Ben Davis’ student-led radio station WBDG will be celebrating its 55th anniversary this week. Starting on Friday at 8 a.m., the station will have its annual marathon. 

This comes after last year’s marathon was canceled due to COVID-19. This year’s marathon is different from previous years, as the 40-hour marathon will not be entirely live. From midnight to 8 a.m. on Saturday, the marathon will be voice tracked. But students will be live on air from 8 a.m. to midnight on both Friday and Saturday.

During each hour of the marathon, WBDG will be playing music from a different year since the station’s birth in 1966 all the way up to now. Since the marathon is just 40 hours and the station has been in existence for 55 years, hours will be divided in half from two consecutive years (i.e. 2000 and 2001). The WBDG staff will pick random years out of a hat for every hour of the marathon. 

WBDG is still accepting underwriters for this weekend’s marathon. The station’s goal is to raise $3,000 for the event. Underwriters can be individual people or business, and payments are being taken at https://www.schoolpay.com/parent/mip/McRu. WBDG is now over 50% complete with its $3,000 goal.

Listeners can also call in throughout the marathon to win prizes. Although it will not sound or look like marathons in previous years, WBDG is still thankful to have this year’s marathon. Stay tuned to Indy’s Giant 90.9 throughout the weekend to listen to the marathon that is a core event in the Ben Davis school year.