recently joined SiriusXM as an Associate Producer for Music Programming. He worked as a sound composer on the feature length film KULTUR, which premiered at the Black Harvest Film Festival in Chicago.
Audio Production | Undergraduate
Our students study the science of sound and digital audio, the recording of voice and the environment, digital editing, mixing, mastering, sound and music and their effects on audio productions.
Our Story
The program encourages students to explore the rich variety of career opportunities available to sound and audio production professionals.
Our students have produced award-winning projects, including commercials and public service announcements for Howard University's WHUR Radio Network (including student-run stations WHBC and Glasshouse Radio Project), along with short and long-form audio documentaries, podcasts, radio programs and soundtracks for visual media such as film, television and webcasts.
Student Work
Munyang Tengen, Class of 2024
has been promoted as a Programs Contractor at the National Gallery of Art. She was formerly a museum studies intern and an assistant in Photograph Conservation with the museum. She also worked as a composer on the feature film 'One Town at a Time', which screened at the Oscar-Qualifying Reel Sisters Film Festival and Lecture series in New York.
Learn moreElijah Kirksey, Class of 2024
Amber Grant, Class of 2021
is currently the Commercial Marketing Manager at Virgin Music Group. She was formerly a Channel Marketing Specialist at SiriusXM/Pandora in Washington, DC.
Isaiah Sims, Class of 2021
is currently working as a sound engineer and educator at The World Stage Theater. He was a post-production editor on the Snap Judgement, WNYC radio show and podcast.
Centennial Celebration
In January 2024, our Audio Production students interviewed HU President Ben Vinson at the 100th Anniversary celebration of the Howard's student newspaper, the Hilltop. The nation’s oldest Black collegiate newspaper celebrated with the theme: Honoring Our Past. Celebrating Our Future. This was a tribute to the steadfast dedication of the countless individuals who have contributed to the evolution and success of The Hilltop during the past century, including multiple Pulitzer Prize and Emmy award-winning journalists. To honor such a momentous occasion, The Hilltop hosted a celebratory gala bringing together Hilltop alumni, current staffers, faculty and esteemed members of the journalism community to celebrate the past, present and future of The Hilltop.
Read more in Howard MagazineProgram Highlights
Glasshouse Radio Project
Glasshouse Radio Project was founded in 2003 by Howard University Professor Vicci Saunders. It is a student Internet talk radio station and is part of the Howard University Radio Network. A platform for the young, thoughtful, & passionate, Glasshouse Radio Project serves as a training ground for college students who are interested in learning about the creative and production aspects of podcasting and webcasting. This weekly program that utilizes the skills of students from Howard University's School of Communications, has successfully served the university community for a decade. It provides the global community with voices and opinions regarding issues of concern and importance to young people aged 16 – 30 from an African-American perspective. “Understanding that we all live in glass houses, Glasshouse radio seeks to uncover the truth without fear. We throw stones.” – Vicci Saunders
WHBC 830HD
WHBC 830HD is Howard University’s student-operated radio station located in the School of Communications. Celebrating over 40 years on air, WHBC has become a powerhouse for urban and contemporary music. WHBC was founded in 1974 by a talented student in the Department of Radio, Television and Film and has grown into a cutting-edge radio station and online medium, WHBC.com. WHBC receives guidance from WHUR 96.3 and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, broadcasting on Channel 51 of the University’s residential network. WHBC has added to the Howard legacy by becoming one of the most advanced stations and has served as a training ground for many industry professionals. BEA and the Black College Radio Competition have presented WHBC with numerous awards. Time Warner Artist-in-Residence serves as adviser.
WHUR, 96.3 FM
WHUR, 96.3 FM is a professionally run, commercial radio station licensed to Howard University. It is one of the top stations in the Washington radio market and one of the few university-owned commercial radio stations in America. Owned by Howard University since its inception, WHUR has a competitive signal that reaches north of Baltimore, MD to the outskirts of Richmond, VA. School of Communications student interns work as program managers, newscasters and announcers. Currently, Professor Vicci Saunders serves as the director of the network. Broadcasting since 1971 to nearly a half million listeners daily in five states, WHUR, 96.3 FM can now be heard around the globe on the web. The first radio station in the Washington area to broadcast in HD, WHUR is the recipient of numerous awards, including the prestigious NAB Marconi for Best Urban Station of the Year and NAB Crystal Radio Award for Excellence in Community Service.
Faculty Spotlight
Assistant Professor Heidi Gerber-Salins
is currently producing a podcast series in collaboration with the family of Mrs. Henrietta Lacks to celebrate her legacy. Documenting the history and significance of the Turner Station community in Baltimore MD, where Henrietta Lacks lived, these series of podcasts are supported by the nonprofit organization, Henrietta Lacks Legacy Group. Testimonials about the Key Bridge collapse and its aftermath as well as residents' recollections of life in the community will also be featured in this series.
