Board Blog: College radio is a vital part of students’ college lives

Earlier this week, WPTS-FM aired a special program memorializing a former Music Director who recently passed away at the age of 27. A group of fellow WPTS alums hosted a two-hour show filled with memories of Jeff and music that he loved. Dozens more listened to the show over the air or online. It is no accident that, for many of his friends, mourning Jeff centered around WPTS.

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Greg Weston, CBI President

While we often focus on the value college radio brings to the community, these tragic circumstances serve as a reminder of the vital, but often overlooked, role college radio serves in the lives of its members.

While it’s almost cliché to say, college radio stations really do tend to provide a welcoming environment for students who don’t fit in elsewhere. In fact, many college radio stations are hothouses of inclusion, bringing together an incredible variety of people.

This is borne out by looking at Jeff and the friends who paid tribute to him on Monday. Jeff was a quiet, sweet kid who struggled with disabilities; he spent most of his college career in a wheelchair. The memorial broadcast was spearheaded by his closest friend at WPTS, a long-haired, heavily tattooed guitarist who just moved with his metal band to LA. He was assisted by the quirky daughter of two Pentecostal music ministers, a budding poet, and a precocious geologist who is not yet 30 but is already teaching University classes. Where else but a college radio station would that unlikely group form?

As diversity, retention and connectedness become priorities throughout academe, college radio stations can provide all three, allowing students to form bonds with an eclectic group of colleagues and offering an easy way for alumni to remain linked to their institution.

In an era of budget cuts, highlighting these benefits can help keep college radio off the chopping block.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]