WRST-FM at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh is joining college radio stations around the state and throughout the U.S. in participating in the fifth-annual College Radio Day on Friday, Oct. 2.

The event is held to raise awareness of college radio and to urge the public to sample the creative spirit of these student-run broadcast stations.

This year’s event got a special boost last week when a group of 15 students representing five different college radio stations made an official visit to the White House, the first time a group representing the medium of college radio has done so.

During their time there, they met with senior adviser to the president, Valerie Jarrett, and Kyle Lierman, associate director of public engagement and senior policy adviser to discuss the government’s “It’s On Us” campaign to end campus sexual assault. The group also met with Cecelia Munoz, assistant to the president and director of the Domestic Policy Council, and James Kvaal, deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, to discuss the topic of college affordability.  The group also received a tour of the West Wing which included a photo session in the press briefing room with Josh Earnest, assistant to the president and press secretary.

This was followed by a lively discussion in the Roosevelt Room on the role of the media, and the importance of college radio especially.

At the conclusion of the visit, the group was presented with a letter from President Obama expressing his best wishes for College Radio Day, adding: “By keeping the legacy of college radio stations alive and strong, students on campuses from coast to coast experience the thrills of sharing and discovering media and creating stimulating programming. In doing so, they are lending their talents to a tradition that has been unfolding for generations and inspiring others to join in the work of shaping our future’s course.”

WRST-FM has been operating since 1966, offering listeners an alternative program schedule featuring a variety of music genres along with local news, talk and sports.  The programs are produced by UW Oshkosh students, many of whom are in the University’s radio-TV-film department.  WRST alumni can be found in media careers throughout the country.

WRST-FM airs local programs from 1 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily and airs Wisconsin Public Radio Ideas Network offerings at other times.

Learn more at collegeradio.org.

Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to contribute calendar items, campus announcements and other good news to UW Oshkosh Today.