For more information, contact:
Mark Maben, WSOU general manager. 973-761-9546, mark.maben@shu.edu
Omar Ahmad, WSOU station manager. 973-313-6110, wsoustationmanager@gmail.com
(South Orange, N.J.)--- 89.5 FM WSOU, Seton Hall Pirate Radio, announced today that for its participation in College Radio Day on Oct. 11, the station will be featuring interviews with Five Finger Death Punch, Senses Fail, God Forbid and other bands WSOU gave early airplay to. Band members will speak about the role WSOU has played in nurturing their rise to fame. College Radio Day is a nationwide event celebrating the importance of college radio to communities, local music scenes, emerging artists and the cultivation of new broadcast and media talent.
“WSOU is well-known in the music industry for being a leader in breaking new bands,” says student station manager Omar Ahmad, who notes that the station gave the first area airtime, and in some cases the first-ever radio time, to Korn, Incubus, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Rage Against the Machine, Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance and Thursday, among others. “We felt the best way for WSOU to highlight the importance of college radio was to let the musicians who have benefited from college radio’s support tell their story.”
In addition to band interviews, WSOU’s student managers will be offering personal commentaries on why college radio is important to them and the New York. Interviews and commentaries will be aired at the bottom of every hour between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. (see schedule below). The day’s programming will also feature special songs, station IDs, a 15-minute documentary on college radio that is being aired on all stations participating in College Radio Day, and interviews with station alumni Bob Ley and Bob Picozzi, who both went on to notable careers at ESPN.
The student managers of WSOU eagerly agreed to be part of College Radio Day because of the station’s rich 63-year history and because of the recent increase in the sale of college radio stations. “Today, many people tend to overlook or write off College radio as there seems to be a misinformed opinion that radio is dead,” says Ahmad. “Radio is not dead, and in fact, is still responsible for creating and shaping the careers of many artists and experts in the field of communications. While the administration has assured the station that WSOU is safe, there are other schools that are selling off their radio stations due to financial difficulties, and that's troubling.”
WSOU general manager Mark Maben, says that college radio stations provide vital experiential-learning opportunities that cannot be easily duplicated. “College Radio Day is a way for us to remind the world that college stations not only serve their communities, but give students a hands-on learning experience that cannot be emulated by reading a book or going to a lecture. Station alumni such as WINS’ Glenn Schuck, WDHA’s Kim Mulligan and NJ Devils radio announcer Matt Loughlin are all thriving today because of skills and confidence they developed at WSOU.”
One of the students who has greatly benefited from her time at WSOU is music director Gabby Canella, who has become deeply interested in a career in broadcasting or the music industry thanks to her three plus years working at Seton Hall’s station. “Not only have I learned a lot at WSOU, my experience has opened up doors for me that wouldn’t have otherwise.” Instrumental in arranging the band interviews, Canella says that she was struck by a common theme raised by the bands. “All of the bands spoke about how WSOU moved their careers forward and how critical college radio is to supporting bands before they become mainstream.”
College Radio Day will be acknowledged on more than 300 radio stations from coast-to-coast in the United States and Canada on Tuesday, Oct. 11. WSOU’s participation will be anchored by DJs The David Rind Experience, Brittany Speared, Dem Duquettes, and The Brooklyn Dodger. WSOU’s College Radio Day Interview schedule is as follows:
7:30 a.m.: Commentary by Gabby Canella, WSOU music director
8:30 a.m.: Band Interview with God Forbid (New Brunswick, NJ-based band)
9:30 a.m.: Commentary by Omar Ahmad, WSOU station manager
10:30 a.m.: Band Interview with Senses Fail (Ridgewood, NJ); Alumnus interview with Bob Picozzi
11:30 a.m.: Commentaries by Katie Duffy and Samantha Desmond, WSOU staff representative and promotions director
12:30 p.m.: Band Interview with Trivium
1:30 p.m.: Commentaries by Chris Duquette and Victoria Haffner, WSOU technical operations director and news director
2:30 p.m.: Band Interview with Biohazard (Brooklyn, NY)
3:30 p.m.: Commentary by David Rind, WSOU sports director; Alumnus interview with Bob Ley
4:30 p.m.: Band Interview with Five Finger Death Punch
5:30 p.m.: Commentary by Brittany Martinez, WSOU program director
6:30 p.m.: Band Interview with Hatebeed
7:30 p.m.: Broadcast of National College Radio Day Documentary
About 89.5 FM WSOU
WSOU, which began broadcasting in 1948, is the student-run, award-winning radio station of Seton Hall University. On Nov. 18, the station will present a concert with Chimaira, Unearth, Skeletonwitch and more at the Starland Ballroom in celebration of the 25th anniversary of WSOU’s current loud active rock format, which features metal, punk, hardcore and post-hardcore music. In addition to its active rock programming, WSOU is also the broadcast home for Seton Hall athletics and airs religious, public affairs and ethnic programming. With a 2,400-watt signal broadcast from the University’s South Orange campus, WSOU reaches all five boroughs of New York City and much of northern and central of New Jersey. WSOU streams online at www.wsou.net. The website also features additional information about the station.
About Seton Hall University
For 154 years, Seton Hall University has been a catalyst for leadership, developing the whole student, mind, heart and spirit. Seton Hall combines the resources of a large university with the personal attention of a small liberal arts college. Its attractive suburban campus is only 14 miles by train, bus or car to New York City, with the wealth of employment, internship, cultural and entertainment opportunities the city offers. Seton Hall is a Catholic university that embraces students of all races and religions, challenging each other to better the world through integrity, compassion, and a commitment to serving others. For more information, visit: www.shu.edu.
About College Radio Day
The aim of College Radio Day is to harness the combined listenership of hundreds of thousands of college radio listeners throughout North America and to celebrate the important contribution of college radio to America's airwaves. The original idea for College Radio Day was conceived by Rob Quicke, general manager, WPSC-FM, William Paterson University and was founded by Rob Quicke and Peter Kreten, general manager, WXAV-FM, Saint Xavier University. More than 300 stations are participating in the first-ever College Radio Day on Oct. 11, 2011. For more information, go to: www.collegeradioday.com.
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