Goshen College’s student-run radio station, WGCS-FM (91.1 The Globe), won Best College Radio Station for colleges under 10,000 students at the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System awards in New York City on Feb. 21. This marks the sixth time The Globe has received a national title for “Best College Radio Station,” and the fourth time at IBS.
The Globe also took home individual awards, with Lilliana Herrera, senior broadcasting major, winning “Best Campus/Community” and “Best Video News Report.” Kate Bodiker, senior communication and writing major, Mackenzie Miller, junior communication major, Tyson Miller ’25 and Seth Smith Kauffman ’25 won “Best Morning Show.” Finally, Matija Margetic, senior film production major, and Gregor Rommelspacher ’25 won “Best Commercial.”Since the smallest division is for colleges with less than 10,000 students, The Globe competed against schools with over 10 times GC’s enrollment, including Hillsdale College and John Carroll University.
Herrera, who serves as student executive producer for the station, received two awards at the ceremony. She described these achievements as an honor to receive due to the national scale of IBS. “I worked really hard and I am just beyond proud of myself and my work in my news reporting,” Herrera said. She also showed gratitude for her fellow student leaders and said it was a great way to end her time with the Globe.
Jason Samuel, director of WGCS FM and Globe Media and disc golf head coach, explained that the awards ceremony is a part of a bigger event that gives students the chance to attend seminars and listen to a keynote speaker. “It’s a great week for the students, even outside of the awards ceremony. You’ve got about a thousand college students who are all storytellers in electronic media. There are probably 60 seminars, legitimate sessions, over the conference weekend,” he said.
Eduardo Alvarez-Barrera, the student station manager, highlighted the size of the achievement for the station. “It’s a national thing, so you’re not just going against small schools. I think this year it took a lot more hard work … I truly felt like my staff was small, but as [they] say ‘You may be small but you’re mighty,’” he said.
Both Samuel and Alvarez-Barrera commented on the camaraderie built between staff members throughout the trip. They took an 18-hour train to New York, an experience Alvarez-Barrera described as “not pleasant.”
Samuel described the mindset of the staff at The Globe. “We don’t focus on winning, we focus on being excellent. Then winning kind of takes care of itself. … Our students are creative, talented, intelligent and hard working. We have a culture and ethos at Goshen College, and in the comm department, where we’re trying to be the best storytellers we can every time out,” Samuel said.
With Samuel transitioning towards dedicating 75% of his time to the new disc golf team, Alvarez-Barrera said that he dedicates this award to the general manager. “He definitely deserves that and 20 more. It was very special to share that moment with Jason and know that might be his last time to receive that award,” he said. “It was an emotional moment, but [I was] very excited and very happy about the outcome.”
Alvarez-Barrera encourages students who are considering joining the staff of The Globe to do so, as it offers a great professional development opportunity. “Just join The Globe and you’ll understand why so many people leave Goshen College with a very successful job, with a lot of job interviews, knowing exactly what they need to look for,” Alvarez-Barrera said.
