PRESS RELEASE
March 13, 2025
Palatine, IL
This past weekend, WHCM (88.3 FM) Harper Radio received a first-place trophy along with having several finalists at the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) annual conference. The local station was nominated for three awards and did not return empty handed. The 2025 Harper College IBS winner is:
- Matt Byrne – Best Station or Event Promo for his Harper Film Series
2024 (Love and Hate) promo. Listen to it here:
Moreover, Harper Radio had finalists in two categories:
- Best Community Volunteer Program – Erik Hanson
- Best Community College Radio Station – Harper College. You can listen to the station’s submission here:
The finalists are recognized by IBS Media as being in the top three (3) percent in their respective categories. This continues Harper Radio’s winning streak at IBS, winning two (2) awards at the 2024 IBS conference.
WHCM is also being recognized at the Broadcast Education Association’s
(BEA) Festival of Media Arts being held in Las Vegas next month.
The 2025 Harper College BEA winner is:
- Matt Byrne – Best Broadcast Production – Naked Brunch
This marks two awards for Matt Byrne, student at Harper College, current program director and show host for the station. It will also be Byrne’s last semester at the college before he receives his certification in Audio & Video Arts Technology. WHCM 88.3 FM, Harper Radio, is infamous for their catchphrase “Radio
Done Differently,” which has garnered national attention over the years. The
student-run station is broadcasted locally on-air, and also streamed
worldwide at http://www.harperradio.com. They feature a variety of shows,
ranging from; music, sports, podcasts, news and much more!
The Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) is an organization with a
membership of over one thousand non-profit, education-affiliated radio
stations and webcasters. Founded in 1940, IBS is headquartered in New
Windsor, NY, with a legal office in Washington, D.C. In addition to providing
support for establishing and operating noncommercial radio and webcast
operations, it frequently represents its members with FCC negotiations,
copyright issues, and litigation.
The Broadcast Education Association (BEA) is the premier international
academic media organization, driving insights, excellence in media
production, and career advancement for educators, students, and
professionals. The association’s publications, annual convention, web-based
programs, and regional district activities provide opportunities for juried
production competition and presentation of current scholarly research
related to aspects of the electronic media. These areas include media
audiences, economics, law and policy, regulation, news, management,
aesthetics, social effects, history, and criticism, among others. BEA is
concerned with electronic media curricula, placing an emphasis on
interactions among the purposes, developments, and practices of the
industry and imparting this information to future professionals. BEA serves
as a forum for exposition, analysis and debate of issues of social importance
to develop members’ awareness and sensitivity to these issues and to their
ramifications, which will ultimately help students develop as more
thoughtful practitioners.
Media Contact
Viki Drzewiecka, Harper Radio General Manager
1200 W. Algonquin Road
Palatine, IL 60067
WHCMHawkRadio@gmail.com
Harper Radio 
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