Season three of “We Can! Radio” kicked off on Tuesday at the studios on the University of Tampa (UT) campus. Tune in to WUTT 1080 AM on Tuesdays at 7 and you’ll hear Madds2Radd and Em discussing current events and social justice while listening to indie rock.
By day they’re known as Madison Kazar and Emilie Sukijbumrung, seniors at the University of Tampa. They use their show as a platform to talk about their passions and highlight important issues.
Kazar and Sukijbumrung at the Women’s March St. Petersburg on January 21, 2017.
“‘We Can!’ is Emilie and I’s little way of…shining light on groups of people who have been underrepresented,” Kazar explained. “We’re aware we don’t have a huge influence, but at least we’re starting these conversations [at UT].”
The hosts hope that their show opens up dialogue about issues that aren’t often discussed within the UT student body.
“Using the platform that we have, a college radio station, we do have an opportunity to spread our message…and get people thinking and talking,” Sukijbumrung said.
The show gets its name from the iconic Rosie the Riveter artwork, which is now a symbol for the feminist movement.
“We started out as a feminist talk show, and we realized that there’s no way to talk about feminism without talking about intersectionality, and there’s no way to talk about intersectionality without talking about the other social injustices in the world,” Sukijbumrung said.
When “We Can!” started, the hosts discussed their opinions about issues that they view as important. The third season, however, features a renewed focus on interviewing guests.
“We realized we needed to bring in other people who have more credibility and whose voice matters more on specific topics,” Sukijbumrung said.
Interviewing guests, whether a Syrian refugee or a body positivity activist, allows Kazar and Sukijbumrung to learn alongside their audience.
“To avoid sounding like privileged people talking about some things we can’t relate to, we’re asking other people to come on the show and talk about their issues and their perspectives,” Kazar said.
Sukijbumrung said that hosting a live radio show is a unique and fulfilling experience.
“Everything doesn’t go as planned, like [sometimes] we don’t really know what to expect but it’s still cool,” she said. “We get to let somebody talk about something that matters to them and that’s the coolest part.”
Interested in guest hosting, helping with “We Can!” social media or listening to past episodes of the show? Visit WeCanRadio.com.