News is available any time of day on a growing number of mediums. The Internet is the number one outlet for news consumption in America, according to the Newspaper Association of America. As online media becomes more accessible, the Internet races past one of America's first mass mediums: the radio.
On March 21, Eileen Buckley, news director, anchor, and reporter for WBFO, UB's National Public Radio member station, was honored as "Radio News Director of the Year" at Medaille College's sixth annual media awards ceremony.
Buckley, a Medaille alumnus, considers her alma mater a "launch pad" for her career.
"I was overwhelmed by who else I was honored with," Buckley said. "It was neat to be honored with other members of the community who were all so different from me and my line of work."
Buckley began working with WBFO as an intern in 1984 and believes that public radio is "the strong face for journalism." Personally, she has seen the evolution of public radio throughout her time in the industry.
"Journalism and radio broadcasting have a close relationship," Buckley said. "In public radio, we look at things very in-depth. We cover spot news stories, but we also sink beyond the headlines, asking the hard questions on different topics."
The advancement of online media presents a challenge for public radio. Buckley refers to these competitive media platforms as inspiration for public radio and Buckley herself to push for more cutting-edge stories.
"People want to hear facts about their news; they want balanced pieces which present all arguments to a story," Buckley said. "With so many different formats, airwaves are not what people use to embrace their news as much as before. This is why it is so important for [public radio] to dig deeper for factually stimulating pieces."
Buckley accredits her success in the radio broadcasting industry to the support she gained through participating in internships including WBFO. Currently, WBFO accepts interns that act as "news gatherers and producers of information," according to Buckley. WBFO interns work as journalists, collecting sound bites and putting together stories which go on air and are posted on the NPR website.
Students can also work with WRUB, UB's student-run radio station located on North Campus in the Fillmore Academic Complex.
"WRUB is an important facet of Sub Board because it gives students the capability to make their own radio station," said Cragg Chaffee, president of Sub Board I, Inc. "Most of the DJs are all volunteers and it gives them a real-world opportunity to not only be on the air but to run a radio station."
The majority of WRUB content is music-based, but the station also provides coverage of UB athletics and streams the events online.
While WRUB plays an important part within the university, many students do not seem to be taking advantage of the on-campus radio station.
"It is hard to access the station," said Katherine Diller, a sophomore biological sciences major. "I think they need to advertise more to reach a greater student audience and gain more listeners."
WRUB was unavailable for comment on its participation with the student body.
Email: news@ubspectrum.com
