Infographic by Charlotte Braden

In an era of digital streaming, college radio is important to the self-expression and personal growth of many students on a university campus. 

As a member of California Lutheran University’s student-run college radio station, iCLU Radio, since my freshman year, I have been lucky enough to see how college radio has positively impacted the lives of many students, beyond just my personal experiences. 

During my second semester of freshman year, I signed up for a radio course because I wanted to try something new to challenge myself. Despite always having been an introverted person, my love for the music industry and desire to do something new pushed me to step out of my comfort zone. 

I remember being terrified while sitting in the radio station on the first day of the class. As a person who does not like listening to recordings of their own voice, and is not the biggest fan of public speaking, I began to question why I would even sign up for this course to begin with. Nevertheless, I continued to show up and push myself. While it was difficult at times, it ended up being one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. 

Kyle Tamkin, iCLU Radio station manager and professor, said that working on a college radio is not as easy as it looks. 

“I remember my first show, I’m like ‘This can’t be hard, I’ve given speeches before you know’… and then there’s something about when you turn the mic on, you’re like a deer in the headlights,” Tamkin said. “It’s not as easy as it looks, but I do think that once you can master it, or do it at a confident level, it does translate into a lot of things,”

The following semester, I signed up for the radio course again. This time I was not nervous, but excited. I gained confidence and was eager to have the opportunity to continue to grow. Now I am a senior and the experiences that my college radio station has given me are something that I will never take for granted.

Senior Dia Tardino, president of iCLU Radio club, said that being on the college radio has played a major role in giving students a platform to be heard.

“People will tune in to hear your music, hear what you have to say as a college student,” Tardino said. “It’s really nice to know your voice matters, and a lot of people don’t think that, but college radio helps support that.” 

College radio is important because it allows students to creatively express themselves through their work. Tardino said that there are currently around 40 shows available on iCLU Radio this semester. Due to its diverse format and wide-range of student-led hosts, listeners will never hear two shows that sound the same. 

Tamkin said that college radio allows multiple personalities to shine on a college campus. By giving students the opportunity to have complete control over their shows, college radio allows students to express their creativity in ways that traditional commercial radio and streaming do not. 

“You’ll have one hour, it’s like broadway music, the next hour is heavy metal, followed by like a sports show, and so everyone’s personalities come out and it’s super fun,” Tamkin said. 

According to the article, “College Radio Is Not Dead,” author Ken Budd said that despite the fact that some college radio stations use commercial formatting, the creativity and individuality of the shows put on by students is similar across many college radio stations.

Additionally, college radio serves as an opportunity for growth. Students have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience, using real radio equipment, while learning practical skills such as quick thinking and adaptability. The skills one learns throughout their time on college radio go way beyond the radio station. One can carry these skills into multiple aspects of their life. 

“I think the number one thing radio does teach you is to be spontaneous, in a moment’s notice,” Tamkin said. “My goal is not to just teach you guys to be good radio hosts, but to be multi-media, multi-dimensional people.” 

As technology has progressed, many people believe that radio is a dying media form. According Edison Research’s study on Generation Z’s audio consumer patterns, “they [Gen Z] spend 42% of their average audio day with streaming music, 20% with music and music videos on YouTube, 16% with AM/FM radio and radio streams, 8% with podcasts, and 14% with other audio sources.” 

There is still a quality to college radio that attracts many students every semester. Whether it is that nostalgic feeling or the desire to create something from scratch, the college radio draws in many students across campus, and not just those in related fields. 

“When it comes to class or even the club, and it’s ‘You looking to do a live radio show or podcast?,’ nine times out of ten people want to do the live radio show ‘cause there’s something special about it,” Tamkin said. 

Working on a college radio station is one of the most rewarding opportunities one can experience in college. In an era of digital media, college radio is so important to the creativity, self-expression and confidence of students across a college campus. To listen live and support college radio, tune into iCLU Radio.