Sex Panther Radio
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Sex Panther Radio is an online radio program broadcasted on WCNU, an online radio station for Christopher Newport University. Reaching over 5,000 students, faculty and administrators at CNU, the show has become a local phenomenon. Sex Panther Radio has garnered critical acclaim from students and faculty alike for it's honest and comedic depiction of campus life. Sex Panther is headlined by Erick Hellwig and Nick Abbott and produced by Matthew Ward. Former members of the program include Ross Cantrell, John Jones and Corey Lockhart.
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[edit] About
Sex Panther is a comedy-based online radio show. It airs Monday and Thursday nights from 10:15pm to 12:15am on WCNU radio. All broadcasts can be heard on iTunes; through its URL streaming option.
The program includes a variety of segments that contrast each other greatly. The common tie between the segments is the satirical wit of the two hosts throughout the program. While the program is somewhat tailored to students at the University, the general topics discussed have made it a fixture at schools nationwide. Sex Panther has also been listened to by American troops overseas, having deployed soldiers from Alfghanistan call in on numerous occasions.
[edit] Trashy Romance Novel Readings
The idea for Sex Panther "Trashy Romance Novel Readings"(TRNR) originated in 2004 during one of the early broadcasts. The next week, the first ever TRNR was written and performed on air. Erick Hellwig performed the reading while Nick Abbott played acoustic guitar and sang backup vocals. The new segment was immediately embraced by the audience, and it has remained a staple of the show ever since.
The concept of the TRNR is to essentially poke fun at romance novels from acclaimed authors, such as Danielle Steele. The humorous readings typically span about three to four minutes and greatly exaggerate the promiscuous language typically found in these types of literature.
Storylines for Sex Panther TRNR's have included the story of a 68 year old man and his 26 year old lover as well as the abduction and wooing of an Alaskan man by an alien.
Beginning in 2007, TRNR's have become much more oriented towards the female characters, developing their backgrounds and personal beliefs further than their male counterparts. This is in stark contrast to the earlier TRNR's, where women were generally used as character foils for the male protagonist.
[edit] The Weather
"The Weather" portion of Sex Panther is written by both Erick Hellwig and Nick Abbott and performed by Abbott. The four day forecast features a comedic twist of an eccentric personality intermittently spliced with the cultural stereotypes of an every-day weatherman. Abbott plays the part of an ultra-conservative school administrator/weatherman, telling the students of the upcoming forecast while lacing his "weather-man" vernacular with diatribes about campus policies and following the rules at any costs necessary.
[edit] The News
"The News" was recently added to the Sex Panther lineup after a meeting in late 2006 highlighted the shows perceived lack of educational value. While the news portion is punctuated with one liners or politically-fused quips, it's innate purpose is to alert listeners about current events on local, national and international levels. What has ensued is a struggle to keep listeners informed while retaining the primary goal of creating a humor-filled listening experience.
The remedy to this writers quandary has been the inclusion of "The Entertainment News", first introduced in January of 2007. This segment, immediately following the factual news, lends itself more amicably to the outrageous social commentary on celebrities and culture that has endeared listeners to Sex Panther for three years. With overwhelming positive response, "The News" and "The Entertainment News" have become elements of the permanent program format for Sex Panther.
[edit] The Sports
"The Sports" segment of Sex Panther is written by production manager Matthew Ward and Erick Hellwig and performed by Ward. The segment includes both relevant sporting news as well as the absurd stories in sports ripped from the headlines. The classic Sex Panther wit is prevelant in this segment, usually lasting approximately two to three minutes depending on the quantity of timely sporting news.
[edit] Pillow Talk
"Pillow Talk" refers to a segment that usually begins around the 11:30 mark of the program. "Pillow Talk" deals with listener questions about sexual health, curiosity or any other possible discussion topics addressed by either e-mail or live-call in conversations. As a naturally more explicit portion of Sex Panther programming, this portion is always reserved for the latter half of the show to ensure a more mature listening audience.
[edit] Prank Calls
The earlier mentioned Ross Cantrell, also referred to as "Sketchball Ross", was well known for a number of prank calls he orchestrated while functioning as a full-time DJ on the program. Numerous calls to local Newport News business's including Wendy's and Waffle House as well as the 1-800-FLOWERS hotline struck a chord with listeners of the show. John Jones, another former member of the Sex Panther Radio program, also participated in these calls. Since the departure of both members, the prank calls portion of the program has yet to be re-visited.
[edit] The Music
In addition to the aforementioned segments, Sex Panther plays a wide variety of music, ranging from Billboard Top 10 bands to lesser known indie groups.
The following bands have all appeared on the Sex Panther playlist over the past three years... Taking Back Sunday, Muse, Midtown, Jurassic 5, The Killers, Arctic Monkeys, Saosin, Underoath, Paramore, Fall Out Boy, As Tall as Lions, New Found Glory, The Movielife, Blink 182, Modest Mouse, The Sounds, Thrice, Gym Class Heroes, and many more.
The ecclectic mix of music is specifically designed to help listeners hear familiar music as well as expirience lesser known musical acts.
[edit] The Material
The actual content of Sex Panther is not technically guided by FCC guidelines, however, it is mandated in the organization's Constitution that it will follow those guidelines as well as late-night regulations. This means that programs airing after 10 p.m. may contain certain material that would be expressly forbidden at earlier hours in the day. Sex Panther contains segments and explicit material that airs in accordance with late-night regulations and airs disclaimers during its broadcasts to ensure listener awareness to such material.
[edit] The School
Christopher Newport University funds WCNU, the on-line radio station that Sex Panther broadcasts on. The studio is located on the first floor of York River West, an all freshman residence hall on the university's campus. All station equipment is operated and maintained by IT, the technical group at CNU that operates all technical operations.
[edit] WCNU
WCNU is a local online radio station serving the students of Christopher Newport University. The campus is located in Newport News, Virginia. The WCNU Public Relations committe coined the motto "Your Station, Your School, Your Voice!" in order to help ignite the general student populus of Christopher Newport University. The station is available to anyone with a computer and internet access.
[edit] Resources
[edit] External links
- [4] Christopher Newport University's website
