College Radio Day 2020
College Radio Day 2020
Marley Davis-Hewitt
Oct 2, 2020
College Radio Day was founded by Rob Quicke in 2010 with the aim to “raise a greater, national awareness of the many college and high school radio stations that operate in North America by encouraging people who would not normally listen to college radio to do so on this day”.
The very first event had over 360 participating college and high school radio stations in the United States, Canada, and Jamaica. It was held on October 11 with subsequent events happening in the first week of October every year. This year’s CRD landed on October 2 and USD is proud to be a participating party.
Development of the Radio:
Upon the discovery of radiowaves detected by James Clerk Maxwell and Heinrich Hertz, it was Guglielmo Marconi who recognized the possibility of a wireless communication system using these waves. He gave the first demonstration in 1895 using Hertz’s spark coil as a transmitter. Over time the distance in which these waves could be received only increased as equipment improved. The transmission of music and speech began in 1906, and was patented for long-range reception by Edwin H. Armstrong.
The first commercial broadcasting station was established in 1920 of station KDKA at Pittsburgh, PA and in 1926 the first broadcasting network was formed birthing the golden age of radio.
Original Purpose of Radio:
The original use of radio was by the U.S. military in war. When the United States entered World War I in 1917, all radio development was controlled by the U.S. Navy to prevent its possible use by enemy spies. The U.S. government took over control of all patents related to radio technology.
Why College Radio Stations are an important part of building culture and community:
Many college students use music to get them through studying as well as a way to build a soundtrack for the memories being made during these special years. In today’s era most people are using streaming services like iTunes and Spotify over listening to music on the radio.
Despite this fact college campuses still operate thriving radio stations. College radio stations serve students with much more than a list of songs. They bridge the gap between schools and communities. College radio stations give those involved an opportunity to provide students with information on; local musicians, events, reviews, and interviews while informing communities about campus happenings. The best college radio stations also inform students with ways to get involved in the music industry, radio broadcasting, and sound engineering. Students involved learn about FCC regulations, music licensing, and general radio operations while strengthening skills in programming, marketing, production, budgeting, and graphic design.
How to get involved involved with USD Radio:
USD Radio is not currently accepting applications at the moment, but you can find all of our work on the USD Media website and social media. If there is anything you would like to see more of let us know by sending an email to radiodirector@sandiego.edu.
Website: UofSDmedia.com
Instagram: USDBeats
Twitter: USDradio