Washburn Radio (KRWU) was a student organization formed during the 2017-2018 academic year. KRWU’s team operated a college radio station for Washburn University and the greater community of Topeka, Kansas. Founder Mark Feuerborn, a small team of passionate students and faculty advisor Jim Schnoebelen came together with a vision for broadcasting opportunities and education for Washburn students. Even further, they aspired for a platform to bring the campus and capital city together.

 

KRWU ran a noncommercial internet broadcast featuring

music donated by local musicians and creative commons artists from multiple genres, and locally produced talk shows by students and contributors from the Topeka community. The station also secured a partnership with the United Nations’ journalism bureau, UN News, and broadcasted audio versions of their international coverage of world events and issues.

 

The radio station aired unique programming between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. and long plays of niche music in the after-hours. The team’s original talk shows were also sent out as podcasts on Spotify, Apple Music and Google Play. Students in the organization were responsible for planning the daily broadcasts, as well as creating and recording some of the shows featured on the station. They also reached out to local musicians and worked with them on music contributions and exposure.

 

The Washburn Radio team welcomed support from alumni and community volunteers, creating opportunities for alumni to stay involved on campus and increase Topeka’s interactions with Washburn. The student staff also assisted in training these volunteers, giving them similar marketable skills in broadcasting, recording and audio engineering.

 

As a sponsored professional organization for the College of Arts and Sciences, students from many creative majors contributed to Washburn Radio.