World College Radio Day, which Marshall’s WMUL observed with a 24-hour marathon on Friday, Oct. 6, is now in its 13th year and  has gained an international following.

“I thought it would happen just in America, but it caught on around the world. and now, over 57 countries are involved, along with 1,000 colleges and radio stations,” said Dr. Rob Quicke, director of the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications. 

The initial idea behind World College Radio Day was that college radio didn’t get the recognition it deserved, so the day was created to give stations more exposure. 

“It is a global thing, so it has expanded quite well, but the thing we always struggle with is getting as much publicity as possible because it does deserve a lot more publicity than it gets,” Quicke said.

Stations around the world have come together to create content over the past few months. 

“The global marathon is a joint effort to celebrate World College Radio Day,” said Makaylah Wheeler, the station manager at WMUL. 

Because it is a global event, the 24-hour marathon varied based on differing time zones. 

Acknowledging that each college radio station is unique, Wheeler said, “This is the first year we have not had an ambassador, which worked out perfect because we didn’t want to amplify one voice above the others.”