Hundreds of students work with the station every academic year. They cover games, host shows, produce news and write stories for the ComRadio site. Any student interested in radio can get involved with the station from the moment they step on campus as a freshman.
“We want to provide opportunities, and it’s about getting experience,” said Jeff Brown, ComRadio’s adviser and a longtime radio veteran himself. “We understand that by providing the students with opportunities there are going to be some mistakes, but you have to have the chance to grow in order to improve. The best thing we do is allow students to get on the air almost as soon as they want.”
Along with providing students with experience, the Internet-based station provides a connection to the University for alumni and friends all over the world.
Under Brown’s guidance, ComRadio has grown from a staff of 13 students when it launched in 2003 to as many as 250 students working to produce nightly half-hour newscasts, along with between 30 and 40 talk shows each semester.
ComRadio has a student management team that directs all activities and events for the organization. Over the years, ComRadio students have won numerous state and national awards for news and sports reporting and news and sports writing. Many ComRadio alumni are working for major broadcasting companies like the Big Ten Network, CBS News, CBS Sports, ESPN and the SEC Network, among others.