WPCR Spotlight: Kyle Rainville & Joshua Butler

The hosts of WPCR’s weekly show, Maniacs on the Radio, jam out in the station’s newly renovated office every Friday night from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. Kyle Rainville and Joshua Butler don’t decide on playlists ahead of time. Armed with a computer and iPod, they play whatever they feel like, which includes electronica, jazz, Brit rock, post punk, rap, trip hop, acid house, and occasionally metal. It may seem like an odd combination, but "it seems natural when you’re doing it," said Butler. 

The duo joined PSU’s radio station during their second semester while they were roommates in Grafton Hall. Butler had sat in on some meetings, but he didn’t hit it off until Rainville joined. "I guess I was missing your element of it," said Butler. Rainville joined because of his passion for music, and "to kind of light the fire of kinship [and] find other people who have that passion," he said. 

The show’s late-night time slot results in a sparse audience, hovering around 0-5 online listeners at a time. It does have its perks. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) enforces a regulation which bans explicit content on the radio between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. This leaves room for broader artistic freedom after the kids go to bed, and a freedom that the hosts find very important. If language was censored, "the integrity of the show, I feel like, would even be compromised," said Butler. 

Rainville agreed. Not wanting to sound selfish, he said, "We don’t do it for the people listening, we do it because we love doing it." The two hosts bounce off of each other, and often bounce from topic to topic. They can go from talking about Pokémon one minute, to discussing a political debate the next. "I think it’s important for a college radio, especially, to be spontaneous," said Butler. 

Both hosts have executive positions in the club. Rainville, a third year senior, is the Production Manager and Programmer. This lets him fiddle with the station’s website, which will help him in his future career in the world of IT, he said. Butler, a junior philosophy major, is the Assistant General Manager. One of the most important things he learned from the radio station was how to interact with people. 

What makes their show, Maniacs on the Radio, special is "the dynamic of having two people with an eclectic taste," said Butler. It was hard for the hosts to pick a favorite show, because after every show, Rainville said, "We come away thinking ‘that was awesome'". 

The two are still adjusting to the radio’s office, post-renovation, located on the first floor of the HUB. It feels a lot more open than it did last year. "This is like going from a crib to a big queen-sized bed," said Rainville. 

Maniacs on the Radio airs Friday nights to Saturday mornings from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. at 91.7 WPCR, or tune in online at www.wpcr.org 

WPCR holds meetings Wednesdays in Memorial 103 at 9 p.m. 

CLOCK PHOTO/BRADEN LYNN