WONC 89.1FM

Pure Rock FM89: The Radio Voice of North Central College

Featured Posts

Win Tickets to See One Step Closer at Subterranean

Hardcore fans, this one’s for you! One Step Closer are coming to Subterranean on May 18, and we’re giving you the chance to catch it live. The band has earned a reputation for pushing the boundaries of hardcore, blending in emo and ‘90s alt-rock influences without ever losing their intensity

Contests

Join The Morning Mojo Mod Squad

Join the Morning Mojo MOD Squad for a chance to win a MOD-size pizza or salad and a No Name Cake from MOD Pizza! Every Friday through August 15, Paloma and Jesse will draw a winner! Fill out the entry form below and you’re in for the entire summer! *MORNING

Featured

Chicago to Seoul: How the Concert Experience Changes

by Hailie Balding As an avid K-pop listener for almost 10 years now, I’ve been to my fair share of shows both big and small. There’s no secret that K-pop concerts in Korea are routinely better and grander than those held abroad, specifically in the United States. This doesn’t

Featured

Finding Myself in the Screams: A Journey Into Emo Music

by Karina Tapia I’ve always found comfort in the music I know. From K-pop and soft jazz, these genres feel like home. My friends, however, have introduced me to their own obscure music tastes and I’ve grown to love discovering new sounds though them. Despite being open to new music,

Featured

Lola’s Showbiz Studies: The Accounts of Assassins

by Lola Furbee One of my favorite times of the school year is the opening of the North Central College Theatre Department’s spring musical. If you happened to read the write-up I made last year on NCC’s Ride the Cyclone, you’d know I became deeply infatuated with that production, and

Featured

Morning Mojo Returns This Summer

Jesse Hudgins is bringing Morning Mojo back to FM89 starting May 5, and Paloma Mena is joining the show! Every weekday morning from 6 to 10, they’ll have something different, including music features, movie reviews, contests, and more! Plus the Punk Rock Pick-me-up returns every morning at 6:45! Also, be

Featured

Arcane and the Power of a Soundtrack

by Brianna Eloiza I discovered Netflix’s Arcane, inspired by the game League of Legends, after the second season had already concluded in December 2024, right before finals week in fall semester. I’d never heard of the show or the game, but thanks to the power of my TikTok algorithm,

Featured

Fat Dog Demands Your Attention

by Jesse Hudgins First releases are important. It’s the opening statement of any artist, and if your attention isn’t grabbed, you may not want to return for another release. Bands like Weezer, Led Zeppelin, and The Killers come to mind when talking about the best debut releases. I think

Featured

Silent Yet Powerful: Queen Bassist John Deacon

by Meghan Breitberg While he was the quietest member of Queen, John Deacon was an absolute powerhouse of a bassist and songwriter, writing some of Queen’s biggest hits such as “Another One Bites the Dust” and “You’re My Best Friend.” So, who is John Deacon and how is he

Featured

They Were More Than Brats: A Review of Brats

by Emma Svoboda Andrew McCarthy’s 2024 documentary Brats rehashes the mid-1980s grouping of young actors and their work, featuring flashback interviews, current interviews, movie clips, and Andrew McCarthy’s thoughts on all of it. The term was born from the title of a New York Magazine article of an interview

Music

Featured

The Art of a Film Soundtrack

by Olivia Rosenberg “Mrs. Robinson,” “Stayin’ Alive,” “My Heart Will Go On,” and “Lose Yourself.” These are all songs that were originally created for the big screen but continued to be hits beyond the movie from which they originated. Not everyone has seen The Bodyguard, but almost everyone has

Music

Stevie, Tina, Janis, and More: Highlighting the Women of Classic Rock

by Olivia Rosenberg As Women’s History Month comes to an end, WONC is honoring the women who defined the genre of rock n’ roll. From the 1950s onward, women were the voices and writers behind many infamous rock eras. Trailblazers One of the original female rock stars was

Music

How Lady Gaga’s Three Singles Set the Stage for Mayhem

by Cassie Schneider “Gaga ooh la la,” seemingly, as a lifelong Little Monster, I was quite pleased when Lady Gaga announced an actual record would be released. Her announcement about this came after the commercial tank that was Joker 2: Folie a Deux, in which she assumed the role

Featured

A Look Back at One Last Wish and 1986

by Jesse Hudgins One of the best aspects of going through vinyl at a record shop is coming across something that you and others may not have heard of. In October 2024, that was me when I came across a record recorded by One Last Wish: 1986. One Last

