‘Weird Al’ Returns To College Radio
• Legendary song parody icon “Weird Al” Yankovic has been named as the 2021 Ambassador for the 11th Annual World College Radio Day, happening worldwide on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021. “It feels great to be back in college radio!” said Yankovic, an alumnus of Cal Poly’s KCPR/San Luis Obispo, CA. “I loved my college radio days. That’s where I first got my start, that’s where I first took the name ‘Weird Al’ professionally, so I have very, very fun memories.” Yankovic shared his excitement in a video posted to Instagram.
Especially for this occasion, Weird Al was interviewed by students from two college radio stations — Montclair State’s WMSC/Montclair, NJ and Neumann University’s WNUW/Aston, PA. This exclusive, wide-ranging conversation will be simulcast on the 600+ participating college stations. “‘Weird Al’ Yankovic is the quintessential college radio success story,” said Anabella Poland, GM of WMSC and the President of CRD 2021. “College radio provides that safe space for students to express their most authentic selves and no doubt, Al’s brilliance shone bright at KCPR and it was a conduit towards an extraordinary career.”
The mission of World College Radio Day is to harness the combined listenership of hundreds of thousands of college radio listeners throughout the world and celebrate the important contribution of college radio by uniting for one day. The concept was developed by Dr. Rob Quicke, Professor of Communication at William Paterson University of New Jersey. “We are delighted to celebrate our 11th event, even in these most challenging circumstances,” said Quicke. “Huge credit must go to the students, staff, and faculty that keep college radio stations going.” This year’s theme is “In Tough Times, We Thrive,” taking into account the global efforts made by college stations around the world to find inventive ways to keep broadcasting and creating content despite the challenges of the pandemic.
