The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh’s student radio station never sounded so good.

An increasing number of radio-TV-film (RTF) students are gaining valuable hands-on experience not only at the University’s campus radio station WRST-FM, but also while working at stations across the state and country.

The skills that the executive staff learned inside and outside of WRST studios resulted in a successful spring semester of radio broadcasting that included an expanded weekday schedule of talk programs and resulted in regional and national awards from the Broadcast Education Association, Milwaukee Press Club, Northwest Broadcast News Association and Wisconsin Broadcasters Association.

Director of Radio Services Randall Davidson said the students’ exposure to professional media experience, whether through part-time jobs or professional internships, is a win-win situation for the students and the stations at which they work.

“These students are making a name for themselves and for UW Oshkosh every place they go. Their supervisors give them high marks for their professionalism and technical skill,” said Davidson, who serves as faculty adviser to WRST and coordinator for all RTF internships. “The students also make valuable contacts in the industry.”

Even as the students take their campus broadcasting knowledge to outside positions, they also bring back what they learned at their jobs and internships to enhance the operation of WRST.

Some internships have taken students across the globe. Last summer, a student was placed in a video production position in Thailand; another student will spend this summer interning as a jazz radio announcer in Berlin.

Other recent or ongoing placements of RTF students include the following:

• Nate Bognar, webmaster, interned with the ABC TV program “Wipeout!” in Los Angeles.

• Jared Bublitz, station manager, interned at Clear Channel Radio in Greenfield.

• B.J. DeGroot, internet stream co-manager, interned at Time Warner Cable Sports in Appleton.

• Kimberly Krejcarek, jazz coordinator, interned at Oshkosh Community Media Services and at WCUB-AM in Manitowoc.

• Sarah Lind, co-news director, interned with WISS-AM/FM in Berlin.

• Eric Michalski, music director, interned at Cumulus Radio in Oshkosh.

• Carrie Miller, bluegrass coordinator, interns at WNCY-FM in Green Bay.

• Christopher Mueller, former station manager, interned with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers baseball team in Appleton and at WSCO-AM in Appleton. He resigned his WRST staff position in February to take a radio broadcasting internship with the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team in St. Petersburg, Fla.

• Phil Rothmann, production director, interns with WSCO-AM in Appleton.

• Bryan Scholz, program director, interned with WTMJ-AM and the Brewers Radio Network in Milwaukee and will intern this summer with the sports department at WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee.

• Ian Segovia, internet stream co-manager, will intern in the summer with the media division of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation in Madison.

• Alex Smith, co-news director, works part-time at WBEV-AM/WXRO-FM in Beaver Dam.

• Eric Strelow, assistant news director, interns at WFDL-AM in Fond du Lac.

• Tyler Thrune, sports director, worked part-time at WRPQ-AM/TV in Baraboo.

• Jessica Westlund, talk director, interned at WKSZ-FM/WCHK-FM in Appleton and will intern this summer at WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids, Mich.

• Katelyn Zima, underwriting and promotions director, interns at WBWI-FM in West Bend.

In addition, several other students who have been involved at WRST currently have internship or part-time employment in radio and TV operations throughout the region.

Listen to WRST at 90.3 FM or at www.wrst.org.