College Radio Day, is an event conceived by Rob Quicke, General Manager of

WPSC WPSC-FM (88.7 FM) – branded as Brave New Radio – is William Paterson University's non-commercial radio station, broadcasting an alternative hip hop format. Licensed to Wayne, New Jersey, the station serves the northern New Jersey and wes ...

William Paterson University William Paterson University, officially William Paterson University of New Jersey (WPUNJ), is a public university in Wayne, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Founded in 1855 and was named after American ju ...

. The company was founded in December 2010. The first event was held on October 11, 2011 with subsequent CRD events happening in the first week of October every year. In October 2014, it was announced that College Radio Day was now being run as part of a newly formed

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

organization called the College Radio Foundation. The aim of the event is to “raise a greater, national awareness of the many college and high school radio stations that operate in North America by encouraging people who would not normally listen to college radio to do so on this day.” This first event had over 360 participating college and high school radio stations in America, Canada and Jamaica. Because of international interest, World College Radio Day was founded in 2012, and is now celebrated the same day as College Radio Day in countries around the world outside of the US. Rob Quicke is also the Co-Founder of World College Radio Day. College Radio Day is currently the subject of a documentary film in production from Killer Goose Films. The 2022 date is Friday, October 7.

College Radio Day 2012: "This Time It's Global"

The second College Radio Day took place on October 2, 2012. 585 college radio stations from 29 countries participated in the event.

Chris Martin Christopher Anthony John Martin (born 2 March 1977) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist, pianist, rhythm guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Coldplay. Born in Exeter, Devon, he went to Univ ...

from

Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University Col ...

officially launched the day with a specially recorded message of support for college radio.

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

Governor

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, lobbyist, and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. Christie, who was born in Ne ...

issued a statewide proclamation recognizing College Radio Day, as did

Rick Perry James Richard Perry (born March 4, 1950) is an American politician who served as the 14th United States secretary of energy from 2017 to 2019 and as the 47th governor of Texas from 2000 to 2015. Perry also ran unsuccessfully for the Republica ...

, Governor of Texas.

Giorgio Napolitano Giorgio Napolitano (; born 29 June 1925) is an Italian politician who served as president of Italy from 2006 to 2015, the first Italian president to be re-elected to the presidency. Due to his dominant position in Italian politics, some critics ...

, President of Italy, also issued a statement of support and congratulations for all participating Italian college radio stations. The theme for the event was "This Time It's Global" to reflect that many countries outside of the US now participated.

College Radio Day 2013: "If You Care About Music, You Care About College Radio"

The third College Radio Day was on October 1, 2013. Over 700 college radio stations in 43 countries participated in the event. President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

wrote a letter of support of the event, stating that "''Uniting audiences across languages and borders, World College Radio Day celebrates the students who power these stations and the unique role college radio plays across the globe''.". Vice-President Joe Biden called in to

radio to do an interview on the day. Additionally,

Wyclef Jean Nel Ust Wyclef Jean (; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, musician, and actor. At the age of nine, Jean immigrated to the United States with his family. He first achieved fame as a member of the New Jersey hip hop group the Fugees, a ...

played a surprise concert at

radio on the campus of

in collaboration with

mtvU MTVU (formerly stylized as MtvU and mtvU) is an American digital cable TV channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group, a unit of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. The channel was first known as VH1 Uno from 2000 to ...

. Both

Moby Richard Melville Hall (born September 11, 1965), known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, singer, producer, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "among the ...

and

Andrew WK Andrew Fetterly Wilkes-Krier (born May 9, 1979), known professionally as Andrew W.K., is an American conceptual performance artist, rock singer, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and actor. Raised in Michigan, Wilkes-Krier began his mus ...

also contributed exclusive interviews for the event. The theme for the event was "If You Care About Music, You Care About College Radio" to reflect the role and importance that college radio has had and continues to have in being a musical tastemaker.

College Radio Day 2014: "Where It All Begins"

The fourth College Radio Day was on Friday, October 3, 2014. Again, hundreds of college radio stations came together to celebrate the event. Notable participants included

, Matt Kelly from the

Dropkick Murphys Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. Singer and bassist Ken Casey has been the band's only constant member. Other current members include drummer Matt Kelly (1997– ), singer Al Barr (199 ...

, and Jeremiah Fraites from

The Lumineers The Lumineers are an American alternative folk band based in Denver, Colorado. The founding members are Wesley Schultz (lead vocals, guitar) and Jeremiah Fraites (drums, percussion, piano). Schultz and Fraites began writing and performing toge ...

. There was also the first ever one-hour simulcast as over 70 US college radio stations came together to broadcast, at the same time across the US, a special one-hour program that highlighted the ongoing importance of college radio.

College Radio Day 2015: "Your Authentic Guide To The Next Generation of Music"

The fifth College Radio Day was on Friday, October 2, 2015. Notable participants included a keynote interview by

Stewart Copeland Stewart Armstrong Copeland (born July 16, 1952) is a Scottish-American musician and composer. He is best known for his work as the drummer of the English rock band the Police from 1977 to 1986, and again from 2007 to 2008. Before playing with th ...

, as well as Josh Eppard of

Coheed and Cambria Coheed and Cambria are an American progressive rock band from Nyack, New York, formed in 1995. The band consists of Claudio Sanchez (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Travis Stever (guitars, vocals), Josh Eppard (drums, keyboards, backing vocals), an ...

. Taking place for the first time was a national 24 hour broadcast marathon, featuring 24 selected college radio stations from the hundreds that participated. Addition special programming for the day included a special report produced by college radio students who were invited to the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

and were presented with a letter of support from President

to recognize and celebrate the day.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official Website for College Radio Day and the College Radio FoundationOfficial Website for World College Radio Day
Awareness days International observances October observances November observances