By Danny Nikander SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
For the second year in a row, the Princeton Review ranked Hofstra’s WRHU the no. 1 college radio station in the nation.
In a YouTube video posted by WRHU executive board members Eric Dehm, Dianna Albanese, and Bernie Dennler, the staff thanked the members and volunteers of WRHU and the audience for helping them achieve this honorable ranking.
“As a student Executive Board member, “I get updated on all of WRHU's different departments and the work they do. There's so much passion and dedication. I couldn't be more proud of this station for being ranked the #1 College Radio Station for the second year in a row. We've earned this,” Albanese said.
The Princeton Review provides students with test preparation and school selection materials. The service measures and ranks universities, nationwide, regarding elements like academics, job outcomes, and extracurricular activities, like WRHU.
Broadcasting 24/7, 365 days a year, WRHU has amassed a total of about 300,000 weekly listeners out of a possible 14 million that its frequency has been constructed to reach, according to the official WRHU handbook.
WRHU broadcasts a variety of shows to satisfy its diverse group of listeners. The shows range from news, to music or sports. The station has hosted interviews with well-known icons like journalist Ted Koppel and Brian Johnson of AC/DC.
The station is acclaimed for shows like Hofstra’s Morning Wake Up Call, Newsline, and it’s various sports programs.
"WRHU molds itself to the current trend; it’s always evolving,” WRHU operations manager John Mullen said. “The next big show is based on student interest. And that’s the beauty of radio.”
Mullen, who has been at the station for 10 years, gives much credit to the WRHU website for creating the ability to talk to current or even future students who might be interested in the radio. The website additionally streams the station’s broadcasts, offering access to all their content.
“Technology changes all of the time. We don’t know where it will go from here. We want to stay in tune with communication,” Mullen said.
Mullen additionally thanks the “exceptional” staff involved in WRHU and praises their ability to take what they learn in class and apply it to their time at the radio station.
WRHU is the only college radio station with a broadcasting partnership with a professional sports team, the New York Cosmos. The station previously had a partnership with the New York Islanders, before the team moved from Long Island to Brooklyn.
In addition to this consecutive first place ranking by The Princeton Review, WRHU was the recipient of the prestigious Marconi Award, presented by the National Association of Broadcasters back in 2014. That was the very first time a student operated radio station had been granted the award.
Aside from these esteemed accomplishments, WRHU has collectively earned more than 200 awards, and received a nomination for an Woodie Award, presented by MTV.
“WRHU is a growing community. We’ve created an environment for students to flourish,” Mullen said.
Hundreds of Hofstra alumni spent their college career working for WRHU moving on to careers with household names like Fox, CBS, and the MLB.
“It’s the entire Hofstra community that has earned this, not just those here at WRHU,” Mullen said.