Five Towns College radio is SOUND-ing real good

By Tyler McCready

The complete Fall 2025 FTC Sound Stream schedule was launched on September 22nd, featuring a new and fresh sound for the school year. The station’s managers, Professors Andre Doughty and Jodi Vale-Amato, have been working hard to implement changes that will help the Sound Stream run smoothly and create a welcoming environment for students of all majors to enhance their radio broadcasting skills. The FTC Sound Stream is building off of last year’s success, which earned Mass Comm Senior Daniel Garcia an Intercollegiate Broadcasting Systems (IBS) national award for “Best On-Air Personality.”  

“This semester, we are incorporating more voice tracking into the station so you’ll hear more student voices on-air,” Doughty notes. “Of course, we’ve got a recent slew of programming from new students coming into the station. We’ve revamped the music for the station a little bit, organizing it into specific blocks now, so at a certain time of the day, you’ll know and you’ll hear a certain kind of music around that time.”

Check out the current Fall 2025 schedule:

SCHEDULE – FTC Sound Stream

More than forty students showed up and packed the Gene Free Studios at the station’s interest meeting on September 16th, and some new students are already on the air. Amanda Penny, a first-year Mass Comm student, is excited for her show, Penny For Your Thoughts. “My show is interview-based. I’m going to be interviewing people in the industry, my friends, and just things I find interesting,” Penny explains. “It’s a little spinoff of something I do out of here called Amanda’s World, my podcast, except it’s live radio.”

The FTC Sound Stream is also returning a bunch of shows this semester, including Sounds from the Small Screen, Off the Beaten Track, and OST Breakdown, to name a few. Radio hosts are excited to start up again. “I’m trying to improve our level of quality for my last year [of college],” said Stephen Cooney, OST Breakdown’s Co-Host. Cooney looks to up the production value of his video-game music-themed show. “I want it to be more in-depth, have some more examples of certain things, maybe have a couple of interviews with special guests over the semester, and just really push the envelope of what the radio show could be,” he said.  

The FTC Sound Stream’s flagship show, Good Morning FTC, is back with some new and returning hosts. The daily morning show broadcasts live on Mondays through Fridays from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. with a re-airing at 10:00 a.m. The Sound Stream wants to boost the station’s visibility and will host special monthly live Good Afternoon FTC broadcasts during Common Hour. The first Good Afternoon FTC aired on September 23rd during the college’s Collaboration Day tabling event in the Upbeat.

Daniel Garcia, who hosts three shows in addition to serving as a station night manager, used the summer months to focus on reshaping the station’s sound to incorporate more cutting-edge music that reflects the diverse student population of FTC. “Stephen Cooney, Professors Andre [Doughty], Brigette Boyle, and I all worked over this summer to really make sure that we all get the Sound Stream’s [music] to a place that we all enjoy,” Garcia said.  

Broadcasting twenty-three student-produced shows require more hands on deck as the station looks to boost listenership. This semester’s night managers, Talaya Guirantes, Daniel Garcia, Nature Langhorne, Jace DeMarco, and Ihari Oromo, are tasked with organizing radio show materials, keeping the music selection fresh, and editing show clips for distribution. “I’m excited just to start something new. I will get to learn all the skills of the radio station, and I am excited to hear a lot of new and upcoming shows as well, and be part of that,” said first-time Night Manager Talaya Guirantes. In addition to student involvement, new Adjunct Professor Rachel Strauss, who hosts her own award-winning podcast, Latinos Out Loud, will be teaching students on-air techniques.

The FTC Sound Stream is always looking for new student broadcasters from all majors and is receptive to student feedback. Feel free to pitch a show or share your ideas with Andre Doughty and Jodi Vale-Amato on what you’d like to see from the station. 

How to listen to the FTC Sound Stream:

Online: FTC Sound Stream – The Voice of Five Towns College

Mixcloud: FTC Sound Stream’s Favorites | Mixcloud

Download the FTC Sound Stream App: FTC Sound Stream on the App Store

Social Media: (7) Instagram