Internet podcast could jump-start student’s career

Making it in the radio business is tough, but for one NE Campus student, success might be closer than she ever imagined.Whitney Steele has always wanted to make it in the entertainment business, and she may have just found her true calling. Over the summer, Steele helped start an Internet podcast called Our New Energy Making Impactful Changes, or O.N.E. MIC for short.

“The show has a hip-hop theme,” she said. “We play all hip-hop and rap music and talk mostly about controversial or debatable topics in hip-hop music.”

Steele, who worked with radio and film in high school, has always had the passion to work in this field, she said. However, this time she is trying something different. Steele doesn’t host the show. Instead, she and another colleague head the production side.

“My job is more about producing and helping with the image of the show,” she said. “I have to help find sponsors for the show, make and sell shirts and, of course, help work the equipment during the show.”

Steele hopes she can eventually turn this experience into her career and wants to go to the University of North Texas to pursue a broadcast degree.

“Even though the show is still pretty new, I am getting great experience at a lot of different things and am really starting to realize what it takes to make it in this career field,” she said.

Steele may very well be off to a good start.

The show already has an average of nearly 1,000 listeners every show with one show even reaching the 2,000-listeners mark.

One of those listeners is TCC student Bianca Arebalos.

“It’s really cool to listen to because they will mention a lot of local things that I can see or know about,” she said.

Student Cole Conway is another show fan.

“I really like constantly getting to hear different kinds of music, artists and songs,” he said.

Since the show is new, there are occasional technical problems. However, Steele is working hard to get those fixed.

“We are still learning, and the shows are getting better,” she said. “I think since we play a mixture of local artists and big-name artists, it helps capture a wider audience.”

The show is definitely getting its name in the public eye.

Furthermore, with such a wide variety, the show already has a distinct advantage over other shows.

“We just really want to capture people’s interests,” Steele said. “Our ultimate goal is 10,000 listeners, but when the show reaches that, we will keep setting new goals.”

The live show out of Arlington airs for two hours beginning at 7 p.m. Fridays on fishbowlradionetwork.com.