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Jun 22, 2026
Analyzed by Llama- 4 Scout 17B 16E Instruct

Preserving the Legacy of HBCU Radio Stations

AI Summary
The HBCU Radio Preservation Project is working to save the archives of radio stations at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) across the US. The project aims to preserve the legacy of these stations, which played a significant role in the civil rights and Black power movements.

The HBCU Radio Preservation Project

After Shaw University's WSHA radio station went on air in 1968, several other historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) followed the North Carolina school's lead, launching a wave of their own. For decades, the students who worked on these channels used them to inform listeners about happenings on campus, while also playing musical selections and offering cultural programming.

Preserving the Archives

The HBCU Radio Preservation Project is working to ensure that the irreplaceable archives at these institutions are saved and accessible. As a result of the project's efforts, WSHA's archives are available through the American Archive of Public Broadcasting. Several other universities, including Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, have had their radio archive preserved for future generations.

How the Project Works

While working to preserve the archival collection of WYSO, a public radio station in Yellow Springs, Ohio, Jocelyn Robinson began wondering what collections at HBCU radio stations might include. She created a project that surveyed the radio stations to find out.

  • Developed profiles of all the radio stations, including their founding, format, and broadcast footprint
  • Wrote a report with recommendations for supporting preservation efforts

Remembering the History

There is an oral history project component to the team's efforts, which captures the stories of those who worked at the radio stations. One of the first oral history captures was with David Linton, a program director at WCOK at Clark Atlanta University, whose career started at WSHA at Shaw.

Returning the History

After digitising the archives, the HBCU Radio Preservation Project returns the materials to the institutions. The radio station's hard drive is presented in a stylized black box that is decorated to look like a historic radio.