Montclair State University’s radio station, 90.3 WMSC-FM, will broadcast 30 hours of continuous content in honor of the eighth annual College Radio Day, beginning at 7 p.m. on Oct. 4. This event serves as a day to reflect on the importance of college radio in the campus community as well as the world at large.
College Radio Day will start off with “Stomp n’ Stroll Radio” with Pat Cicchetti at 7 p.m. on Oct. 4, followed by “The ProgPower Station” with Anthony Roldan. At midnight, College Radio Day officially begins nationwide, and conservative political host AJ Melillo takes over, preceding News Director Hiral Patel’s “Spaced Out Sounds.”
“Chasing Beats” hosted by Avery Vazac, will deliver a special “Chase the Sun” broadcast in the early morning hours and will be followed by Mario Papa of “Mario’s Morning Mojo.” This year’s morning show will be broadcasting live from a mobile golf cart if weather allows. “Sports are Dumb(er)” plans to provide even more laughter and hijinks this year before a remote broadcast with Hiral Patel and Kate Braunstein from Rocky’s 17th Birthday Bash. At 2 p.m. Montclair State will participate in a simulcast airing at the same time as hundreds of radio stations across the country.
Professor Anabella Poland, also the general manager of WMSC, was proud to share that WMSC’s own Cicchetti simulcasted the 2018 ambassador’s interview with Joan Jett and Kenny Laguna of the Blackhearts.
Next on the air, Professor Tom Kaminski of WCBS 880 will present “The Back to the Future Show” along with other members of Montclair State’s graduating class of 1984.
The majority of the day will continue with eight hours of live performances from the WMSC studio. Finally, College Radio Day’s simulcast will be back on the air, concluding the festivities at 1 a.m.
WMSC’s theme for this year’s celebration is aptly titled, “When all else fails, college radio speaks.”
Kate Braunstein, a senior communication and media arts major and the station manager at WMSC, explained the meaning behind the title.
“When you don’t have a voice or you feel stifled, college radio is your opportunity to say something and do something,” Braunstein said.
Poland also impressed upon the cultural influence of college radio.
“In the past, college radio was a music tastemaker,” Poland said. “Many, if not most of the bands that are well-known today had their start in college radio, and college radio was the foundation of most artists’ careers.”
Patel spoke about the process of producing the 30-hour broadcast.
“Even if things don’t turn out the way we plan it to, everything we produce is what we made,” Patel said. “It’s our art.”
Simply put, college radio provides the students of Montclair State with an opportunity to express themselves in a media landscape they’re newly beginning to navigate.
“It gives the people that aren’t in the professional industry of voice a chance to find themselves,” Braunstein said.
Listeners interested in participating in College Radio Day are encouraged to visit during the WMSC open house on Oct. 5 between 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the School of Communication and Media.
To connect with WMSC hosts, call the studio number at 973-655-4256 and follow their social media sites at wmscradio on Facebook and @wmsc on Twitter. Make sure to use hashtags #CRD18 and #WMSCCRD when posting about the event.
“I hope you will give WMSC a listen that day and I hope we win you over, even if for just a few minutes each day as you commute to the campus,” Poland said.
