The Beet Grows Up. WVU Parkersburg Relaunches Campus Radio as Tower 61 Radio

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (July 23, 2026) – Before there was a campus, there was a year. In 1961, a small college opened its doors in Parkersburg and began the work of educating the Mid-Ohio Valley. Sixty-five years later, that founding year has a new voice. WVU Parkersburg announced today that WPKM 96.3 FM, the first community college radio station in West Virginia and long known to listeners as The Beet, has been rebranded as Tower 61 Radio.

The name carries two stories at once. The tower nods to the bell tower at the heart of campus, the same landmark anchoring the college’s visual identity. The 61 honors the year it all began.

“I hope the first thing people think of is WVU Parkersburg,” said Cody Davis, program coordinator for the college’s Integrated Marketing Communications program, which houses the station. “I want Tower 61 Radio to be seen as an extension of the university, a place that showcases our students, our faculty and the opportunities we provide.”

The rebrand arrives alongside the launch of the college’s new Integrated Marketing Communications program and updated learning outcomes in Digital Media Production, changes Davis says made this the right moment to reimagine the station.

“Radio has changed so much,” Davis said. “It is no longer just about what comes through the speakers. It’s about branding, digital content, community engagement and creating experiences for audiences across multiple platforms. We wanted the station to become a place where students could apply those skills in a real-world environment.”

Listeners will notice the difference on the dial first. Tower 61 features a classic rock format spanning the 1960s through the 1990s, built on a music library of more than 800 songs that students personally listened to and categorized by decade, genre and style. Three student workers have been hired as the primary voices of the station, hosting programs, taking requests and connecting with listeners throughout the day.

The station’s reach is growing too. A second broadcast tower planned at the college’s Innovation and Technology Center will extend the signal into Vienna and beyond, carrying student voices farther across the Mid-Ohio Valley than ever before.

For Dr. Bobbi Marshall, dean of the Professional Studies Division, the station’s value goes well beyond the media programs it serves. She sees Tower 61 as a campus-wide classroom where education students can host story times, criminal justice students can produce podcasts, agriculture students can deliver farm reports and business students can build promotional campaigns.

“The station becomes more than a media outlet,” Marshall said. “It becomes a collaborative learning environment that promotes creativity, communication and real-world experience.”

Both leaders were quick to honor what came before. The Beet holds a pioneering place in West Virginia broadcasting history, and its legacy is woven into the new station rather than replaced by it.

“Aligning the program with current industry standards is not about saying goodbye to an old friend,” Marshall said. “It is about welcoming a new one. This evolution honors The Beet’s rich history and pioneering spirit while creating new opportunities for today’s students.”

Davis put it more simply. “The same way a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, the station is transforming into something new while carrying pieces of its past with it.”

Future plans for Tower 61 include remote broadcasts from sporting events, campus activities and community gatherings, along with original programming featuring faculty spotlights, study tips, reading hours and public service announcements.

Tower 61 Radio broadcasts on WPKM 96.3 FM.