Pirate Rock Radio Celebrates Its 76th Anniversary
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Alumni reminisce over shared memories and revel in the opportunities WSOU offered them professionally.
Legendary Seton Hall radio station WSOU 89.5 FM reached another impressive milestone last month, turning seventy-six years old. The student-run radio outlet has been serving much of northern New Jersey and parts of New York City since 1948, covering sports, news and music ever since. In 1986, the WSOU switched its format to "modern active rock," and now spins heavy metal and hard rock and roll for a dedicated listener base of over 50,000 listeners. More recently, Seton Hall’s state-of-the-art radio project brought home two Marconi awards, first honored in 2016 and recently winning Best College Radio Station in 2023.
Earlier last month, WSOU 89.5 FM celebrated its seventy-sixth anniversary in Jubilee Hall, bringing together students, faculty and alumni for a night of acknowledgment of its birthday and well wishes for the next seventy-six years it serves the local community. WSOU also recognized its alumni by inducting Kim Mulligan into its Hall of Fame and honored Rachel Haggerty as a Distinguished Young Alumna. Congratulations are deserved to both hard-working individuals.
Hall of Fame inductee Kim Mulligan speaks to the audience of students, faculty and alumni.
Kim Mulligan, a graduate of the class of ’95, has had a long and storied history working in radio since 1989. From early positions at Unistar Radio Network and WXCT to later becoming a founding satellite radio host on Sirius XM’s Hair Nation and an employee of WDHA, Kim could not underestimate the importance of WSOU FM and "its unique characters" in her career. She currently works for Fox News Radio as a Network Audio Operator and Podcast Production Operator.
Distinguished Young Alumna Rachel Haggerty is presented her award by WSOU professional staff member Jennifer Kazjer.
Rachel Haggerty, a graduate of the class of ’19, served as assistant technical operation director and eventually technical operations director in her four-year career at WSOU. Since graduating, she has held various careers at WABC-AM and iHeartMedia. Since 2023, she has been working for iHeartMedia New York on their syndicated programming, Premiere Networks. She is also actively involved in the radio community, holding memberships in the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE).
Students in attendance had the wonderful opportunity to network with older generations of DJs who had once been in their shoes. Joey Nardone, former programming director, reminisced fondly on the night, recalling how "it’s always great to see the alumni, but especially the younger friendly faces I used to work with at the station. As a senior, I remembered how they impacted me at WSOU when I was starting, which made me reflect on how I made a difference for our newer staff." WSOU prides itself on the collaborative environment that it fosters between students and encourages staff to build each other’s skills and expertise. Happy seventy-sixth birthday, WSOU!
About WSOU
WSOU 89.5 FM is an entirely student-led and operated college radio station at Seton Hall University, in South Orange, NJ. The program is designed to give college students real experience in a communications workplace. WSOU has been playing metal music since 1986, amassing a dedicated and loyal fan base worldwide. Make sure to stream us on iHeartRadio or tune in to hear the Loudest Rock!
Categories: Arts and Culture, Campus Life
