Every Thursday night from 10 p.m. to 2 a. m. you should be tuning
your radio to WWSP 90 FM and listen live to DJ Charlie Brown IV host his
alternative hip hop show, “40 oz of Hip Hop”.
Charlie Brown IV, a second-semester junior at UW-Stevens Point, as
well as the Promotions Director for 90FM. The first hour of his show is devoted
to old-school hip hop, followed by two hours of requests. During the final
hour, Brown does a mix of requests and his own music.
“There gets to be a point in the night where I can’t even put the
phone down,” Brown said.
“40 oz of Hip Hop” has an interesting following. It has become
very popular among prisons in the area, which started with a letter from Roger,
aka The Maniac. Jackson Correctional, New Lisbon Correctional and Oxford
Correctional currently listen to the show.
“People call in with requests for inmates and for themselves. I
have even gotten to talk to a few prisoners in the past on the phone,” Brown
said.
90 FM first started the “40 oz of Hip Hop” show around
Thanksgiving last year. They found a bunch of old hip hop vinyl in the studio
and decided to put them to use. Originally, the show was done on Sunday nights,
but the staff decided to change it to Thursdays with the mindset that they
would create a bigger following because of Thirsty Thursdays. Soon, people started
sending in letters and calling in with requests.
“One week I had over 300 requests, which is a crazy amount for a
four-hour show,” Brown said.
Mitchel De Santis, a senior majoring in communication with an
emphasis in public relations, had to fill in for Charlie one night during a
show.
“A guy called in and had me read a poem about his brother that had
passed away, and then he requested two songs for him,” De Santis said.
De Santis is the program director at 90FM. Although he doesn’t
plan on getting into the radio business, he likes the sense of responsibility
it has taught him.
“It’s a good time, working with fun people. The perfect job for
college,” De Santis said.
Brown also enjoys his job and likes making people happy. He even
had a prisoner tell him that his show helps him escape the prison walls for a
bit. Brown has a massive fan following and has received stacks of letters and
artwork drawn by prisoners.
“The profile picture for the Facebook page was actually drawn by a
prisoner of Jackson Correctional,” Brown said.
In
order to make requests, you can visit the “40 oz of Hip Hop” Facebook page or
call their request line at (715) 346-2696.