University radio stations are not a foreign concept, especially at the universities across North Carolina. From Appalachian State’s WASU out west to WZMB out of East Carolina University, there is no shortage of schools that offer students the opportunity to broadcast the music that matters to them and their peers. One glaring omission from the list of university radio stations in the state is UNC Charlotte.
While yes, in our history we have had partnerships with WFAE and online stations like “Radio Free Charlotte,” the airwaves around University City have remained quiet since the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2020, the Niner Times podcast division has replaced the former online radio station. The audio format has stayed alive, but Charlotte still needs the spirit of radio.
Podcasting versus radio
Many people might ask, “Isn’t podcasting essentially the same thing as radio?” While podcasting can transition elements of the former station’s talk radio shows, it lacks the core element that gives college radio stations their magic: the music.
A wise man once said, “You can’t touch music, but music can touch you.” In a world where commercial stations play the same seven pop songs, college radio has remained one of the last few bastions of quality music from small, unknown artists.
Whatever airs on college radio stations is for students by students. It’s an unfortunate reality that in most media produced today, there is a boardroom of geriatric executives calling the shots. When it comes to campus radio, the power of broadcasting is put in the palms of the youth. In a time where young people are trying to make their voices heard, student radio is an essential element of student free speech and expression. For many, the best form of self-expression is with the rhythm of song.
The sounds of campus, across the city
When walking around Charlotte’s campus, you very well may come across student musicians. Many a night, the Starquad has echoed with the sounds of guitar players practicing and strumming, filling the centre of campus with the sound of strings, while posters for bands and concerts are seen in every hallway and on every lamp-post.
Charlotte has an abundant music scene, but nowhere to broadcast these student musicians. With the return of Charlotte radio, not only would these bands and artists bring their songs across campus, but across the city as a whole.
The University is always looking for ways to strengthen its ties with the city of Charlotte. What better way to make our mark than to bring a radio presence to the entire Queen City? From Uptown cafés to south end bars, from Lake Norman to Lake Wylie, the school will have a chance to reach all of Charlotte and play the best this University has to offer.
It’s not just music. While the indie sound is an integral part of a college radio station, it would also be a golden opportunity for sports, debate and countless others. Podcasts are good, but no podcast can come close to the live hometown broadcast of a sporting event.
Yes, the school has a working relationship with WFNZ sports radio, but many 49ers athletics still do not get a radio call. With most of these smaller sports, like volleyball and soccer, locked behind the ESPN+ paywall, a free audio broadcast could do wonders for 49er fans as well as team exposure.
Radio revival
Many people see the radio as a thing of the past. Old technologythat is being left behind. As a third-generation radio broadcaster, I have seen small stations collapse just to be bought out by massive media conglomerates. Conglomerates that use these once-great stations to play Billboard Top 100s and syndicated talk shows. It’s an unfortunate situation that has gotten worse and worse as the years go by.
But with every small station that goes under or gets merged, college radio remains true to the core principles of by students, for students. It’s experimental, throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks. The best of the indies, combined with a local pulse, all run by the same people we see in our lectures.
For five years, on-campus radio at Charlotte has been dormant. Five long years of quiet, untouched airwaves. Going into 2026, we need to fight to prevent a sixth year of a radio-silent campus. Whether you are a musician waiting for a big break, a student athlete wanting a chance for friends and family to listen to your games or just an enjoyer of late-night drives with the radio on and windows down, bringing back student radio is more than just giving the music back to the students.
Bringing back the radio is a chance to give the soul of the school back to the students.Maybe in 2026, we will see the day the music was revived.