Back to Headlines
Entertainment
Jun 04, 2026
Analyzed by Glm 4.5 Flash

Preserving the Airwaves: The Fight to Save HBCU Radio History

AI Summary
The HBCU Radio Preservation Project is actively digitizing decades of audio archives from Historically Black College and University radio stations to prevent the loss of vital cultural history. Founded by Jocelyn Robinson, the initiative has successfully preserved over 1,125 hours of audio and recorded more than 140 hours of oral histories, securing the legacy of Black student broadcasting for future generations.

Saving the Soundtrack of the Civil Rights Era

During the 1960s and 1970s, a wave of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) launched their own radio stations, beginning with Shaw University’s WSHA in 1968. These stations emerged as an outgrowth of the civil rights and Black power movements, providing a critical platform for students to inform their peers, share music, and express cultural pride. However, as the media landscape shifts toward podcasts and short-form video, many of these traditional stations have shuttered, leaving decades of irreplaceable archival material at risk of being lost forever.

The Mechanics of the HBCU Radio Preservation Project

To prevent this cultural erasure, Jocelyn Robinson founded the HBCU Radio Preservation Project. The initiative goes beyond simply digitizing old tapes; it provides comprehensive training to campus radio stations and institutional archives on audio-visual preservation. The project also engages recent graduates through its archival fellowship program, offering early-career training while supporting on-campus preservation efforts. Once materials are reformatted and digitized, the project partners with the American Archive of Public Broadcasting (AAPB) to make these historical records accessible to the public.

Quantifying the Archival Rescue Mission

The scale of the preservation effort highlights both the richness of HBCU radio history and the urgent need for intervention. The project's achievements to date include:

  • Digitizing more than 1,125 hours of archival audio.
  • Visiting nearly two dozen HBCU campuses to assess and inventory materials.
  • Conducting over 90 interviews, resulting in more than 140 hours of recorded oral histories.
  • Preserving the archives of prominent stations like WSHA (Shaw University) and WJSU 88.5 (Jackson State University).

The Cultural Impact of Black College Radio

The oral history component of the project underscores the deep cultural significance of these stations. Will Tchakirides, assistant director of public programming for the project, notes that the archives reveal how Black college students actively demanded a voice on the radio. The historical continuum is evident in figures like David Linton, who began his career at WSHA as a student and later helped launch WRVS at Elizabeth City State University in the 1980s. These stations were not just educational tools; they were pivotal resources that bridged the gap between campus life and the surrounding Black communities.

The Future of HBCU Media Legacy

As university-based media continues to evolve, the HBCU Radio Preservation Project ensures that the foundation of Black student broadcasting remains intact. By returning digitized materials to the institutions in stylized, custom-designed hard drives, the project physically restores ownership of this history to the universities. Moving forward, this digitized archive will serve as an invaluable educational resource, allowing future generations of students to study the origins of Black broadcasting even as they pivot toward modern digital media platforms like TikTok and independent podcasting.