{"id":47308,"date":"2019-09-03T11:25:51","date_gmt":"2019-09-03T18:25:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiosurvivor.com\/?p=47308"},"modified":"2019-09-03T16:44:11","modified_gmt":"2019-09-03T23:44:11","slug":"princeton-reviews-2020-best-college-radio-stations-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.radiosurvivor.com\/2019\/09\/princeton-reviews-2020-best-college-radio-stations-list\/","title":{"rendered":"Princeton Review’s 2020 “Best College Radio Stations” List"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In early August, Princeton Review released the latest edition of its annual college rankings guide, The Best 385 Colleges: 2020 Edition<\/a>. While the lists it compiles of the best party schools and the most beautiful campuses may garner the most headlines; its annual “Best College Radio Station” list has been drawing me in for years. Since 2008, I’ve been combing through these rankings, which are often a source of pride for college radio stations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 20 colleges on this year’s list are once again an interesting mix of schools, from large universities with multiple radio stations to tiny liberal arts colleges with online-only stations, and even a school with a fairly new low power FM station. Many of these stations are new to me and I was also intrigued to see a school from outside the United States for the first time in all the years that I’ve been reporting on the rankings. As I’ve noticed before, the northeast is over-represented and the west coast is under-represented. Of note, no schools from California are on the 2020 list, while seven schools from New York made the cut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best = Popular<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As a reminder, although the Princeton Review describes its college radio results as “Best College Radio Station,” the title doesn’t tell the whole story. Here’s the skinny: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Results are based on student surveys<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Surveys were conducted at 385 colleges<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Students are asked to judge the popularity, not the quality, of an unspecified campus radio station at their own college<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Radio stations are not named in the survey or in the resulting rankings<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Only schools surveyed can make it into the rankings, so college radio stations at schools that are not surveyed by Princeton Review won’t appear on the list<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A number of colleges appearing on the “Best College Radio Station” list have multiple radio stations, including student-run stations, large public radio stations, and everything in between. It makes sense that students would indicate that their school’s radio station is “popular” if they are on a campus with a high profile professional radio station and\/or with several radio stations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digging into Methodology<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As was the case for the 2019 edition, the 2020 college radio results are based on three years worth of survey data. Around 140,000 students were surveyed at 385 colleges, representing approximately 364 students per campus. Survey results for this edition are culled from responses given during the 2018-2019, 2017-18, and 2016-17 academic years. The survey asks: “How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements at your school?” and among the list of statements is: “College Radio Station is popular.” Respondents are given the following options: Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neither Agree or Disagree, Agree or Strongly Agree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Similar is this Year’s List to Prior Lists?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For the 2020 Princeton Review list of “Best College Radio Stations<\/a>,” 12 of the 20 schools were on the 2019 list. Of the eight that were not on the 2019 list, four have appeared before. The other four schools (University of South Florida, McGill University, Louisiana State University, and Drury University) have not shown up in the 13 years that I’ve been tracking. This year’s mix of stations is less familiar to me. Whereas last year I’d visited college radio stations<\/a> at 8 of the 20 schools on the overall list; I’ve only been to 4 of the 20 stations on the 2020 list. This is also the first time that I’ve seen a school from Canada on the list (McGill University).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The complete list for the 2020 edition is listed below (for comparison, here are the lists from the 2019<\/a>, 2018<\/a>, 2017<\/a>, 2016<\/a>, 2015<\/a>, 2014<\/a>, 2013<\/a>, 2012<\/a>, 2011,<\/a> 2010<\/a>, 2009<\/a> and 2008<\/a> editions of Princeton Review).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2020 Princeton Review\u2019s Best College Radio Stations <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

(aka Most Popular College Radio Stations)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Note: I’ve added station names and call signs as the Princeton Review only lists school names. Schools in bold were not on the list last year<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Emerson College (WERS 88.9FM<\/a> and WECB<\/a>, Boston, MA)<\/p>\n\n\n\n