WWSU 106.9FM | Photo by Bethany Althauser | The Wright State Guardian
From midnight to midnight on Friday, Oct. 6, WWSU 106.9 FM hosted a 24-hour broadcasting extravaganza exploring the theme of “All Voices Are Welcome,” providing a unique experience for new members at the radio station.
The event in context
The past two weeks have set the radio station abuzz in preparation for College Radio Day, one of the premier events for WWSU 106.9 FM and for college radio stations worldwide.
According to the College Radio Foundation, nearly 600 college radio stations worldwide participate in the 24-hour broadcasting marathon.
The theme of this College Radio Day was “All Voices Are Welcome,” with much of the programming appealing to themes of mental health, inclusivity and diversity.
“I think the importance of College Radio Day is the sense of community,” sophomore Greyson Howells, assistant director and DJ, said. “This is a really cool experience that college students have been able to do. Let's go celebrate, let's do something really cool.”
Members and new experiences
As the assistant director, Howells helps other radio station members with things such as getting their music played. As a DJ, Howells hosted a radio show spotlighting indie artists and playing requests. This is Howells’ first College Radio Day, like many others in the radio station.
One of these members is freshman Ellie Engle, programming director. Engle’s responsibilities include recruiting more live radio shows for the station and putting them into the system. Once the schedule is created, Engle reminds hosts of scheduled programming.
“I like seeing all of the random people coming in and being interviewed,” Engle said. “That was really fun and just to talk to people you normally wouldn’t.”
Another member of leadership, graduate student Saraswoti Nibasi, is the engineering director. In this role, Nibasi ensures that programming goes smoothly by fixing any technical issues that may arise. As another member experiencing their first College Radio Day, Nibasi enjoys how the day allows the radio station to explore topics they normally would not talk about.
“We have some limited kind of scope, but today we have a lot of important things to explore and we can give important information to everyone listening,” Nibasi said.
This year’s schedule of events included everything from scary movie reviews to an interview with university President Sue Edwards. For more information about WWSU, visit the station’s Engage page.
