Today is the 3rd annual High School Radio Day and at least 63 student radio stations from all over the United States (representing at least 28 states) are celebrating this unique and rare form of broadcasting. As I mentioned last week, I recently toured WHHS at Haverford High School in Havertown, Pennsylvania and was amazed by the station’s lengthy history. Often high school radio is overlooked by radio historians, which is a shame since there are some pioneering radio stations at high schools.
High School Radio Day is a great excuse to investigate the high school radio stations in your area, so please let us know some of your favorites in the comments section. And, huge congratulations to all of the newly launching high school radio stations thanks to the Local Community Radio Act. Numerous high schools applied for LPFM last year and there are already quite a few who have been granted construction permits for new stations.
As I’m starting to get caught up on my radio station field trip reports, here’s a run-down of some of the high school-based stations that I’ve toured in recent years. I hope to get a full report posted about WHHS soon as well.
KCEA at Menlo-Atherton High School, Atherton, CA:
Although high school students don’t run the station, they do participate in its sports broadcasts.
KALW at Burton High School, San Francisco, CA:
Public radio station KALW is licensed to the San Francisco Unified School District and is located on a high school campus. The station is professionally run, but there are opportunities for students to work at KALW and participate in its training programs.
WGBK at Glenbrook South High School in Illinois
This suburban station near Chicago is a true high school station, with student broadcasters populating the schedule and working behind the scenes.