Gerber-Salins has recently co-produced and recorded the cast album for "She Persisted," a musical based on the book by the same name authored by Chelsea Clinton that opened on October 4th at the Adventure Theatre in Glen Echo, MD. The album will subsequently be published on Spotify.
Gerber-Salins also recently produced and recorded narration for the American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA) 30th anniversary video to be presented at the group's upcoming annual conference on October 17th in Pittsburgh, PA.
Assistant Professor Carolyn Malachi
was the Sound Editor and Composer on the film, KULTUR. The film has been selected for screenings at the Oscar-qualifying Reel Sisters Film Festival and Lecture Series in New York and at the Black Harvest Film Festival in Chicago.
Prof. Malachi was also Sound Editor and Composer on ONE TOWN AT A TIME, a film which was accepted at the Hollywood South Urban Film Festival and the Reel Sisters Film Festival and Lecture Series. Associate Professor Tina Morton and Professor Shannon also worked on the film.
Professor Sonja Williams
has served as an educator as well as an award-winning writer and producer of features and documentaries for National Public Radio (NPR), Public Radio International (PRI), the Smithsonian Institution and radio stations nationwide. Professor Williams has also worked as a journalist and media trainer in Africa, the Caribbean, and the United States. Currently she co-produces and edits BIO, a podcast series sponsored by the Biographers International Organization.
Associate Professor Vicci Saunders
was director of WHUR-World, HUR Voice and Sirius XM 141, to name a few of her many roles. Regarding early influences on Professor Saunders' career, she stated in the interview: “Storytelling. I love books, music, theater, radio, television and film. Those methods of expression were electrifying and amazing to me.” Saunders shares that excitement as a professor who has mentored and supported a number of students and continues to guide them through their experience at Howard.
Watch Feature: NABEF Media Sales Institute Co-Founder Vicci Saunders
Our Notable Alumni
The best thing I got out of my Howard experience is a great jumpstart to my career in radio. If it weren't for opportunities like that, and being able to network with friends from all over the world, I don't know if I would be where I am today. - Angela "Angie Ange" Hailstorks
Angela "Angie Ange" Hailstorks, Class of 2006
is the Director of Content at WHUT-TV. As a student in the School of Communications at Howard, Hailstorks immediately became involved with the student-run radio station WHBC 830AM. Upon graduating magna cum laude from Howard, Hailstorks started her professional radio career in 2006 at WPGC 95.5 in Washington D.C., where she quickly rose from intern to producer and on-air talent. In 2018, she became the D.C.-area’s first woman to lead a morning show on a hip hop station with the successful launch of the Angie Ange Morning Show. Hailstorks has been recognized as one of the top thirty radio personalities in the country by The Source Magazine and is a trusted media voice in the Black community.
Learn moreBarry A. Mayo, Class of 1970
is a former United States radio executive. While Mayo attended Howard during the 1970s, he was noted for being the first general manager of our current college station WHBC. In 1981, Mayo helped launch WRKS in New York as the first station to play rap. The station's success led him to be promoted as the first black general manager of RKO General. In 1995, Mayo received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the National Black Programmers’ Coalition and in 1996 received the Martin Luther King Legacy Award from the Boys and Girls Club of Chicago.
Shawna Renee Madison, Class of 1998
For over 15 years, Shawna Renee has dedicated her life to creating compelling, entertaining and informative radio and new media programming. After graduating Howard University with a dual degree in Telecommunications Management and Radio Production, Madison went on to produce and co-host the #1 rated morning show in Baltimore and eventually landed back in Washington DC as a producer for Worldspace Satellite Radio. As a radio personality, she’s produced and hosted shows for Radio One, CBS Radio, SiriusXM and Voice of America. Shawna is best known for her work as host and executive producer of Cocoa Mode, a program and multi-media company dedicated to bringing voices of young women of color to talk radio. Her show Cocoa Mode debuted on XM Satellite Radio in March of 2007 and continues to air weekly on SiriusXM Urban View Channel 110.
Kyle Murdock, Class of 2001
is a sound designer, music composer and audio creative involved in any and everything pertaining to sound. He has composed original music, “soundscape” + mix/master episodes & series for Vice Audio’s slate of recurring & standalone podcasts. He currently produces & remixes recorded music as well as do contracted composition work. For over 20 years, under the banner of Neosonic Productions, he has worked with diverse independent and major recording artists & labels, including Grammy-nominated singer Raheem Devaughn and the legendary Rawkus Records.
Audio Production | Undergraduate
Contacts
Program Details
- Degree Classification: Undergraduate
- Program Type: Major