When I saw a social media post from one of my radio friends asking for one-hour show submissions for a pop-up station, I had to click to find out more.
THIS WEEK ONLY is a new pop-up station, WVYL – Vinyl Radio. It will broadcast nonstop from 12:00 a.m. EST on Monday, April 13, through midnight Friday, April 17, to help raise money for scholarships for the College Radio Foundation’s “Fueling Radio’s Future” campaign and its Next Step Radio scholarships, which help students who need financial assistance to continue their radio education and careers.
WVYL was inspired by the fictional radio station from Stranger Things, WSQK The Squawk. The Squawk had a real-life pop-up channel to support the Stranger Things show finale.
Founder of College Radio Day and Vinylthon, Dr. Rob Quicke, was looking for something that would also shine a spotlight leading into Vinylthon weekend.
Not only am I a strong supporter and advocate for radio, I also have a soft spot in my heart for college radio. If it wasn’t for college radio, I’m not sure where I would be.
In 1996, I had just dropped out of my junior year in college, majoring in Political Science/Philosophy and just not feeling it. It was during my drive back I heard an ad on a college radio station, 89.9 WLCA, at Lewis & Clark Community College, in Godfrey, Illinois. It said, “Have you ever thought about radio? Be a part of WLCA, a student-run radio station.” I immediately drove to their campus to find out more. They accepted me, and the rest is history.
Being on the radio for 30 years, I will never forget where I come from. When students stop in to tour the radio stations, or I hear a college radio station during a road trip, my mind goes back to the late ’90s and those unforgettable radio days (cue Iris here).
This week only, WVYL will be broadcasting one-hour shows by college, community, and commercial broadcasters from around the world. These shows are hosted and created by real people, not algorithms, all of them having a strong passion to communicate and share their love and knowledge with others.
The station launches with legendary broadcaster John Records Landecker, who was elected to the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2017 and the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2020.
Followed by Rob Quicke, who helped found the UK’s first college radio station. He is now director of the journalism and mass communications school at Marshall University.
Hour 3 will be my show, “Tab Grammer’s Radio Journey,” a collection of some of my favorite artist interviews and stories.
I’m so honored to be part of this great group of people celebrating radio and music!
WVYL will feature 60 original shows, each airing twice over five days. I promise, you will hear some hidden gems and stories on all these shows.
About Tab Grammer – Radio Programming Veteran/Brand Manager and Middays for 92.9 The River, KRQV in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Previously, Program Director at KHTT in Tulsa, OK, KKSW in Lawrence, KS, and WLTO in Lexington, KY.
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