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Don’t Sell That License
Regarding Paul McLane’s editorial “Don’t Sell That License” in the Oct. 26 issue:
As a high school broadcasting teacher, I am lucky that our district owns and operates the student-run FM station WGBK 88.5 FM. License ownership is incredibly important when teaching young people the value of service to the entire community.
We cannot neglect that radio is the most inclusive electronic medium on the planet. Radios are inexpensive and easy to maintain. Radio service is free. Radio can reach many quickly. Radio does not care what you look like or whether you can read and write. Radio is the most consumed electronic medium on the planet. More people have radios than have cell phones, televisions or computers.
We live in an era when many of our youth in the United States are consumed by their phones, social media, streaming services and “disposable” televisions. It is essential to remind them (and everyone, for that matter) that radio only appears obsolete when bathed in the light of an iPhone.
Above Senior station managers in the main studio of WGBK(FM) in Glenview, Ill. The radio program at Glenbrook South High School celebrated its 40th year on the air in 2022. From left: Charlie Bickel, Yemisi Olujare, Aziza Sayied and Matthew Poulton.
Educational institutions need to do a better job of integrating radio into their overall curricula if we really want to teach young people about inclusivity, public service and the value of electronic communication.
Daniel Oswald, Ph.D. Fine Arts/Broadcasting Faculty Advisor, WGBK(FM) Glenbrook South High School Glenview, Ill.
