If students have ever wanted to sit in on a conversation between two best friends or have wanted to hear fellow Villanova students’ takes on current events that are happening both on and off campus, Villanova’s WXVU, V 89.1 The Roar has just the program. 

For the Benefit of the Radio is one of the main shows on Villanova’s very own radio station. It is broadcast live from Dougherty Hall every Wednesday evening from 5:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. 

The show is co-hosted by Danielle Armitage, a senior political science major, and Marisa Weber, a junior communications major. They have co-hosted For the Benefit of the Radio since the fall of 2021. 

The title of the show originated from Armitage’s love of One Direction, as it is a reference to a specific interview in which Harry Styles said the phrase. 

“One Direction gave a radio interview, and Niall [Horan] spilled his tea, and Harry Styles goes, ‘For the benefit of the radio, Niall just spilled his tea,’ and we spill tea on the radio show,” Armitage said. 

When Armitage and Weber metaphorically “spill the tea,” they do so in a very stream-of-consciousness manner, spending the majority of each episode talking about whatever topics are on their minds in creative and entertaining ways. Whether they are giving updates on members of One Direction, occasionally talking with special guests or debating whose face should appear on Mount Rushmore, no topic is off limits for Armitage and Weber. 

“We talk about current events going on on campus, about our weekend, anything fun that’s happening [and] sporting events that are happening nearby,” Armitage said. “It’s just us talking.” 

The program itself was also inspired by One Direction, as Armitage originally had the idea to play the band’s songs on air. This morphed into the idea of having a different theme for each episode, and Armitage quickly recruited Weber. 

“[Armitage] sent me her station manager’s contact, we pitched an idea for the show and here we are a year later,” Weber said. 

Some of For the Benefit of the Radio’s themes have included classic rock, spring break and certain holidays that occurred around the time particular episodes were broadcast. Specifically, one of Weber’s favorite themes was their Halloween special. 

“I really liked our Halloween special last year,” Weber said. “I love Halloween. It’s my favorite holiday, and we played Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller,’ ‘Psycho Killer’ by the Talking Heads and stuff like that, so it was a lot of fun.”

The show’s song selection for each episode is just as important as the co-host’s discussions, as Armitage and Weber usually try to incorporate a two-song break every 30 minutes during each episode. 

Although predominantly Villanova-based, For the Benefit of the Radio has generated a sizable fanbase off campus across multiple states as well. 

“Our friends from home listen,” Weber said. “I’m from Pennsylvania, [and] she’s from Colorado, so both our friends will tune in. Our parents will tune in. My mom’s coworkers started tuning in, so it’s grown since we started.”

“I work at the YMCA, and they’ll play it all over the speakers,” Armitage said. 

While the fans are a nice bonus, Armitage and Weber would still enjoy creating episodes even if no one was listening. At the show’s core are two friends who enjoy talking to each other and love getting the chance to spend time together. 

“It’s a nice little break for an hour-and-a-half to two hours every day,” Armitage said. “Usually, the only time Marisa and I see each other during the week is during our show, so it’s a nice time for us to get updated on each other’s lives [and] see what’s going on. It’s really just two besties having a chat.”

“Honestly, we don’t really care if people listen,” Weber said. “We just like doing it because it’s fun.”

Although For the Benefit of the Radio will be wrapping up this semester, Armitage and Weber have some plans for upcoming episodes to ensure that the show will finish strongly.

Tune in to WXVU, V 89.1 The Roar to hear new episodes of For the Benefit of the Radio. Older episodes can be listened to as podcasts uploaded by WXVU on podcast services such as Spotify.