The Lamron and WGSU: A collaboration years in the making

As many of our readers know, The Lamron was founded in 1922, but something you may not know is that radio station 89.3 WGSU was established only 40 years later and was intended to appeal to the same audience. WGSU has a signal with about a 25-mile radius and The Lamron distributes papers on the SUNY Geneseo campus and Main Street. WGSU and The Lamron have been operating parallel to each other since WGSU was first licensed in 1963, but there is no record of any sort of collaboration—until now. 

Both of these media outlets have been scrambling to cover news in the same area, often competing to be the first to break a story. With limited resources between the two organizations, which are student run, it was becoming difficult to cover all stories to their full potential. It became clear that the lack of collaboration was nonsensical, and after 60 years of running parallel to each other, WGSU and The Lamron have decided to join forces in order to better provide the Geneseo campus and community with quality news and reporting.

I spoke with WGSU Acting Operations Manager and senior communications major Sarah DeVito, as well as the editor-in-chief of The Lamron, senior English major Frances Sharples, to get their perspectives on this budding collaboration. 

Sharples stated that, “Collaborations like this kind of challenge us to think outside of the way that The Lamron has always done things and have us think about like, ‘Oh, what does this media outlet do and how can we maybe be learning from that.’ Maybe we [can be] a little more spontaneous, be a little more creative with the way that we’re putting out our information. I think that [this collaboration] is a really exciting endeavor.”

DeVito agreed with Sharples and continued: “I think that [this collaboration] would bridge the gap in news reporting.” She also added that, “We’re hoping to have a little bit more engagement, some more fresh ideas, fresh perspectives, and just more creativity.” 

With the heads of both organizations excited to launch this partnership, there is a curiosity as to what they are planning. DeVito stated that, “From the WGSU broadcast perspective, we’re kind of hoping to have a little [multisegmented] news show on Fridays.”

DeVito expressed that WGSU is hoping to feature Lamron articles, include a sports broadcast, and possibly have music artist interviews in this new broadcast segment. Not only will this allow The Lamron to engage more with the student body, it also gives WGSU the chance to have more content on their station. The Lamron will also be publishing a column with WGSU programming in an effort to draw in more listeners.

With both media sources being so long-standing, they have had a multitude of influences on not only the campus, but the community as well. When asked what they thought their respective media sources provided to the campus, Sharples said: “I think that it’s really important for us to have an outlet where there is that free speech.” They continued: “We don't necessarily get the whole story…when you see Denise Battles’ email updates about what’s going on at the college, because that’s never the whole story.” 

It is this free speech concept that has left both of these media platforms alive and running. As they are run by students, both organizations feel that it is their duty to continue putting out reliable and accurate media to maintain a level of transparency between students and the administration. 

To many students, newspapers and radio broadcasts may seem outdated, but The Lamron and WGSU assure you that these media sources provide you with relevant news stories and that they have a strong reputation of providing trustworthy content over several decades. 

To get involved with The Lamron all you need to do is email any of the numerous email addresses associated with the organization (lamron.eic@gmail.com and lamron@geneseo.edu are good places to start), or you can just walk into the office to get more information. If you are interested in participating in WGSU, you can email Sarah DeVito at sed13@geneseo.edu. 

As a closing statement, Sharples noted: “I think that [getting involved] is easier than people think.” DeVito closed the interview by enthusiastically agreeing that, “It is so easy to be involved with the media! It’s not exclusive—we are inclusive.”