Some incredibly lucky college radio participants had a memorable trip to the White House yesterday as part of the lead-up to College Radio Day on October 2. Rob Quicke, founder of College Radio Day wrote to tell me that the College Radio Day contingent included nine students from five different college radio groups from all over the country, including WPSC-FM (William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey), WNUW-FM (Neumann University in Aston, Pennsylvania), WDWN-FM (Cayuga Community College in Auburn, New York), KCWU-FM (Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington), and Radio Warner (which hopes to have a streaming station soon at Warner University in Lake Wales, Florida).
As part of their visit, the students toured the West Wing and were given the opportunity to interview White House officials. Not only did they talk about the importance of college radio and student media in general, but they also had discussions about college affordability and the “It’s On Us” campaign to end campus sexual assault.
In recapping the visit, Quicke wrote that the group had “…a lively discussion in the Roosevelt Room on the role of the media, and the importance of student media especially. College radio was specifically discussed also. At the conclusion of our visit we were presented with a letter from President Obama wishing us a successful College Radio Day 2015.”
President Obama’s letter reads in part, “By keeping the legacy of college radio stations alive and strong, students on campuses from coast to coast experience the thrills of sharing and discovering media and creating stimulating programming. In doing so, they are lending their talents to a tradition that has been unfolding for generations and inspiring others to join in the work of shaping our future’s course.”
During the visit, students conducted interviews with various White House officials and that material will be included in a “College Radio White House Special” as part of next week’s College Radio Day simulcast, a one-hour program which is being made available to participating college radio stations for College Radio Day.
The College Radio Day simulcast will also include a keynote interview with Stewart Copeland from the Police as well as other interviews, including one with me about the state of college radio in 2015.
