WSOU Takes Part in College Radio Day

Today, college radio stations around the country are being recognized for the hard work they do to help craft a generation of broadcasters and bands.  Starting this year, October 11 is College Radio Day.  The event is the brainchild of Rob Quicke, general manager of William Paterson University’s WPSC and Peter Kreten, general manager of Saint Xavier University’s WXAV, and already more than 300 college radio stations have signed up to participate.

One of the key stations participating is Seton Hall’s award winning radio station, WSOU.  Now in its 63^rd year, WSOU has entertained millions of listeners throughout New Jersey and New York City with their music, sports and news coverage. 

“This is a good time for everybody in our industry to be reminded of the hundred of college stations out there,” said WSOU General Manager Mark Maben.  “Sometimes we fall underneath the radar screen and yet you have stations like WSOU here in Seton Hall and the radio station up in Emerson College and dozens of other stations across the country that do very well and have significant listenership.”

While mostly known for their 25 years of active rock music, WSOU has also helped develop some of the top broadcasters in the business, across a spectrum of genres.  Bob Windrem of NBC Nightly News, Bernie Wagenblast of 1010 WINS, Kim Mulligan of WDHA and even ESPN’s Bob Ley all got their start with WSOU.  Many of these alum still come back to the station to help train the students and give back to the station that started their careers.

“We find that WSOU alumni give back, primarily in ways that are not financial” said Maben.  “Yes we have alums that will make donations to the station.  But, we also have alums that will come here and work with our students.  They do that because they recognize that the opportunities they had here helped launch their careers.”

College radio is a place where students help craft their career aspirations.  Many students of WSOU don’t join the station as part of a major in radio or communications, but instead join due to their love of the music.  Once a part of the station, the students begin to realize the ins-and-outs of the radio industry and how it’s something that may be worth pursuing in life.

One student who has benefitted by working for WSOU is their current music director, Gabby Canella.  Originally an English major, she joined the station because of its music format.  Working at the station gave Gabby reasons to consider the career path she was choosing.

“When I started working here and I started to DJ, I realized how much fun this really is,” said Canella.  “I started to have second thoughts about being an English major.  As I DJed more and more and started going to shows and meeting with people, I decided that this is what I really want to do with my life.  I completely changed my major and now I’m a radio major.”

Stations like WSOU teach the students how to use the most up-to-date equipment and give the students a good list of abilities to list on their resumes.  Also as non-profit entities, these stations allow the students to experiment more with what they do since advertising and ratings are not an issue.

“We don’t have a profit motive, so we can take more risks,” said Maben.  “The investment in a commercial station, particularly a medium in a major market is significant.  We all know businesses tend to play it more conservatively and more safe when a lot of money is on the line.”

With the invention of satellite radio and iPods, listenership has taken a hit in recent years.  For college radio stations, these hits in listenership can be especially dreadful.  However, Maben points out that in the last year, radio has made a remarkable rebound and events like College Radio Day remind people that the stations are still around.

“College Radio Day is another way to help dispel the myth that radio is in trouble, because radio is not in trouble,” said Maben.  “Do we need to continue to be innovative and respond to the change in media landscape?  Absolutely.  In 2010, radio listenership grew by two million people.  What was the fastest growing demographic in those two million extra listeners we picked up?  18-34 year olds.  So the notion that people don’t listen to the radio anymore or that people stopped listening to the radio is completely false.”

WSOU will be presenting special from 7:30 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. on October 11.  The station can be listened to online on their website or by turning the dial to 89.5 FM.