Music

From Miami Soul to Disco Gold: The Legacy of “Rock Your Baby”

by Ashly Rico Rolling Stone magazine voted it the #1 Single of the Year in 1974. The following year, John Lennon praised it on Spin Magazine, saying that he wished he could have written the early disco track that made him regard his songwriting differently. George McCrae’s debut single, “Rock

WONC Sports

Sports

Chicago Bears Draft Predictions

With the 2025 NFL Draft coming up in Green Bay, the Bears have been the subject of multiple rumors regarding who they could take in the draft. Gabe, Anthony, and Hayden have spent some time on who they believe the Bears could take, but it’s too unpredictable now. Here’s what

Sports

Packers Draft Outlook

by Dylan Gantz The 2025 NFL Draft is nearly here and in no better place than the home of the first 2 Super Bowls: Green Bay. The Packers are in an interesting spot as for the last couple of years the need at WR was not as much of

Jayden Lawrence

The UConn Huskies Win Championship Number 12

by Jayden Lawrence On Sunday, the 2-seeded UConn Huskies won their 12th National Championship, defeating South Carolina 82-59. The 19,731 fans inside Amalie Arena witnessed UConn secure the most national championships in college basketball. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt6G3LJ1KFo In February, these two teams ranked as the third most-watched women’s college basketball game,

Sports

2025 Chicago Cubs Season Preview

by Dylan Gantz The Chicago Cubs have plenty of upside and hope heading into the season with newly acquired superstar Kyle Tucker and bullpen additions like Ryan Braiser and Ryan Pressly. After an above average 2023 and 2024, this year could be the year where we see the Cubs

Jesse Hudgins

How John Cena Broke My Heart

by Jesse Hudgins For over 20 years, John Cena has been entertaining audiences on WWE television. During a premium live event in July of 2024, Cena announced that 2025 would be his last year of in-ring competition, marking an end of an era for the WWE. After that announcement, fans

Specialty Shows

Jesse Hudgins

Joker: Folie A Deux Trailer Finally Debuts

by Jesse Hudgins After years of anticipation and speculation on whether the movie would even be happening, the sequel to the 2019 movie Joker has gotten its first trailer. Dropping on April 9, the trailer gives us our first look at what to expect from what’s said to be a

Jesse Hudgins

The Crow Needs to Be Left Alone

by Jesse Hudgins This year, we’ll be getting a new adaptation of The Crow, the first in 19 years. It’ll star Bill Skarsgard as Eric Draven (The Crow) as he takes revenge on the group that killed him and his fiancé Shelly, played by FKA Twigs. This is a project that

Alternage

Contemplative Pop Punk: Neck Deep at The Salt Shed

by Chloe Kallberg After four months across the pond and on the road, Neck Deep’s second American tour came to a close in Chicago on February 25. Tucked into a tiny and expensive parking spot, my friends and I emptied our pockets, flashed our tickets, and permeated the Salt Shed

Jesse Hudgins

The Time Has Come for Sony to Sell Spider-Man

by Jesse Hudgins For nearly 25 years, Sony has owned the rights to Spider-Man and the characters connected to him. In that time, we’ve had 11 films using the Spider-Man characters under the Sony banner, nine live-action and two animated, with the latest being Madame Web with Kraven the

Alternage

2024 Music Predictions

by Jesse Hudgins and Chloe Kallberg Alternage is approaching its third birthday, which means we’ve been closely following release schedules of our favorite punk, pop punk, emo, and alternative genres since we began college. Meshed with our own personal wish lists, here are three predictions we have for what’s in

Jesse Hudgins

FX Deserves Their Flowers

Over the years there have been TV channels that have reigned supreme as those with the best original content. Whether it be AMC with Breaking Bad and Walking Dead or HBO with Game of Thrones and The Sopranos, each channel had their time at the top. There’s been one channel,

Alternage

Alternage Retrospective: Milo Goes to College

“I want to be stereotyped; I want to be classified.” These are lyrics that can apply to any generation of music listener. They were written by California punks Descendents and were released on the 1982 album Milo Goes to College. Descendents are a California punk band that formed in 1977

Crossroads

The Crossroads Artist Highlight: Bryan Martin

by Sam Corbett The Crossroads is one of the newest shows on FM89, meaning a whole new batch of genres, artists, and songs. Outlaw country rock, southern rock, shadow country, and delta blues are just some of the genres that the show will highlight. While I’m excited to bring new

Jordan Mark

Pop Stop: Have We Lost Our Minds?

by Jordan Mark A pop show on a rock station. The same station that’s dedicated itself to keeping the rock spirit alive and running for decades. The station that prides itself on playing the classics to the cutting edge. FM89 is that sanction to keep you moving in the world,

