make a tax-deductable pledge by making checks out to "WNRC 97.5 Nichols College" and sending correspondence to Nichols College Radio Station, PO Box 5000, Dudley, MA  01571.