Wright State University’s radio station, WWSU 106.9, took on the yearly challenge of being live on air for a full 24 hours, along with dozens of other college radios. It was an incredibly busy but successful event.
What is College Radio Day?
On Oct. 3, from midnight until the following day, radio stations across the United States went live for a full 24 hours. This year, Wright State University’s very own radio station, WWSU 106.9, participated.
Each person who is part of the station had the opportunity to host their own show, with many taking part in multiple segments. This full-day event was part of something larger, which is National College Radio Day. This event, founded through the College Radio Foundation, created a day for college students to showcase and highlight the work they do at their respective stations.
Their original goal of this day is simple, according to the College Radio Foundation: “The aim of College Radio Day is to harness the combined listenership of hundreds of thousands of college radio listeners throughout the world and to celebrate the important contribution of college radio by uniting for this one day.”
While this was one of many years WWSU 106.9 participated, it was particularly successful this time around.
A successful day
This was the nearly the 15th time WWSU 106.9 participated in this event, with much success.
Larkin Smith, a senior management information systems student and the General Manager of WWSU 106.9, was a large factor in making it all happen. He was part of five total segments, with a roughly added up to eight hours on air. He hosted his own personal show like normal, but also included a multitude of other shows.
He was part of the advisor and director’s shows, the general manager show, and an interview with Wright State University’s President, Sue Edwards.
In these segments he talked about country music, took a look at Taylor Swift’s new album "Life of a Showgirl," brought in former students of the radio station and had conversations with the current officers. Coordinating something of this scale took much planning on Smith’s end, but by the time the show wrapped up on Oct. 4 at 12 a.m., he was satisfied with the results.
”This year went super well for us. We had a total of 24 hours of airtime throughout the whole day. Everyone has a good time. It was super good for us,” Smith explained as he recalled the events of the day.
Other contributors
Cameron Jones, a sophomore communication studies major and the Sports Director at WWSU 106.9, participated in a few different shows on Oct. 3.
"It’s a great experience, but it's tiring," Jones admitted.
Cameron collaborated with Dakota Tinkle, a third year and fellow communications major, on their own sports segment. They took a look into the NBA’s pre-season and their expectations for each team going into the 2025-2026 season. The show took place at 6 a.m. and lasted until 8 a.m.
Another integral part of the day was Megan Clarke, a sophomore music major and marketing director for WWSU. She hosted many shows and was part of making everything run smoothly.
“I ran my own show, which is Composer’s Corner. I also ran an individual show about boy bands because of course I did. I helped Larkin interview President Sue, and then we did a little directors meeting at the end of night,” Clarke said.
As a music major, she is passionate about her work at the station. This is a large reason a lot of her shows revolve around music. Composer’s Corner is a show where she plays various indie music, then dissects and breaks it down to the listeners.
Her boy band show focused on various unknown Korean Pop groups; both of these shows were a way to talk about her interests and introduce the audience to music they may not be familiar with.
Jones, Smith and Clarke all expressed that they enjoyed this 24-hour event, while explaining just how much work really goes into it. This event was a great opportunity to give people a chance to be live on air, allow for bonding time between the crew and provide exposure for the radio station.
