WRHU becomes the first student-run station to receive the World Radio Day award

Radio Hofstra University wins first student- run World Radio Day Award . // Photo courtesy of RadioWorld.com

Hofstra University’s radio station, WRHU-FM, became the first student-run radio station to receive the World Radio Day Award from the Academy of Radio Arts and Sciences of America on Jan. 25.

World Radio Day, established by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), took place on Saturday, Feb. 13 to celebrate and appreciate radio broadcasting.

“It’s a global celebration of the power of radio,” said Andrew Gladding, chief engineer for WRHU. Each year, the Academy of Radio Arts and Sciences of America awards the World Radio Day Award to a radio station that “embodies the spirit of radio,” according to Gladding.

Chief Engineer Andy Gladding got behind the sound board to engineer the World Radio Day broadcast on Feb. 12. // Photo courtesy of Adam Flash

According to WRHU station manager Catie Egan, criteria for winning the award was based on three different categories this year.

“One was service to the industry. Another was our diverse set of programming,” Egan said. “It was also our response to the rebirth of radio during the coronavirus.” Despite the pandemic, WRHU remained a fully functioning radio station while other stations around the world had to cut programming or completely shut down, according to Egan.

“The fact that [the station] was operating with students at the helm when no students were allowed in the building ... was remarkable,” said Eli Finkelson, former station manager and current executive producer of “Around the World in 30 Minutes.” “We had sports programming when there were no sports. We had music interviews when artists were not performing.”

WRHU has continued to excel at a professional level, with three Marconi awards under its belt as well as several other awards.

“We are not a college station,” Finkelson said. “We are a fully operating, licensed, 110% working radio station that happens to be on a college campus and run by people that happen to still be in college.”

Program Director of Music Ed Mabeza is honored to make worldwide history at WRHU. // Photo courtesy of Adam Flash

To celebrate this award, Gladding had the idea for a three-day global broadcast. Starting Friday, Feb. 12 and continuing through the weekend, WRHU connected with 13 different international stations across the world to talk about the importance of radio and how it has shifted due to the pandemic.

“I thought it would be really fun ... and educational to take WRHU and turn it into a worldwide network for one day,” Gladding said. According to Gladding, the 2021 World Radio Day award marks WRHU as a world class radio station. He sees this as an opportunity to elevate expectations of the station and to keep aiming higher.

Former Personnel Director Natalie Khait anchored a joint broadcast with Bradford City Broadcasting in the United Kingdom for World Radio Day. // Photo courtesy of Adam Flash.

“There is no way that any other college radio station or commercial radio station has even thought of an event like this,” said Edward Mabeza, program director of music at WRHU. “This is a worldwide broadcasting event, and this is definitely something for the history books.”

Others felt that the event served as a milestone for the achievements of the entire station.

“It is a tribute to what we have done, and a tribute to what we can do,” said Bruce Avery, the General Manager of WRHU. “We’ve created an arena where people can come and polish new skills, and then go out and become as good of a broadcaster, as good of a human and as good of a citizen as they can possibly be,” Avery said.

General Manager Bruce Avery is extremely proud of what WRHU has accomplished as a college radio station in the past year. // Photo courtesy of Adam Flash