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19 SUMMER 2026 Music for a cause ANY REFERENCE TO THE EARLY DAYS OF WTSR would be incomplete without the mention of Radiothon, an annual event from 1973–97. Highly anticipated by the campus community, Radiothon was a nonstop, multi-day fundraising event with live bands, contests, and entertainment. It was, as several alumni have said, "insanity." Highlights from the years included the world's largest Monopoly board assembled in the center of campus, an on-air art auction, and a 1997 cameo by Kurt Vonnegut, who stopped by The Rathskeller to listen to a local band. But at its heart, Radiothon was much more than the music and games. With each year raising thousands of dollars for charities such as Easter Seals and the March of Dimes, the event helped students connect to a greater cause. "Radiothon was the first time I understood that a broadcast could do more than entertain people," says Kenyatta Cheese '96. "A station's reach and a community's attention were resources that could be brought together in service of something beyond ourselves." Cheese, who is now a media and tech consultant, says much of the work he has done since his days at WTSR comes back to the lessons learned from Radiothon. "The real value of media isn't just the programming itself but what the programming makes possible." Above: A 1981 Radiothon performance; R: The 1975 Radiothon raised more than $5,000 for charity. FIFTY YEARS AGO, a woman known to the campus community only as "Ms. Sue Ms. Sue" walked into the WTSR studios and announced, "I want to be on air." So she got her FCC license and has been voluntarily spinning her gospel and reggae show she calls "The Purple Tub" ever since. She says it has been a privilege to be a part of WTSR and has nimbly adapted to equipment which, in her time, has gone from "ancient to high tech." But it has been the revolving door of students that she has most enjoyed. "They treat me like a queen," she says. Community volunteers like Ms. Sue Ms. Sue are key to WTSR's programming, filling evening and weekend hours with their specialty shows. While students are ever- changing, the community volunteers are the ties to the station's history. "A lot of our community volunteers live in Ewing or Trenton and are so in touch with the community," says current station manager Addie DiPietro '27. "They're awesome, and they keep this place running." coMMuNitY coMMitMeNt Ms. Sue Ms. Sue in the WTSR studio. TOP TO BOTTOM: COURTESY LIA LEWIS, KEVIN QUINN, PETER MURPHY

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