At a time when streaming services put millions of songs just a tap away, college radio continues to offer something algorithms do not: a human connection to music, ideas, and community. For more than 60 years, WUAG 103.1 FM has been that connection for UNCG and Greensboro. The College of Arts & Sciences supports the station through the Department of Media Studies, specialized coursework, faculty involvement, and student leadership, helping it remain a hub for experiential while introducing new generations of listeners to independent voices and local culture.
A Radio Station Rooted in Community Involvement
WUAG first went on the air in 1964, officially becoming student-run in 1973. Since then, it has evolved into a hybrid space where UNCG students, faculty, and Greensboro residents work side‑by‑side. The station’s current general manager, Georgia Mrozkowski ’24, MPA ’26, describes WUAG as a bridge between campus and the larger public.
“I like to see WUAG as a conduit from the school to the wider community,” she says. “WUAG is very interesting because our activities aren’t limited to only students. Community members can get involved and be volunteer DJs. We really pride ourselves on the accessibility of that for the community.”
Today, WUAG has more than 50 volunteer DJs, including students and community members. About 40% of volunteers come from the Greensboro community, with some serving the station for more than a decade. Their long-term involvement brings continuity, experience, and a wide range of musical interests to the station’s programming.
“[Many of] our community members have been here so long, so they have a lot of knowledge,” Mrozkowski explains. “It’s really interesting to see in meetings students who come in new and bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and they’re ready to ask questions. Then you have the community DJs who have been there for 15 years, and they just want to know like when the mic will get working.”
That mix of experience and fresh energy gives WUAG its distinctive character: part classroom, part creative incubator, part Greensboro community hub.
Reviving the Practicum: Media Studies Brings Training Back to the Station
During the 2025-26 academic year, the Department of Media Studies relaunched the WUAG workshop course. The department transformed the curriculum into a workshop that blends radio operations, media production, and community engagement. Senior lecturer in media studies Hassan Pitts led the course redesign.
“The history of the course has been really dedicated and oriented towards students being DJs,” Pitts says.
Because of WUAG’s strong ties to Greensboro, Pitts saw the station as an ideal setting to reinforce UNCG’s Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, which recognizes an institution’s commitment to community engagement. When restructuring the course curriculum, Pitts wanted to honor the practical elements of learning radio broadcast while also educating students about the station’s wider role within communities.
Pitts frames the station as three interconnected spheres: the radio station itself, the campus community, and the Greensboro community. Through the practicum, students learn to navigate all three and understand the interplay between them.
“First and foremost, it’s introducing the idea of community engagement,” Pitts explains. “What does community engagement look like? And, also, if you’re coming into a space, what is it that the community needs?”
Students learn how to answer these broader conceptual questions, while still gaining hands-on broadcasting experience. During dedicated class time in the studio, students take turns selecting songs to play on air. They become familiar with all aspects of the station’s equipment and learn how to switch between media types—from streaming a song on their personal playlist to putting in a cassette tape to figuring out how vinyl records and turntables work. They read PSAs live on air, troubleshoot technology issues that may arise, and more.
More importantly, the practicum helps students see that radio stations rely on far more than on-air talent. From social media and event planning to programming and operations, students can explore a range of media careers through WUAG.
Students Find Their Voice on and off the Air
On-air roles are traditionally what most people think of when they think of working at a radio station. The practicum introduces students to different opportunities.
As Pitts explains, in radio there are music directors; people who deal in news, sports, and weather; program and office managers, event coordinators, social media coordinators. WUAG has a five-student executive board with roles focusing on many of those areas.
Being involved in radio doesn’t mean you are limited to a single role.
For Pitts, a major benefit of the workshop for students is “that you could find an area of interest within the practicum space that has nothing to do with being a DJ and figuring out what that is.”
Media Studies major Fatima Galvan-Ruiz ’26 joined the WUAG workshop course in the spring, after learning about the station in other courses and hearing about her friends’ experiences at the station.
“I’m really enjoying, picking out different music, learning how to control the control board and learning how to put music out there,” she shares. “At first it seemed a little intimidating. There are a lot of buttons, and it looks kind of like command central in a spaceship. Though after a few days taking the course with and with practice everything is going well.”
Galvan-Ruiz is also interested in social media and was able to work closely with WUAG’s social media director to take audio and video clips and photos to create content for the station’s social media accounts.
Being exposed to different aspects of the radio station has been beneficial for Galvan-Ruiz in understanding different options that are available in media. She also appreciates how WUAG lets students “explore a common goal of loving music . . . and ties everyone together here at UNCG and in the greater community.”
That blend of professional experience, community, and shared passion for music is exactly what Pitts hopes students take away from the practicum.
Events That Bring Campus and City Together
WUAG’s impact extends beyond the airwaves. The station hosts events that bring together students, local musicians, filmmakers, and community members.
- TERRORFEST!: In the fall, WUAG cohosts TERRORFEST! with Carmichael Studios. The event features live music from Greensboro-area bands and screenings of student short horror films.
- WUAGAPALOOZA!: This annual spring event features a Battle of the Bands competition that many student and alumni groups participate in, as well as headline performances by Greensboro artists.
The station also hosts smaller events throughout the year ranging from special radio programming dedicated to showcasing local talent to selling old vinyl records at local breweries.
CAS Deans Join the Airwaves
One of the station’s most recent additions is a weekly research‑focused show hosted by the College of Arts & Sciences deans: Research T at the G: Arts, Sciences, and Everything in Between.
The show brings faculty research to the public. Each week a different faculty member will join CAS deans, answering questions about their work. Episodes frequently also feature students who assist faculty with their research.
Mrozkowski is thrilled that the show features and involves more faculty and students.
“I always learn something new and they always have someone on that is extremely interesting,” she says. “It’s been really cool too for the radio station to go from sort of alternative music to also being this educational thing and providing value, not only for the faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences, but these student researchers as well.”
You can listen to Research T at the G live on Tuesdays at 11 a.m. – noon.
Looking Ahead: A Vision for the Next Five Years
Mrozkowski, who received her undergraduate degree in political science at UNCG, is currently finishing her Master of Public Affairs (MPA) program.
Interested in independent radio, she joined WUAG as a DJ during her first semester at UNCG and later moved into leadership on the executive board. Now, as she prepares to graduate next semester and is preparing to find her replacement, she can’t help but think of what’s next for WUAG.
Mrozkowski has already been in talks with Pitts for possible grants or other ways to upgrade the station’s facilities. She is also focused on expanding WUAG’s community engagement efforts, and her biggest dream is for the station to get a faculty general manager who can provide long-term stability.
“Ultimately, I want the radio station to go on to bigger and better things,” she says.
With Media Studies’ support, a thriving practicum, and growing campus partnerships, WUAG is well‑positioned to do exactly that.
General Manager Mrozkowski Hard at Work
Story and photography by Amanda Kennison, College of Arts & Sciences
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