By Ryan Okonczak

HAMBURG, NY — HAWK Radio, Hilbert College’s student-run radio station, has returned to the air after a year-long hiatus.

Many enthusiastic students requested the station to return. The station formally began to broadcast once again late last semester, with the club officially being chartered again in the last SGA meeting before the 2025 Summer Break. Since then, the club has grown to include a core of dedicated members who seek to carry on the tradition of the station.

Professor Donald Vincent is the current staff advisor and founder of HAWK Radio. He recalls how the station has changed over the years.

“HAWK Radio started in 2011. It was originally housed in a small space in the library. In 2014, it moved to the old psychology lab in Bogel hall. In 2016, it was in the DMAC lab, in the room, which is now my office. In 2019, it moved to its current location in Fran Hall.”

HAWK Radio would go dormant several times throughout the year, due to what Vincent described as technical difficulties and, at one point, the station’s online streaming service used to broadcast the station going out of business.

Vincent is hopeful for the station’s future, with him stating his wishes that the station will “…be a significant part of Hilbert’s culture”, and that “The more students we have involved, the more likely that is to happen.”

Ryan Zunner, the Assistant Managing Editor Buffalo Toronto Public Media and former radio personality on HAWK Radio, is thankful for the time he spent on the station.

“Getting to gain experience in all those very different formats was fun, and I think underscores the uniqueness that college radio provides.”

Zunner had the opportunity to partake in many events and types of programming while on the station, including a college game day program and hosting a rock show, a late-night talk show, and a news show. His time on the station has given him a plethora of experience and preparation for his role at Buffalo Toronto Public Media.

“Hawk Radio helped me immensely in finding my own voice and comfortability on radio. The opportunity to do live radio, or any live media, is a skill that will help you leaps and bounds in any future career in the field. Plus that flexibility in hosting shows of varying format and topics gave me great range in jobs in the future.”

There are many ways that students can get involved in Hawk Radio. You can contact Professor Vincent, the club’s staff advisor, at dvincent@hilbert.edu, as well as Treasurer Anjely Ruiz at aruiz230@hilbert.edu.