Cuts hit SUNY Oswego radio station WNYO

OSWEGO, N.Y. — For decades, WNYO 88.9 FM has been a constant voice on the SUNY Oswego campus — airing student-run music shows, live sports broadcasts, and talk programs that give students hands-on experience in radio. But behind the mic, the station’s student leaders say they’re fighting just to stay on air.

This year, WNYO’s total budget sits at just over $9,500, according to the station’s executive board. Of that amount, more than $2,000 immediately goes toward required subscriptions for music licensing, streaming software, and broadcast automation — expenses that are non-negotiable for the station to legally and safely operate.

“Straight off the bat, we have a subscription that’s a little over two thousand dollars,” said General Manager Ben Goldblatt. “That immediately takes a huge chunk of our budget.”

Once those fixed costs are paid, what remains must cover equipment maintenance, repairs, and upgrades. That often isn’t enough.

“All of this equipment behind me costs tens of thousands of dollars,” Goldblatt said. “And God forbid two things break at once — that’s the entire budget gone.”

The station’s Comrex unit, a piece of equipment vital for transmitting live sports broadcasts, has already gone down this semester. Without it, WNYO’s sports department has been forced to scale back its coverage.

Sports Director Derik Clark said the financial strain has become a source of anxiety. “There’s a fear factor that comes into play when equipment breaks,” he said. “You start wondering if the Student Association will help you, or if your budget will help you.”

The Student Association (SA) allocates funding to all recognized campus organizations. But WNYO’s leaders argue that the structure doesn’t take into account the higher operational costs of a radio station compared to other student clubs. When repairs are needed, Clark said, the responses from SA often feel dismissive.

“When we reached out to Student Association because they should honestly cover that, they basically told us we had to pay for it ourselves,” Clark explained, referring to attempts to fix the Comrex system. “Which is insane to me — like, you think college kids can afford that? I’m eating at the dining hall for a reason.”

Clark also noted that frustrations with SA aren’t unique to WNYO. “Clubs are mad,” he said. “They’re pissed. It gets talked about all the time. You can bring anyone in, and they’ll tell you the same thing — Student Association doesn’t care.”

Despite these frustrations, the station continues to operate as a hub for creativity and connection. Students who join WNYO often find themselves discovering confidence and community through radio.

“When I first started here, I was very quiet, very shy, didn’t really know anyone,” Goldblatt said. “I came to this school not knowing a single person, and doing radio really got me out of my shell.”

But even visibility has become an issue. A green overlay recently added to the windows of WNYO’s studio now hides what was once a vibrant, open space where students walking by could see DJs at work. “I don’t feel like we’re seen,” Goldblatt said. “I feel like we’ve been hidden.”

Still, both Goldblatt and Clark say they’re determined to keep the station alive — even if it means finding creative ways to do so without consistent institutional support.

“We’ve almost had to become our own radio station,” Clark said. “Not just a club. We’ve had to become an actual radio station.”

WNYO isn’t alone. Several other student organizations on campus have reported similar funding issues this semester, with many citing rising costs and limited budgets. But for WNYO, the impact hits especially hard. Broadcasting requires reliable technology — and when that fails, so does the ability to serve the campus and local community.

Clark pointed out that the station’s reach extends far beyond campus. Local businesses and bars often play WNYO’s sports coverage during hockey and basketball games, connecting students’ voices directly to the Oswego community.

“There’s restaurants and bars — you go anywhere publicly, and most of the time that radio station is WNYO,” he said. “When there’s a hockey or basketball game on air, 99% of the time it’s being played somewhere in town.”

For now, the students behind WNYO are doing everything they can to keep that connection alive — balancing schoolwork, part-time jobs, and the responsibility of running a full-fledged radio operation on a shoestring budget.