Say you're a full-time broadcast major who wants to have a fun radio job, you've interned two semesters at your college's radio station, you love techno and they give you your own one-hour show. Such is the case of Marissa, the hostess of Lunchbreakz, the best non-commercial lunch-hour techno show in the Bay area. The show may fill a small niche, but sometimes to best do something, you have to specialize.
Marissa is one of several student jocks who work at Hawk Radio, 1520 AM, the student-run station of Hillsborough Community College. Her selection of favorite techno, breakbeat and electronica, mostly by local DJs, offers listeners a rare chance to hear some of the area's most talented turntablists during daylight hours and without paying a cover.
Lunchbreakz airs Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 to 2 p.m., and on the Web weekdays from 3 to 4 p.m. The playlists include such DJs as Icey, Santana, Whatt and Rick West. Marissa mixes in mainstream artists like Moby along with bedroom DJs (anybody who doesn't play in clubs but has a decent demo). Her verbal contribution consists of demure introductions, smart praise and mentions of where and when the DJs can be found spinning.
Hawk broadcasts its news, weather, sports and eclectic music format from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at a power of 1,000 watts, which isn't much, so unless you're working construction around the Ybor area, the reception won't be great. The best way to listen to Lunchbreakz or any of Hawk's programming is by visiting its Web site, www.hawkradio.com, and taking their link to Real.com, where a free download of RealPlayer 8 Basic is available. Providing your computer has a soundchip, you can then tune into Lunchbreakz via perfect digital reception.
—Cooper Cruz
This article appears in Jul 18-24, 2001.