East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania\u2019s radio station, WESS, was so tuned in last spring that MTVu presented them with a Woodie Award, making WESS the best college radio station in the nation. A semester later, WESS continues to make noise.<\/p>\n
\u201cMembership exploded this semester from 70 to over 100,\u201d Robert McKenzie, Ph.D., distinguished professor and chair of communication studies and adviser to WESS, said. \u201cWe landed on the list of best college radio stations published in www.collegemagazine.com<\/a> this month.\u201d<\/p>\n College Magazine, an online publication produced by college students across the country, ranked WESS No. 12 on their list of Top 16 College Radio Stations in the nation on October 13. It\u2019s not just the media putting WESS in the spotlight; music companies and performers that never worked with WESS before are now servicing the station, according to McKenzie.<\/p>\n An example of WESS\u2019s outstanding programming includes McKenzie\u2019s October 14 talk show when he hosted J.T. Carter, creator of the 1950s group, The Crests. \u201cMore people are contacting us and more people are calling us the number one college station in the United States,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n But for adviser McKenzie, WESS\u2019s enhanced fame is not the most important thing the radio station has to offer. The best service WESS grants to ESU students is its ability to remain an open beacon for free expression and camaraderie, says McKenzie.<\/p>\n That camaraderie is what kept Cory Nidoh, station manager for WESS and a senior communication studies major at ESU, involved in the station for the past four years.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone who belongs to WESS belongs because they love radio,\u201d Nidoh said. \u201cIt\u2019s a very open organization and we all have a lot of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n The radio station that is making noise across the nation is taking adviser McKenzie all the way to Seattle, Wash. next week, where he will present WESS\u2019s Woodie Award win to College Broadcasters, Inc. He will discuss the ground game that WESS used to win the Woodie while competing against universities across the country.<\/p>\n