When it comes to Owl Radio on our Florida Atlantic University campus, there are a variety of radio stations to choose from for the FAU community to enjoy. 

The Morning After radio show is hosted by Khari Taylor, a senior majoring in New Film and Media, and Devin Collins, a senior majoring in Communications with a double minor in Business Administration, Hospitality, and Tourism Management. The radio show airs every Friday from 12 pm – 2:30 pm.

This radio show consists of topics that range from celebrity drama, to sports, and pro tips for men given by Devin himself, along with music hosted by DJ Thunder himself. 

“We talk about celebrity drama, we get into actual sports on campus, off campus. Devin does pro tips for men. Just to give the Black community something to work with. It can be from skincare, it can be from how to get your business going,” Taylor said. “So it’s basically fun, but it’s still informational while still having drama at the end of the day.” 

Devin had the opportunity to host The Morning After Radio show by Khari over the summer in believing that he would be a good fit to host the radio show. Despite his hesitancy, he was encouraged by his friends to host after being told that he is able to draw people in when speaking. 

“At first I was quite nervous about it because I’m not used to being the one to talk a lot, or to let my voice be heard in some ways. I’m more of the person to let my actions to speak for itself,” Collins said. “When I thought about it, I spoke with a couple of friends and brothers, and they was like, ‘you know you will be a good fit because when you speak people listen.’

Collins enjoys hosting the radio show when it came to the specific goals that him and Khari wanted to meet – allowing people’s voices and opinions to be heard. 

“One of the goals that we really want is for people’s voices to be heard. Either the people we’re interviewing or people and FAU students in general. So that was something I really like and I want to advocate for,” he said. “And we strongly do that by bringing people in for interviews, or even have people try to call in, at least to let their voices be heard.” 

 Taylor knew after switching her major from Health Science to New Film & Media, her desires and plans for being in the medical field wasn’t for her; as she then found her enjoyment within the lines of entertainment. 

“I thought I wanted to be like my mom, and wanted to be in the medical field. But then of course, being in college you realize not everything’s for you. And I learned I kind of like entertainment. I always like to speak to people, I love having conversations,” Taylor said. “But then once we really got in to it, I just fell in love with the mic, and then I realized okay this my God’s purpose.” 

Taylor has hosted the BSU Comedy Show and The Sunshine State Step Show. As Taylor is popularly referred to as Ms. K, she refers back to the time when she was able to come up with her stage name. 

“I always said to myself, if I’m going to be in the entertainment business, I want to make sure that it’s something quick and easy, but it sticks very well,” she said. 

Taylor decided to make it easier by cutting her name short and setting it as Ms. K.

“And ever since then, I don’t know what it was, but Ms. K just stuck,” Taylor said. “People don’t even say my name no more, people just say Ms. K. I have to learn to get used to hearing Ms. K instead of Khari now.”  

Taylor believes that being able to host onstage and host a radio show is not as easy as people may think. 

“With getting on stage you have to capture somebody’s attention within the first five seconds window span,” Taylor said. “So when you learn how to catch the attention and hold it, that’s the biggest difference because when I’m behind a microphone nobody sees me on the radio station.” 

With building a great bond this past summer, Collins and Taylor’s chemistry while being on air is comparable to a brother and sister, yet sometimes a best friend dynamic due to how they are able to learn from each other. 

“Like sometimes it can be a brother and sister, and then we can be best friends,” Taylor said. “I love the fact that we can learn from one another.” 

Devin said the great chemistry came with a lot of planning and being able to take the time into getting to know each other before starting the radio show together. 

“What made this show to where it is today, is we took the time in the summer. And one of our goals before we started the show was to bond over the summer and practice, and we learn to understand each other before the show so that is what made it a little extra special,” Collins said. 

As for hosting a radio show, there can be positive and negative sides. The downside to that is not having the proper equipment in making the radio show successful – not having enough microphones.

“We have to share the microphones,” Taylor said. “We have only four microphones in the first radio station, and only two is working.”

Both Collins and Taylor expressed their concern of the lack of equipment to their Owl Radio station manager, Luke Campese. They say they have yet to hear back since February.

“We mentioned it to him in the spring, but we probably have been a little bit more vocal,” Collins said. “I’m not saying he’s not doing his job, we just don’t know what’s going on on his end. We have did our part in reaching out, and all we can do is speak to the manager.” 

Luke Campese, a junior with a major in communications studies, says that his goal for owl radio is to revamp owl radio due to COVID holding everything back – like starting a studio podcast as his first priority while also getting new microphones and equipment towards the end of this year.

“The entire thing this year when I stepped in was revamping the program and getting a studio podcast up and running. So we’ve been focusing on that mainly these last two semesters, and also promotion,” Campese said. “Because during COVID this really took a dip, so we had to focus on other priorities first before the new live microphones because we do already have enough for a live setup. But that is something we are looking on doing before the end of the school year.”

Whereas as for the positive side and a business perspective, it is a very good way to start putting things to qualify on your resume. 

“It shows that you can be out of the box, you can be a leader when you need to, it shows that you have the vocal power to stand up and speak when need to be spoken,” Collins said. 

Devin and Khari were able to conversate with different people with different backgrounds and interests.

“It is great as a college student to say we have met Major Nine, we have met Rico Cartel, we met people that a lot of kids listen to,” Taylor said. 

Khari and Devin were able to share that their favorite moment of hosting The Morning After raido show was having rapper Rico Cartel say a prayer. 

“When we had Rico Cartel pray us out. That was so different to see a rapper pray,” Khari said. “It was a good prayer and just to see like, we got a rapper out here praying!” 

What makes the Morning After Radio show stand out amongst other radio stations on Owl Radio is how Khari and Devin are confident in what they do to bring guests and draw the listeners in. 

“We just like that,” Khari said. “We bring listeners, we bring people on the radio station, we have people actually laugh. We bring good content. You can’t just have anything, we vary out a lot of different things.”

With the radio show consisting of discussing a variety of topics, listening to music, and to simply having fun, Khari and Devin believe that the Morning After Radio show should be something that FAU students should turn to.

“Part of the goal is that we want people to understand is to be heard. And we find a way to have your voice heard on a platform where you hear us through the Breezeway, you hear us on the website, you hear us through the radio,” Collins said. “You listen to us, and put their input in whatever they can.”