UW-Oshkosh’s student-run radio station, 90.3 WRST-FM, celebrated the 60th anniversary of its first broadcast on April 20 with a special broadcast and a birthday party at the station on the fourth floor of the Arts and Communication Center on campus.
WRST-FM Production Director Brianna Hone said that it was an honor to be a part of the station’s 60th birthday celebrations.
“It’s amazing to have been a part of one of the only student-run radio stations in Wisconsin,” Hone said. “WRST gives students valuable hands-on experience of what it’s like to work at a radio station and it’s been a huge part of my college experience these last four years.”
UWO faculty, staff, students and alumni were invited to attend the celebration, which featured tours of the station and cake.
Alumni were also encouraged to record their favorite WRST-FM memories, either in the studio or over the phone, which were featured on the station’s 60th anniversary special at 6 p.m.
Andrew Haze, a music host on 100.1 WIXX-FM and UWO alumnus, said that WRST-FM has given real world radio experience to thousands of students over its 60-year history.
“Support from the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents has kept WRST student-run and operated, whereas many college radio stations are sold or can’t afford to continue operating,” Haze said. “But mostly, the incredible faculty in the UW-Oshkosh Radio TV Film department continue to educate and support students in the program.”
Robert “Doc” Snyder was hired by the university in 1964 to start a broadcast media program and founded both WRST-FM and Titan TV. The Radio Station of the Titans first hit the airwaves on April 20, 1966, by playing The Mamas & the Papas hit “Monday, Monday” at 6 p.m. on 88.1 FM.
Originally, the station aired content for just four hours each weeknight at its original broadcast studio at the former Fuller Goodman Lumber Company on Blackhawk Avenue, with an antenna located on the roof of the Gruenhagen Conference Center.
In 1971, the studios and antenna were moved to their current location at the Arts and Communication Center. Two years later, WRST’s signal strength increased from 10 to 960 watts and the station changed its frequency to 90.3 FM.
WRST became a Wisconsin Public Radio affiliate in 1992 and currently airs WPR content from midnight to 1 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and all day on Sunday. Students produce their own shows for the remaining 11 hours of the day and air music, news and sports broadcasts.
The station remains one of the only places in the Fox Valley to air jazz in the afternoon in honor of Snyder, a jazz enthusiast.
The station has garnered state and national awards from its student productions, earning seven Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Student Forum awards in February.
Haze, a former station manager of WRST, said that the station has an advantage over other college stations because students have the ability to broadcast UW-Oshkosh athletic events.
“Because UWO is a Division III school, major broadcasting organizations like ESPN and iHeart are not involved, allowing students to fully produce and broadcast sports games,” Haze said. “This provides the real-world, in the field experience necessary for a future broadcasting career.”
Haze said that WRST’s mission statement of being a service to the community aligns what radio stations are supposed to do.
“The actively-practiced mission statement helped instill in me, and many students before and after me, a true understanding of the importance and responsibilities of being a broadcaster,” Haze said. “The experience and education I received participating in 90.3 WRST-FM prepared me for my current career as a full-time radio host. I believe I would not have found the success I have without my time at the station. WRST prepares all students with the tools they need to achieve success in front of a real audience.”
