As Golden Triangle residents rise and shine during the workweek, the Mississippi State student-led radio show “Rise and Ring” serves as the soundtrack while they get ready to take on the day.
The show, airing 7-9 a.m. each Tuesday and Thursday on WMSV 91.1 The Junction, is hosted by Gracelyn Johnson, a sophomore communication major from Amory, and senior political science major Wesley Webb of Oxford. What makes it unique, according to Junction General Manager Becca Thorn, is how the hosts’ personalities drive long-form entertainment segments, including light-hearted debates over the best foods and traits that would be dealbreakers for friendships and relationships—adding to the variety of content enjoyed by a wide range of listeners.
“From pop culture and sports to all the things happening locally, we really want to feature all the things that people are interested in and happening here. In terms of content, it’s really all about just trying out ideas—the things that people would normally talk about if they’re not on the radio—and seeing if they work. Our thought is we always want those listening to kind of chat along with us—to think they’re part of the conversation, no matter what we’re discussing,” Johnson said. “Wesley definitely brings a more professional side to the show, but we joke around and have a lot of fun. Learning his sense of humor and personality has helped me create better content, and our regular listeners say they can tell we’ve become friends through this.”
“Gracelyn has a very bubbly personality, and that’s so important for any form of long-talk show,” Webb added. “Nobody is going to listen to you if you’re not having fun.”
“Rise and Ring” went from concept to practice after Thorn pitched the idea to Webb, who worked as a station DJ, after he expressed interest in talk radio. Thorn paired him with Johnson, and the duo began working on segment ideas and developing an on-air rapport late in the summer and into the fall semester.
“When conceptualizing a morning show for 91.1 The Junction, Gracelyn and Wesley came to mind easily as potential hosts. Their dedication and passion shine through in everything they do, and ‘Rise and Ring’ is no different. They have been involved since the idea first crossed my mind and have set the bar very high for the future,” Thorn said. “The amount of time and dedication that they spend week to week preparing for and executing the show is what sets it apart. They have a natural ability for balancing personality, entertainment and information that not many, especially college students, do.”
Webb, who is on track to graduate in May, said he hopes to continue growing the show’s listenership this semester and pass the reigns fully to Johnson as she takes “Rise and Ring” into the future. MSU, he said, provided him a pathway to get both the formal education he desired through his major and a “completely different avenue of skills and insights into different things” through the college radio station.
“It’s hard to find a lot of schools that have been willing to invest in student talent at a college radio station like MSU has,” Webb said. “You know there’s support there when folks are willing to give two on-air hours twice a week like that to two college students.”
The Junction, with a 70-mile listening radius around campus, is on the radio dial at 91.1 FM, online using the TuneIn radio app or at www.wmsv.msstate.edu.
Since its creation in 1994, the station has won more than 50 state and national awards. It operates within the university’s Division of Strategic Communications, which includes strategic marketing and branding, university news, graphic design and photography units, and the University Television Center.