Cleveland, Ohio (April 20, 2026) - After weeks of collecting entries from dozens of college radio stations from across the U.S.A., Telos Alliance, in conjunction with the non-profit College Radio Foundation, is pleased to announce that WWSU-FM of Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, will be the recipient of a brand-new Omnia.11 FM+HD audio processor.
Telos Alliance partnered with the College Radio Foundation, asking college radio students, engineers, and faculty across the US to tell us why they needed new audio processing, with the winning station picked by the College Radio Foundation.
College Radio Foundation’s Lori Quicke says the decision was not an easy one. “This was a tough competition, and our team had a hot debate about who to pick. There are so many worthy stations! In the end, we are pleased to announce that the winner of the new Omnia.11, WWSU, is one that will benefit greatly from this gift.”
The winning entry, submitted by WWSU student engineer and General Manager Larkin Smith, explained the station’s need in detail. “In 2009, WWSU's transmitter and tower equipment sustained major damage from Hurricane Ike,” he wrote. One of the casualties was the station's Omnia.3 audio processor, leaving the station with only 1990s-era limiting gear to manage their signal.
“WWSU needs the Omnia 11 because we do not have a true modern audio processor, and our listeners can hear the difference every time they tune in,” Smith’s entry said. “Studios now release recordings that have been brick-wall limited and compressed…when that material gets played through outdated single-band processors, it sounds rough, distorted, fatiguing…the hardware simply was not designed for modern program material.”
“College radio is not just still viable, it is important,” Smith concluded. “WWSU is proof of that. What we need is a signal that proves it to every listener who finds us on the dial.”
“Telos Alliance is absolutely thrilled to award WWSU a new Omnia.11 to bring their audio processing into the modern era,” says Jim Armstrong, Telos Alliance Audio Production Senior Director of Sales for the US & Canada. “We believe that college radio is vital to training the air talent, engineers, and programmers who will take radio into the future. We support its mission, and we hope other manufacturers will do the same!”
When informed of his winning entry, Smith said that "Winning an Omnia.11 is a huge step forward for WWSU. Clean, professional sound has been one of our top priorities, and this processor gets us there in a way we couldn't have reached on our own. Our listeners across Dayton will hear the difference the moment they tune in. We're grateful to the Telos Alliance and College Radio Foundation team for believing in what WWSU is building for its next 50 years!"
College Radio Foundation's Rob Quicke, and Telos Alliance's Frank Foti & Jim Armstrong
announce the contest winner at NAB 2026 in Las Vegas.