Seton Hall University’s student-run radio station, WSOU 89.5 FM, will celebrate 70 years of continuous operation on Saturday, April 14. Festivities include a gathering of more than 200 station alumni for dinner and the induction of three new members into the WSOU Hall of Fame: broadcaster Frank Garrity ’82, Bishop John O’Hara ’67, and Polka Party host and beloved teacher Professor Stanley Kosakowski. In addition, Music Choice music programmer Gabby Canella ’12 will be presented with the station’s Distinguished Young Alumna Award. The dinner and induction ceremony will be held at the Grand Summit Hotel in Summit, NJ, 7–11 p.m. The anniversary dinner also helps raise money for the station’s scholarship fund.
“WSOU really is unique among college radio stations, not only for its longevity but also for the comradery among its alumni.” said Mark Maben, the station’s general manager. “What has been inspiring to see in recent years is the number of current students who are drawn to radio. In the 21st century, the media landscape seems to change by the minute, but at WSOU we’ve seen that millennials and Generation-Z are as passionate about audio as the earlier generations that worked at the station.”
“The foundational commitment to experiential-learning is one of the reasons WSOU has produced literally thousands of station alumni who go on to radio, TV, new media, news, sports, music, and entertainment industry careers,” said Deirdre Yates, Dean of the College of Communication and the Arts. “I’ve seen firsthand that there is no better place to ‘learn by doing’ than WSOU.”
Recent research conducted in the University’s archives has identified more than 3,500 students who have been involved with WSOU over the past 70 years. More names are expected to be revealed as research continues.
