WUMC 90.5 and The Stampede aired the first installment of the Tuesday evening news discussion show “Beyond the Bubble” on Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m.
This weekly 30-minute show co-hosted by Jim Dahlman, associate professor of communications and advisor of The Stampede and Paige Wassel, editor-in-chief, aims to inform the Milligan community of local and national current events and bring a personal angle to many of those stories.
During its first airing, senior Amanda Diefendorf joined the co-hosts to discuss growing up in Korea and her perspective on the unrest there. Retired NASA engineer Ken Suit, Sr., father of Ken Suit, assistant professor of communications, discussed the Challenger and Columbia explosions by telephone with Wassel. Suit also described his experiences as a Christian in the NASA setting.
Vietnam veteran Bert Allen joined the discussion on Feb. 11 to comment on the possibility of war with Iraq.
The concept of “Beyond the Bubble” began during the fall 2002 semester, according to Dahlman. He said he approached WUMC Station Manager Warren McCrickard about the possibility of starting a news-based radio program, and McCrickard was “very open” to the idea.
Dahlman then approached the Stampede editors to see if they were interested, but by the time the idea became reality, there were only a few weeks left in the semester, so he decided to wait until January.
McCrickard sent an e-mail to all Milligan faculty and staff in January, inviting anyone interested to host a program on WUMC. Dahlman responded and “Beyond the Bubble” was given a half-hour time slot each week.
Despite a few first show glitches, the Feb. 4 program became a reality.
“It went really well,” said Diefendorf. “The idea for the show is a good one, and it’s important to talk about what’s going on in the world. The fact that a Milligan perspective is addressed is even better.”
McCrickard shares the same excitement for the show.
“I think [“Beyond the Bubble”] is a great idea,” McCrickard said. “I’d love to air it daily, and I hope it’s something that continues every semester.”
He also said that having Dahlman involved gives the show more credibility than a purely student-led show.
“Truthfully, shows that involve faculty get higher ratings,” he said. “Someone like Jim Dahlman who is able to take national and world news and apply it locally is a good thing.”
Dahlman said “Beyond the Bubble” is a “painless way to stay current in the news…it’s to everyone’s benefit if they’re better informed of current events. It helps us make better decisions as individuals and as a community.”