Seton Hall’s student-run radio station, WSOU, won “College Radio Station of the Year” at the annual Marconi Awards on Oct. 25.
This is the second time WSOU has won a Marconi Award, the first being in 2016 for “Non-Commercial Radio Station of the Year.”
“I was just over the moon,” said Chris Aurilio, director of production facilities at the College of Human Development, Culture, and Media.
Kayla Fonseca, a senior journalism major and WSOU station manager, was in attendance to accept the award alongside Ryan Henry, a senior video and sound media major, and WSOU’s news director.
“It was a surreal moment,” Henry said.
The National Association of Broadcasters’ Marconi Awards, often called the “Academy Awards of Radio,” honor radio stations and individuals for their excellence in radio. Nominees for the awards are chosen by a committee of broadcasters and the final winners are voted by the NAB Marconi Radio Awards Selection Academy.
“It literally felt like the Oscars,” Fonseca said.
WSOU has also been recognized by the Peabody Awards and The New York Press Club. Additionally, Rolling Stone magazine named WSOU as a “Top 5 Radio Station,” among other industry awards and recognitions.
“This is an honor for the students,” Aurilio said.
Aurilio highlighted the capability and professionalism of the students at WSOU, leading to this prestigious win.
“All of this is very much student-run here at the station,” Aurilio said.
Aurilio said he hopes to keep up the energy for the rest of the year and not let “senioritis settle in” after this recognition.
“We have to keep up the reputation we have and live up to the honor that we are so grateful for,” Aurilio said.
Fonseca and Henry attribute WSOU’s prestige to the dedication the close-knit community at the station has.
“You’re spending 10 to 15 hours a week with the same people when you’re here,” Henry said. “You get to know a lot of the core members. It’s super close, like a family.”
To honor WSOU’s 75th anniversary, the Walsh Library is hosting “WSOU at 75: The Voice of Seton Hall,” an exhibit celebrating the rich history of the renowned radio station.
Key moments from the station’s history as well as WSOU artifacts are on display at the exhibition.
“It’s really just a sentiment of how many people have come through these walls and how people have really left their mark on WSOU,” Fonseca said.
Megan Brush can be reached at megan.brush@student.shu.edu.