Crossroads

The Crossroads: Embrace Your Inner Outlaw

by Sam Corbett We all have an inner outlaw. The voice in your head and in your heart that wants to strut around town with a swagger. That feeling that you don’t always have to listen to others; that you can blaze your own trail. A badass vibe that always

Reviews

Featured

They Were More Than Brats: A Review of Brats

Featured

Lola’s Showbiz Studies: A “Tiny” Love for Maybe Happy Ending

by Lola Furbee On March 14th, the original Broadway cast album of the musical Maybe Happy Ending was released. Directed by Michael Arden, this one-act musical tells the simple but breathtaking story of connection, friendship, and love between two robots. With an on-stage cast consisting of only four people

Reviews

R.E.P.O.: Robots, Monsters, and Absolute Anarchy

by Gray Bunch Gravity? No problem. Voice-altering item effects while you hold it? You got it. Do robots that speak look similar to Canadian characters from South Park? Definitely! R.E.P.O. is a horror co-op voice proximity game you can play with 5 friends, or by yourself; no one’s judging here.

Reviews

Dark Comedy is Shining in 2025

by Sierra Knutsen Horror movies have become increasingly popular over the years, each attempting to either rebrand themselves as something entirely original or replicate the formula iconic franchises have delivered audiences over the years in a new way. This year, there’s been a rise in popularity of a refreshing

Reviews

Flow: Animation That Speaks Louder Than Words

by Elena Bantista On March 1, Director Gints Zilbalodis’ film Flow won an Oscar for the 2025 Best Animated Film. The hero in the movie is a black cat who doesn’t talk but still speaks volumes by his bold expressions and larger-than-life personality and adventures that jump off the screen.

Reviews

Deathloop Fails to Deliver

by Preston Rizzo During winter break, I finally had the opportunity to play a game I had been waiting to play since 2021. Deathloop is the latest single-player focused game from Arkane Studios, who’ve made games I liked such as Dishonored and Prey. Naturally, I was interested when I

Reviews

2025 Academy Awards Live-Action Short Films

by Mia Sciabica Recently, I was able to watch all of the Oscar-nominated animation and live-action short films at my favorite historic theater, the Music Box. The Academy made great choices for the animated shorts, but I’d like to explore more deeply the films chosen for the live-action category

Lola Furbee

Lola’s Showbiz Studies: Steps in Directing (The 39 Steps)

by Lola Furbee The North Central College Theatre Department started the new year off strong with their first production of the semester, The 39 Steps, a comedic stage play based on the Alfred Hitchcock movie of the same name. I had the immense privilege to be the Assistant Director

Lola Furbee

Lola’s Showbiz Studies: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

by Lola Furbee I had the incredible opportunity to relive one of my greatest childhood passions over winter break. The Harry Potter book series was my absolute favorite reading venture throughout middle school. I became totally engrossed with the entire franchise; I binge-watched all of the movies, took tests

Jesse Hudgins

28 Years Later Trailer Creates Excitement

by Jesse Hudgins The initial trailer for 28 Years Later has been released and it is the best trailer I’ve seen for a movie in years. This is how a trailer is done! A big problem with modern-day movie trailers is they give most of the movie away. Staying

Alumni Spotlight

Brian Iossi

Years at WONC : 2006-2009 In his time at WONC, Brian hosted one of the longer-running specialty shows, Precious Metal, with a number of people. He also spent time hosting Vintage Rock, and called baseball, softball, and basketball games. After graduating from NCC, Brian began a career in teaching and

Alumni Spotlight

Bob King

Years at WONC: 1977-1981 In his time at WONC, Bob wore many hats. He was an on-air DJ, specialty show host, newscaster, and occasional color commentator for sports broadcasts. He also served as the News Director from 1977-1978, and was the Station Manager from 1980-1981. In 1981, he was named

Alumni Spotlight

Greg Williams

Years at WONC: 2017-2021 In his time at WONC, Greg was a force in the WONC Sports Department. Starting as a color commentator for football, he soon took on the role of play-by-play for almost all NCC football games, and covered baseball, softball, and men’s and women’s basketball games.In December

Alumni Spotlight

Megann Horstead

Years at WONC : 2014-2015 During her short stretch at WONC, Megann made the most of her time, hosting various DJ shifts, as well as frequently covering news, sports, and traffic reporting duties. She used her experience at WONC to earn a programming internship at WDCB Public Radio. After graduating

Alumni Spotlight

Lucas Burris

Years at WONC: 2019-2022 Lucas began his time at WONC doing only newscasts and sports, but his involvement in the sports department was quite heavy. He called many baseball and softball games his first year, even earning Best Play-By-Play (Baseball) at the 2020 Intercollegiate Broadcasting System Awards. His sophomore year,

Concert Photos

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