By Andrew Hartnett
Contributing Writer
WUNH General Manager Brendan Phelan has no interest in making a career for himself on the radio. Instead, he wants to invest in real estate.
“It’s funny, because my career goal has nothing to do with radio,” said Phelan, going on to say long-term housing investment is something of a “pipe dream” to him.
Phelan, a senior business major at UNH, recalls his beginnings with WUNH, and now laughs at how little it has to do with his chosen career path.
He’s just finished a weekly meeting with a handful of WUNH executives DJs and DJs in training. Two very empty boxes of pizza sat on a table in the room next to us, where the meeting had just ended. Soft alternative music floated through the door, and every piece of furniture had been slapped with a plentitude of stickers supporting some band or record company. Phelan’s office is very colorful, and very comfortable.
Phelan came to UNH knowing he wanted to be a DJ. He’s something of a DJ legacy, as he noted his dad was also a college DJ years ago, which is what inspired Brendan to get started at the radio station. He was a recognized DJ by November of his first semester, and by March of the following semester he was elected business manager.
In Phelan’s own words, “It’s just kind of grown from there.”
WUNH has indeed become a large part of Phelan’s life, just as he is now a quintessential part of the station. He is a contributor on multiple shows throughout the week on WUNH, including his own show “The Power Hour,” on Tuesdays, and two sports shows, “WildChat,” and “The Phelan and Migs Show,” which he describes as “a take on Felger and Mazz (a regional sports talk-show)… where we talk about Boston sports, UNH sports, and happenings around campus.”
The repeated theme in Phelan’s description of the station is that it’s comfortable and a great place to go to and relax. He’s met some of his best friends through his time at WUNH, and the studio has become just about his favorite place to hang out over the years.
“It’s a place where you can get homework done, where you can socialize when you’re not doing your show… everyone in the organization is like-minded in that they like independent, alternative music,” he said.
The last message Phelan wished to get across is that the WUNH staff loves when people come by to hang out, do homework, or whatever else in their semi-furnished,CD-packed lounge. They don’t only offer music, but also news, sports, podcasting and they even have a studio for independent students to record what they will.
“There’s something for everyone,” he said, “There’s a wide scope of what we do, and I think that’s kind of lost on people sometimes.”
So, next time you’re bored or just looking for some place to hang out, feel free to swing by the WUNH studio; visitors are more than welcome, and they’d love to have you.
You can also tune in to Phelan’s radio shows on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and occasionally Friday nights. As always, you can find WUNH at 91.3 FM, and stream it at wunh.org.
