This month, we travel to Carrollton, Georgia, to showcase WOLF Radio & WOLF Sports Network at the University of West Georgia! From its early days operating out of a former public broadcasting space to becoming the only streaming station in the nation with two Marconi Award nominations for College Station of the Year, WOLF Radio has built a powerhouse student-run broadcasting environment. We caught up with General Manager Shawn Isaacs to talk about the station’s rich history, their legendary annual WOLFstock festival, and why college radio remains an irreplaceable force in higher education today...
Tell us a brief history of your radio station:
In 2008, UWG students came up with a plan to relaunch student radio alongside then-Professor Brad Yates. Through a $50,000 technology fee grant, Dr. Yates recruited then senior Shawn Isaacs to help plan and build a student-run station in the space Georgia Public Broadcasting vacated during the 2008 recession.
Then named The WOLF Internet Radio, the station officially launched worldwide online on April 21, 2010—16 years after the end of UWG’s sale of WUWG 90.7 FM. In its first four years, the station launched news, sports, and entertainment programming until the official launch of The WOLF Sports station in 2014, which separated sports content into its own dedicated stream. In 2017, the station gained a dedicated Operations Manager, and both stations grew 100–200 percent across nearly every facet of operations. Overall student involvement grew from 6 students per semester in 2010 to an average of 80 per semester in 2026.
In 2021, both stations began a rebrand process, with WOLF Radio switching first, followed by WOLF Sports Network the next year. Today, WOLF Radio is the only streaming station in the nation and the only college station in Georgia to earn two Marconi nominations for College Station of the Year.
What is the MISSION of your station?
WOLF Radio seeks to serve University of West Georgia students and community members with culturally transformative college radio by teaching professional industry radio skills and knowledge to students in an experiential learning environment as volunteers or for course credit.
WOLF Radio is committed to serving humanity through quality radio programming that includes music (especially by local artists), news, sports coverage, and student-produced digital and on-air content. WOLF Radio seeks to be the connection between students, faculty, staff, administration, alumni, and the surrounding and global communities through an entertaining and interactive multimedia experience in a diverse and inclusive setting.
Who are some notable alumni who got their start as a student DJ or station member, and what are they doing now?
While neither station has been around long enough for alumni to reach household celebrity status, many have stepped into major roles across the media industry:
- John Nick Morgan (2012) – Tennessee Supreme Court Digital Media Lead
- Moran McCall (2014) – Urban One, Inc. Producer, Host, and Mixer
- Justen Ransom (2014) – Gray Media’s Atlanta News First Senior Producer
- Brandon LaSure (2017) – Marvel Studios Editor (Spider-Man: No Way Home, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Captain America: Brave New World)
- Dylan Mathews (2018) – Audacy’s 92.9 The Game Producer for The Morning Shift
- McKenzie “Mac” Benefield (2018) – iHeartMedia Creative Production Designer & Savannah Ghost Pirates In-Game Host
- Lauren Ridley (2023) – CNN Associate Producer
What’s one tradition or event that makes your station unique?
WOLFstock. In 2011, students decided to attempt a mini music festival to celebrate the official launch of the station. In just a month and a half, the station secured free t-shirts, free Monster Energy drinks, and six bands that performed in the outdoor gazebo in Love Valley. The success was immense, leading students to attempt it again in 2012 with two stages. By 2015, the event moved to an indoor/outdoor space featuring three stages. By 2026, WOLFstock grew to feature eight performers, custom t-shirts, Monster Energy, food, games, face painting, bracelet stations, and 360 photo booths!
What’s the one piece of equipment or item in your station that everyone loves—or refuses to throw away?
Like most college radio stations, the item that has stayed through the original student FM station to now—surviving multiple building moves—is the sticker cabinet. It is covered with every sticker students and staff could find over the years, with at least one full layer of history baked right into it!
What three artists best represent your radio station?
Vince Staples, Olivia Rodrigo, and SZA.
What’s something people would be surprised to learn about your station?
WOLF Radio is the only streaming station in the nation and the only college station in Georgia to earn two Marconi Award nominations for College Station of the Year.
Who’s the biggest artist, celebrity, or notable guest you’ve ever welcomed into your studio?
We actually have one, but we cannot reveal who it is at this time as there is ongoing behind-the-scenes work that could potentially impact the station’s future growth!
What’s one thing every college radio station DJ/broadcaster should experience at least once?
Technical difficulties and breaking news. That is where students learn intensity, tenacity, and real-time problem-solving skills that cannot be taught anywhere else.
What’s the most unforgettable thing that’s ever happened live on-air?
The beauty of college radio is the continuous flow of students from one class to the next. Over 16 years, hundreds of students have passed through our studios, each leaving with their own core memory and unforgettable moment. There isn’t just one way to narrow it down, as every alum of our stations has a unique live-on-air memory that they carry with them for life.
Finally, how do you feel about the future of college radio?
There are real concerns about the general future of higher education—the political divide, the “enrollment cliff,” and how cost-cutting measures hit campuses in so many different ways. But through it all, college radio will always remain.
College radio is an experience unavailable anywhere else. It is communal. It is persistent. Against the odds of station sell-offs, enrollment declines, or administrative changes, there will always be a group of students aching for that ON-AIR light to turn on. There will always be students speaking up for those who cannot, exercising their right to free speech and a free press to make the unknown known.
Thanks to Shawn Isaacs for this interview!
For more information about WOLF Radio and WOLF Sports Network, please visit:
- Website: thewolfuwg.com | wolfsportsnetwork.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/thewolfuwg
- Instagram: @thewolfuwg | @wolfsportsnetwork
- SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/waylin-b-wolf
- YouTube: youtube.com/thewolfuwg | @wolfsportsnetwork
- Spotify: WOLF Radio on Spotify
- Twitch: twitch.tv/thewolfuwg
