Catalog for the exhibition The Loudest Rock: 60 Years of Pirate Radio held at the Seton Hall University Walsh Gallery, March 2 - April 10, 2009. Curated by Jacob Calvert, Brooke Cheney and Katherine Fox. Includes an essay by Jacob Calvert, Brooke Cheney and Katherine Fox and a Q&A with Mark Maben

Maben, Mark

Scafidi, Frank

English

Seton Hall University eRepository

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Director of the Walsh Gallery, Jeanne Brasile and co-curators Jake 
Calvert, Brooke Cheyney and Katherine Fox would like to extend special 
thanks to the following for making this exhibition possible: 
 
Xueming Bao 
Frank Capra 
Elyse Carter 
Paul Chao 
Petra Chu 
College of Arts and Sciences  
     Dean’s Office 
Kathy Coyle 
Vance Crowe 
Lindsay Czarnecki 
Alan Delozier 
Bryan DeNovellis 
Department of Art and Music 
Department of Communication 
Matt DeVoti 
Kate Dodds 
Damali Francis 
Terrance Gallogly 
Nicole Halliwell 
Stephanie Hauge  
Catriona Hill 
Bob Ley 
Mark Maben 
Jill Matthews 
Dr. Howard McGinn 
 
 
Meggie Mermigas 
Museum Professions  
     Graduate Program 
Nelson Paz Márquez  
Richard Oppenheimer 
Jennifer Roberts 
Bill Rock 
George Roskos 
Frank Scafidi 
Glenn Schuck 
The Seton Hall University  
     Arts Council 
Jerry Sullivan 
Bernie Wagenblast 
Walsh Gallery Advisory Board 
Anna Wilson 
Robert Windrem 
WSOU Student Workers 
 
Walsh Gallery 
at Seton Hall University 
400 South Orange Avenue  
South Orange, NJ 07079 
Open Mon-Fri 10:30 am to 4:30 pm 
http://library.shu.edu/gallery 
973.275.2033 
 
2 March—10 April 2009 
 
 
 
Co-curated by  
Jake Calvert  
Brooke Cheyney  
and  
Katherine Fox 
WSOU 89.5 F.M. Pirate Radio – Seton Hall University’s Premier Radio Station
Curator’s Statement 
 
     It is important to understand that 60 years of Pirate Radio is not just 
the celebration of a single history; it is the celebration of many. WSOU 
has long played a pivotal role in defining these histories and spreading 
them through many different communities. For WSOU, these include a 
university and its students, the surrounding neighborhoods, sports af-
filiates, the music industry and many others. Radio as a form of com-
munication has the ability to inform, entertain and educate. We aim to 
show WSOU’s great successes in these pursuits. What can be 
learned in this exhibition is particular to the station, but these many 
small parts suggest a greater picture of our society, its cultural con-
cerns, and the traditions we value. For sixty years, WSOU 89.5FM, 
Seton Hall's Pirate Radio Station has led the airways in college broad-
casting.   
     WSOU began as a small organization run out of the basement of 
the university recreation center airing its first broadcast on April 14, 
1948.  Since that time, the station has grown considerably into a na-
tionally recognized non-commercial radio entity that has been a lead-
ing force in music, band promotion, broadcast technology, news, spe-
cial programming and sports coverage.  The growth and proliferation 
of WSOU has been a direct result of the devoted team of Seton Hall 
student employees that manage and operate the station with their fac-
ulty supervisor.  This exhibition celebrates WSOU's presence in the 
music industry, the professionalism of its staff, advances in technol-
ogy, progressive programming and delivery of cutting-edge music. 
WSOU Fast Facts 
 
# of Student Workers: 110 
 
Employers of WSOU Alumni: 102.7 Fresh FM, Atlantic Records, Billboard/Radio &  
Records, BMG Label Group, CBS, CNN, ESPN, FOX News, Newark Star Ledger,  
Philadelphia’s B101, Sony/Epic Records and WFAN, 
 
Longest Running Program: Polka Party (1949) 
 
Popular Programs: Hall Line, Street Patrol, That Other ‘70s Show, and Vintage ‘80s. 
 
Bands WSOU has helped break: Smashing Pumpkins, My Chemical Romance, Thursday, 
Pearl Jam and Five Finger Death Punch, among others 
 
Current # Weekly Listeners: 90,000 
 
Radio Infrastructure: ProTools Digital Editing System, Prophet Music Database, HD Digital 
Radio Broadcasting, and TIELine Remote Broadcasting Equipment 
 
Awards: College Station of the Year, College Talent of the Year  NY A.I.R. Awards), Metal 
Station of the Year, NJ Associated Press Broadcast Award, Peabody Award  
 
                   Q&A with Mark Maben, General Manager:  
 
How did WSOU become of interest to you? 
After building and running a radio station in Bethlehem, 
PA, I left radio to pursue a second interest of mine:  
education and helping young people succeed. While I 
enjoyed working in both the K-12 and higher education 
arenas, I always missed radio. I was working at Rutgers 
when I learned of the General Manager opening at 
WSOU. It was a terrific opportunity to combine my two 
passions, radio and education. I also felt that I had much 
to offer the station, its students and Seton Hall, and that 
I could sustain and enhance WSOU's  
national reputation for excellence.  
 
Why do you think WSOU is unique? 
One of the things that sets WSOU apart from most other college radio  
stations is that we are much more concerned about our listeners than about 
ourselves. We are not trying to be a commercial station, but we model  
ourselves after successful commercial and noncommercial stations so that 
our students get the best possible experience out of their time at WSOU.  
 
What have you learned during your time at WSOU? 
The radio industry is in distress right now. My experience at WSOU has 
shown me that commercial and noncommercial stations alike need to do 
much more to reach out to and work with student-run stations. If terrestrial 
radio is to remain relevant throughout the 21st century, it must engage  
today's college and high school students to help reenergize and reinvent our 
industry. To survive and thrive, broadcasters need to embrace the  
convergence of multiple media platforms to find and keep their audiences.   
 
Where do you see the station going in the next five years to  
remain up-to-date with the latest in radio 
broadcasting? 
Like the rest of radio, WSOU is going to have to learn 
how make itself relevant to 21st century media users. 
We have a product that we know younger  
demographics listen to and an authenticity in our  
on-air sound that people relate to. What we need is to 
find the resources and talent to plug ourselves in to 
the world beyond over-the-air radio waves. Given 
WSOU's history of success, if we commit ourselves to 
reaching that goal, I know we will meet it.   
 
 


The Loudest Rock: 60 Years of Pirate Radio

https://scholarship.shu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1035&amp;context=exhibition-catalogs

The Loudest Rock: 60 Years of Pirate Radio

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Seton Hall University eRepository