Let’s Hear it for College Radio: Why You Should Be Tuning In

College radio is often thought of as a counterculture phenomenon of the ’80s and ’90s exclusively. But over 500 college stations still broadcast over the airwaves or online (or both) today. Here’s a deep dive into the importance and impact of college radio — based on the research and experience of one long-time DJ.

When was the last time you listened to the radio? For many members of Gen-Z, the answer to that question is probably “I can’t remember, years ago?” or “When I was in my parent’s/grandparent’s car.” However, for some college students, it might be something more along the lines of “When my friend was DJ-ing their radio show last week.”

Still, on and off college campuses, radio is becoming a thing of the past. Video already killed the radio star forty-five years ago, and the popularization of music streaming apps like Spotify and Apple Music certainly hasn’t helped. But each semester, at schools across the U.S., students reliably apply to be radio DJs again and again. Here’s why radio — and specifically college radio — deserves a little more time to shine.

Origins of College Radio

In the United States, college radio stations first emerged in the 1940s. At this time, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) had just set aside frequencies from 88.1 to 91.9 FM for educational, non-commercial radio.

Because these stations were funded by the FCC and didn’t have to retain listeners to turn a profit, college radio DJs didn’t feel obligated to create programming that was widely accessible. In other words, they could play whatever they liked. The pop hits didn’t particularly matter. As such, college radio quickly gained a counter-culture reputation.

While many DJs in the 1960s and ’70s worked in college stations to gain professional broadcasting experience, others used it to purposefully carve out an underground, alternative space in radio. Programming still had to abide by FCC profanity and decency rules, but regardless, college radio quickly became, for many, a haven from mass culture.

Non-pop genres like reggae, jazz, electronica, folk, garage, and grunge found footholds in college radio culture. These genres were allowed to exist simultaneously without always being relegated to their own separate stations or blocks. Therefore, students or locals who tuned in would hear an array of clashing, ever-changing and unpredictable sounds.

College stations were also outlets for political activism, as students now had a public platform for discussing and bringing awareness to social issues. Stations at HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) in particular became “launching pads for Black voices, and catalysts for social change.”

Katherine Rye Jewell’s book “Live From the Underground” provides a far more comprehensive overview of the shifting social impacts of college radio. If these histories spark any interest, give it a read after this.

Bands that Made it Big on College Airwaves

You’ve probably heard of R.E.M. or Nirvana. Or hopefully both. These two groups in particular owe much of their success to college radio.

Coming straight out of the University of Georgia in the town of Athens, R.E.M. defined the alternative rock scene of the 1980s. Though the band eventually made it big on the commercial airwaves, with songs like “The One I Love,” UGA kids were there from the start, ever since “Radio Free Europe.”

Nirvana’s breakthrough in the 1990s represented, in many ways, the peak-popularity of college radio. The entire grunge genre emerged from the college scene of the time. The University of Washington’s KCMU (now KEXP 90.3 FM) was the first to debut iconic songs such as “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

Other now-famous groups who gained recognition through college airplay include: U2, The B-52s, The Replacements, The Pixies, De La Soul, L7, and more.

Of course, due to the rising popularity of these artists, college radio largely lost its reputation as a underground, alternative space as bands like Nirvana became more widely-appreciated. But where does it stand today?

Being a College DJ in 2025

I can’t speak to the experience of every college radio DJ today, but I can tell you about my own. I’m a current senior at Smith College, graduating this May. I have been a part of Smith’s radio station, WOZQ 91.9 FM, for all four years of my undergraduate education.

I admittedly always dreamed of becoming a radio DJ because of the portrayal of Jay Baruchel’s cool-girl love interest in 2010’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Becky, the love interest, is a college DJ at NYU’s radio station. Her heart is won over when the protagonist remembers her playing “Secrets” by One Republic on her radio show, romantically reprising the song for her in his own nerdy way.

I applied to DJ for WOZQ at the beginning of my first year at Smith. I had a show in the Revolutions Department, which remains the catch-all for students who want to play alternative music (the definition of “alternative” is always up for debate). On “Old Alt Hits and New Alt Bits,” I played classic new wave and 90s rock (think The Smiths, New Order, and of course, R.E.M.), interspersed with songs from more modern alternative bands like Green Day and Nova Twins.

My current show, “The Static Age,” is admittedly much less organized, but still focused largely on alternative music. By now, I’ve fully embraced the freedom and wacky randomness of the college radio format.

A Day-in-the-Life

Like many other DJs, I set up my Spotify on the station computer before my show begins. However, even though a lot of us use streaming services for our weekly 1-2 hour playlists, our station still has the capability to broadcast CDs and vinyl, which some DJs do take advantage of.

Before I get into my weekly theme, the first thing I usually do on my show is play two new releases and two minutes of public service announcements. This is something required by the FCC that DJs can do at any time during their show. The semesterly new release playlist, curated by our Music Directors, is one of my favorite ways to discover new songs and current artists. We also announce a free, public event in our community once per show and give the call sign (WOZQ 91.9 FM, Smith College Radio) at the top of every hour.

After all that, I play music, read comments from the chat on the Mixlr radio streaming app, and pop the mic on every now and then to talk about the songs I’m playing (or whatever else is on my mind).

Directing a Department

In my sophomore year, I became the head of the News and Revolutions Departments at WOZQ, a position I still hold (until this May). This job consists of checking the song logs of the DJs in my departments, downloading new PSAs for DJs to play on air, and writing the Community Events Newsletter each month.

I’m also the person to reach out to for DJs with shows in my departments. I assist in training new DJs and also in troubleshooting any issues that might arise after we go on air each semester, though I often have to refer to our Tech Directors if a technology problem comes up. It takes way more than one person to keep things running, after all.

My responsibilities don’t start and end with radio either. I regularly help the WOZQ board organize campus events. Each fall and spring, we bring local artists to Smith for a semesterly concert, free for the student body. We host smaller events too, like open-mic nights or poster-collaging.

Radio as Community

My time in college radio has been an incredible source of community and creativity in a difficult transitional period of my life. It has connected me to my peers, to friends I never would have met otherwise, and to music I never would have heard elsewhere. In many ways, the reputation that college radio gained in the 1960s/70s as a music platform outside of (or at least tangential to) pop culture still holds true today.

I use music streaming services like most of my generation, but there’s something unique about tuning into a college station and not knowing what you’re going to get. I still remember being a freshman and turning on my Station Manager’s show, subsequently getting my mind blown by Veruca Salt’s “Seether,” a song I now can’t imagine living life without.

One of my friends at Smith hosts a radio show on which she plays modern songs that remind her of classic literature. I met another of my close friends by regularly listening to her show about video game news and trends. I sometimes even tune in to the shows of friends at other universities, connecting with them and their campuses thanks to the internet.

Supporting and Sustaining College Radio

This exploration has been a combination of historical information and my own stories — so I encourage my readers to seek out their own experiences with college radio.

If you attend or live near a college with its own station, tune in sometime, or better yet, apply to be a DJ if you’re a student yourself. It’s often hard to find free spaces for public self-expression, and college airwaves are a wonderful underground alternative to social media.

If you want to listen in, but don’t know where to start without an actual radio, try the Mixlr app, where my own college station streams. Radio Garden, a non-profit map website which allows viewers to listen to stations around the world, is also a great way to start discovering new music. Many college stations stream to their own websites, like WHUS 91.7 FM (University of Connecticut) and WDUB/The Doobie (Dennison University).

Though radio is often thought of as a dying medium, let’s make an effort to support non-commercial, alternative creative spaces, especially on our own college campuses. Every listener counts.