OU junior Joey Ley is in training for his dream job.

The telecommunications major became ACRN's general manager Winter Quarter, a steppingstone Ley said he hopes will land him a job as general manager at a radio station after he graduates from OU.

Tim Reed/THE POST
Joey Ley, the new general manager of the All Campus Radio Network, stands outside of the station's broadcast booth.

Ley, who has worked for ACRN for two years, climbed to the top management rung after serving in a variety of positions including compact disc reviewer, disc jockey and promotions director, he said.

Ley's new position is a perfect match for his interests.

"I really like music, and I like being in charge, too," he said. "So it just seemed like a good mix of music and management."

But Ley, a Magnolia, Ohio, native, originally intended to major in business. A growing interest in radio led him to change his plans during his senior year in high school.

Ley's personality and energy are assets to ACRN, said Chad Krispinsky, the station's news, sports and entertainment director.

"Not everyone is capable of possessing such charisma and an ability to motivate people, and making everything run so efficiently," he said.

But Ley's radio experience is not confined to campus. Ley has worked at the Top 40 station WHBC in Canton for the past two summers.

ACRN, which plays a mix of mainstream rock music and lesser-known rock artists, has a "set format like real radio stations in the real world," Ley said.

ACRN is one of three college stations in America that is commercially independent from their universities, he said.

Ley's main goal is to increase student awareness of the student-run station, he said.

The station recently renovated its studio and purchased digital production equipment with money from OU's development office, Ley said.

The Ping Center plans to start airing the station this month from 4 to 9 p.m. daily, he said.

The station also is working on a proposal with the stations on the campus's greens to put splitter cables in every dorm room across campus by Fall Quarter so more students can have access to the station, he said.

Former ACRN general manager Tommy Kurtz said Ley's dedication to the station is crucial to its growth and success.

"He's the kind of leadership that the station needs to take it to the next level," he said.

Ley said his experience at the station has helped him realize his aspirations for a career in radio management.

"If I'm going to do something for the rest of my life, I just want it to be enjoyable," he said.