Elmhurst College seniors aim for broadcast record

It's tough for Jennifer Anthony and Emma Kaminski to get all talked out.

"We both have pretty outgoing personalities," Anthony said, just days after the two Elmhurst College seniors spent more than 66 consecutive hours chatting on the radio airwaves in what could prove a successful attempt at breaking a world record.

Anthony, of St. Charles, is music director at WRSE-FM 88.7, the campus radio station. Naperville resident Kaminski is the station's business director. They both host shows on the station, which also can be heard through an online stream at wrse887fm.com.

When they decided to go for the record, they got in touch with the folks at Guinness, filled out the requisite forms, read the rules, got their application accepted and steeled themselves for a long, sleepless stretch of yakking into microphones.

"We're both graduating in May. We were looking for a way to commemorate our time at college. We were looking for a way to 'go out with a bang' kind of thing," Anthony said.

Kaminski, who hosts a variety show called "Shuffle Time," said they also wanted to create awareness for the station.

During the more-than-two-day radio marathon, the two students - Anthony, a communication sciences major aiming for a career as a speech pathologist, and Kaminski, a music business major - reminisced about their college days, played and narrated board games, invited guests into the studio to chat and voiced their musings on a variety of topics.

"We definitely tried to stay away from political topics, because that can get heated and really messy," Anthony said.

Both DJs have been involved with WRSE for most of their college careers.

"We talked about our experiences at the radio station," Anthony said.

That included memories about a battle-of-the-bands event and a recent trip to a college radio conference in New York City.

Sometimes the constant patter, which could not lapse for more than 10 seconds without breaking a rule, veered into stream-of-consciousness territory.

"There was 45 minutes, a time when I was talking about different types of clouds," Kaminski said.

Another segment featured a live musical performance from Kaminski, who said her primary musical instrument is her voice, though she also plays guitar and piano.

"One of our witnesses brought in her ukulele. I started playing just scales," she said.

Witnesses are required by Guinness to monitor potential record-breakers in four-hour shifts, she said. The entire experience also must be videotaped for verification purposes. Several witnesses became in-studio talk show guests, but were limited to talking for only one minute at a time before Anthony or Kaminski were required to chime in.

To comply with regulations, the DJs kept track of time with a clock on the soundboard, Anthony said.

Before the duo began their on-air odyssey at 10:08 a.m. Saturday, March 17, the world record for Longest Radio Marathon Talk Show as a Team was 60 hours, 52 minutes and 8 seconds, set in Jordan in 2014.

Not only did Anthony and Kaminski have to remain awake, they had to keep talking and sharing talking time, except for during break times, which they had to take together.

"For every 60 minutes, we earned five minutes of rest time," Anthony said.

Because they were allowed to string several five-minute breaks together to take cumulatively longer breaks, they decided to take two 20-minute breaks and one hourlong break, during which the station broadcast music.

"It was kind of a struggle for us to decide when to take those breaks," Anthony said. "Before this, we had never been on the air together."

Anthony said she functions best when she is able to get eight to 10 hours of sleep per night, and has never stayed up all night to study or finish a term paper.

"I got less than two hours of sleep over that entire weekend," she said. "Doing this broadcast was the first time I pulled an all-nighter."

"I've definitely pulled an all-nighter," Kaminski said.

She calls herself a morning person who requires only five or six hours of sleep per night, and has no need for coffee or other caffeinated inspiration.

"I drink mainly chocolate milk," she said.

Bathroom breaks were no problem with a bathroom directly across the hall from the studio, Anthony said.

Food was supplied by the station's sponsor, the Red Arrow Tap Room. Anthony said chicken wings, brisket sandwiches and macaroni and cheese were delivered to the studio. And then the Elmhurst restaurant sent over an order of warm brownies and ice cream.

"My favorite memory of the weekend was when Red Arrow came in with dessert because it was so unexpected," Anthony said.

The two finally signed off the air after 66 hours, 45 minutes and 59 seconds, staying behind the microphones for more than five hours longer than the previous record-holder. They said they expect to hear from Guinness about whether they officially broke the record within 12 weeks.

It wasn't until after the event that Anthony felt any negative effects.

"My voice sounded like a frog," she said. "I definitely won't stay up this long again unless I absolutely have to."

Kaminski said she'd be game to repeat the experience, with better break planning.

As for college radio, Kaminski said she highly recommends it for other students.

"Out of all my time at Elmhurst College," she said, "the radio has provided the least stressful and most rewarding activities."