Goshen College radio station honored

GOSHEN — When the sweet sound of the radio exits the speakers and hits your ears, you often do not think about what it took to get it there.

Behind the daily programming of 91.1 The Globe’s daily musical, news and community programming is the hard work of Goshen College students under the direction of general manager and associate professor Jason Samuel.

In March, it was announced that The Globe was chosen as the Signature Station by the Broadcast Education Association. Samuel along with three students traveled to accept the honor at the BEA’s Festival of Media Arts held in Las Vegas from April 22 to 26.

The Globe was selected from a pool of member stations from across the country and ranging from schools the size of Goshen to Arizona State University.

“It really is an honor for a station like The Globe from Goshen College in a small town in Indiana,” Samuel said. “When you can think of all the other schools and colleges in the United States and all the other universities and for them to say that we’re the best is truly an honor.”

Samuel said that listeners tune into WGCS-FM (91.1) to hear “music that you won’t hear on traditional radio,”including a wide range of folk, alternative, Americana and many more genres of ‘Globe music.’”

The Signature Station is determined by a panel of judges that evaluates the on-air quality of broadcast and content, along with off-air technological and administrative infrastructure, and the philosophy of the broadcast education.

“In other words, it’s the why and the how,” Samuel said. “It’s a pretty comprehensive judgment of how you run your broadcasting department and your radio station. That really validates the work of our students. I’m proud of my students for the hard work that they’ve put in.”

Since Samuel became the station’s general manager in 2003, The Globe has been recognized as the Best College Radio Station in the Nation twice by the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System, in 2011 and 2013. The station also earned an honorable mention in last year’s Signature Station competition.

The Globe has been honored with five state titles in that time as well.

“I’m thankful and appreciative of the people I work with and the institution that allows the freedom and flexibility to do what we think will make The Globe the best college radio station,” Samuel said. “And their willingness to let the students have some ownership has really paid dividends.”