William Paterson University’s Brave New Radio kicked off its 8th annual College Radio Day on Oct. 5. The program includes highlights of the school’s radio with a 24 hour live marathon including a variety of diverse segments that swap hourly.

College Radio Day, which is now globally celebrated by colleges around the world, was originally founded at William Paterson by Willy P’s own chairman and general manager of WPSC 88.7FM, Rob Quickie.

Friday was not a typical day for the Brave New Radio staff and audience. All departments of the station unified.

Contributions stretched all the way from production, music, sports, programming, and promotion. Beginning at 12 a.m with a live performance from singer Gina Royal, the station would provide an abundance of entertainment for daily listeners and new incoming listeners.

Some segments comprised in the marathon included discussion of NFL headlines, the origins of radio, pop culture talk, and even conversation about sea turtles. In addition to the student-created content, they featured a live performance from the R&B funk band, Zach Matari and the After Party at the 12 p.m. slot.

To end the day, Brave New Radio hosted more live performances featuring local acts Switch Mob, The Company Kept, and Green Knuckle Material at the Sticks and Stones venue.  Though Brave New Radio did successfully produce 24 hours of entertainment, the celebration of College Radio Day was the most important part of the event.

The presence of dominant radio stations and streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music and the like can cause many talented college stations to be overlooked. Since many college radio stations can be disregarded, it unfortunately results in colleges having to shut them down or sell their licenses to a larger company.

In an interview with Brave New Radio Station Manager Sebastian Escobar elaborated on the importance of College Radio Day.

“You can put on top 40 radio, you can go through Sirius XM channels, and that’s fine but it’s the same thing. We just provide something different,” he said. “[College Radio Day] is creativity for students. It’s a chance for us to come together as a radio station and for the community to enjoy something different.”

Collectively celebrating the hard work of students is essential for college radio to influence and reach a bigger audience.

For more information on the 2018 Marconi Award Non-Commercial Station of the Year and to participate in next year’s College Radio Day, be sure to visit the radio station at Hobart Hall in room 304 for an application.

Tune in for daily broadcasts on WPSC 88.7FM or visit their Soundcloud and Spotify pages.