If one were to stand outside of Cerritos College’s radio station, it would be nothing to look at. In fact, one may not even realize that it’s there. But when you step inside, it is very much it’s own wonderland. Starting in 1999, Craig Breit, the station director and instructor on campus put WPMD (Where People Make a Difference) together from scratch when the college was unexpectedly given a radio station license by the FCC.

So what makes it special?

WPMD is the only station in the Southeast L.A. County that connects the residents of Norwalk, Artesia, Cerritos, Bellflower, Paramount, La Mirada, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens and Lakewood.

The station even has two different programs that give listeners more of an option as to where and when they want to listen. There’s the 1700 AM channel that mainly gives information about city events and community news. It also has no commercial interruptions and also gives weather, national news, and traffic updates.

The other half of WPMD’s heart is the web addition, where people can go to the stations web site (www.cerritos.edu/wpmd) and listen to many varieties of music right in the comfort of their own home.

Craig Breit takes a great amount of pride from something that was basically born from nothing, but a dream.

“The station is a tremendous benefit to both the college and the community. There are many benefits to it. Where else can great students like the ones here learn about it all than from experience?” Breit commented.

Breit even brings up the fact that Administrators want to float a bond. He feels that the Administration should consider WPMD as a potential recipient of that bond “Administrators want to float a bond! What better way then to use the radio station?” Breit excitedly states.

One of WPMD’s biggest supporters has been Dean Barry Russell.

“He is always interested in what’s going on,” says Dr. David Young, who has his own radio show called Your Career and You. Although many have contributed to the success of the station, Dr. David Young gives a lot of the credit to Craig Breit himself. “Craig deserves a lot of the credit. He develops this relationship with us, that are like the glue that hold this all together.”

Young also says, “This station has developed into something more. It has become what it is because of Craig and his vision about what a radio station should be like.”

One thing that is for sure according to Breit and Young is that they would love for people to get more involved with the station. “They may not think that they can do it, but come on down! We’ll help you do it! It took them 18 months to persuade me. And I love doing it! It’s so much fun!”

Sounds Like a Promise.