Every day, as the sun reluctantly awakens the earth, you’re already making your way to school. The only surefire way to guarantee consciousness on that painful ride is to blast the radio. “You’re listening to the Tommy Show on 94.7 Fresh FM.” For those 15 minutes Iggy Azalea, Taylor Swift and playful table-talk banter ease the burden of the lonely commute. But have you ever thought about what’s on the other side of that little box that so loyally occupies your passenger seat?

The cast of The Tommy Show welcomed The Black & White into its studio for a behind-the-scenes look. Hosts Tommy McFly, Kelly Collis and Jen Richer gave insight into the life on the other end of the radio.

At the early arrival of 6:35 a.m. in Lanham, MD, Jen Richer, a bubbly and friendly co-host met me at the door in front of the building.

Arriving in the studio was almost underwhelming. The modest rectangular room was smaller than the average classroom and contained one large wrap-around desk at which all three co-hosts had their own station.

After giving me a warm welcome, Collis handed me a pair of hot pink beats so I could listen along with the broadcast.

For about half an hour, I listened to a very familiar show of raging pop tunes and small talk about Leonardo DiCaprio joining Instagram and Ed Sheeran’s “booty” exercises.

Suddenly McFly turned to me and asked me if I wanted to do the weather. To ease my nerves, Collis printed out a sheet reading, “Hi it’s Hayley from Walt Whitman High School, today will be a high of 70, right now it is 63 in my hometown of Potomac. ‘Can’t Beat Kelly’ is next.”

After reading it twice, and having a short back and forth with McFly about The Black & White, I watched him replay our conversation and in an incomprehensible way, scrub and edit the two or three minute dialogue to a perfect 30 seconds. And no sooner than that, played it for over 995,000 listeners to hear.

After they finished their frenzied routine and a track of songs was rolling to play, McFly took me behind the monstrous wrap-around desk to see the main control center of the show. Covered in monitors and editing equipment, he showed me the separate computer he uses for phone calls, how he edits the calls and chooses sound effects like “sad trombone.”

McFly said that his boss, Steve Davis, is “one of the very few who still hand-selects songs,” rather than having them processed on a computer. The boss chooses each song while the commercial team takes care of ads. Then, he sends all of it down to the department traffic to put it all together, so by the time the hosts walk into work, the roadmap is completely ready to go.

This “roadmap” is a plan for the show, depicted on 6 monitors. Certain colors represent different categories of material. For example, red signifies space for the hosts to talk, while green represents time for ads.

McFly then went on to explain his history of radio-hosting. At 15, his parents used to drive him to the middle-of-the-night show and pick him up at 6:30 in time for school. After many years of radio-show work, McFly was offered the opportunity to start a morning show with 94.7 Fresh FM.

When asked with whom he wanted to cohost, McFly called upon his former colleague and friend Jen Richer, and his neighbor and friend Kelly Collis.

All three agree that their undeniable chemistry is part of what makes Fresh FM so inviting.

“We want to be here together, that’s what makes us unique,” Richer said.

Collis had originally worked on Capitol Hill for an Indiana congressman, but had not found satisfaction working for a man who told her she was “too tan” to campaign on his behalf. Richer had intended to work in international affairs and had been reporting news on the radio when McFly approached her with the opportunity.

“This was not even on my radar,” Richer said.

But three years ago she began working with McFly and Richer and knew she had found her niche.

“It was a natural fit,” Collis said.

Above all, McFly, Collis and Richer emphasized their dedication and determination to stay deeply rooted in the community.

“This does not end at 9:00,” Collis said.

The show sponsors and hosts wine tastings, clothing drives, concerts and even a “Blessing of the Balls” before a Nat’s game.

McFly said their “proudest moment” was when an organization called Wreaths Across America asked the show for their help when the non-profit found themselves 30,000 wreaths short for gravestones at the Arlington Cemetery.

After simply making the announcement on the radio, Collis said listeners not only donated but also went out into the cold snowy, day to volunteer their time with the organization.

The cause is very dear to the group and McFly expects to help out again this coming year. McFly even asked me to spread the campaign around Whitman.

So next time you cruise to school in the early morning haze, remember these three welcoming you into their morning routine, too.

“This is our home,” McFly said. “We’re three friends and some microphones inviting you into our breakfast table.”