Photos courtesy of KBeach. 

Nearly $15,000 was raised for California State University, Long Beach’s (CSULB) student-run radio station KBeach over the weekend, during which staff held a nearly four-day-long radio marathon, station officials announced.

The station, which normally goes dark at night, began 88.1 hours of live programming at 8:00AM on Thursday, June 18, and continued through Sunday night, June 22, at one minute after midnight. The hours were a play on the station’s channel, 88.1HD3 on HD radio. It can also be heard online at kbeach.org.

The marathon format was music-intensive, showcasing the station’s personalities and promoting all of its shows, according to Danny Lemos, student media coordinator at CSULB.

The marathon was run by 35 students, two staff members and two faculty members and included guests such as coaches and athletes from the Long Beach State women’s soccer team, and Charlie Colin—the former lead singer of Train who performed with his new band Painbird during the marathon kickoff.

During the event, donors were put in a drawing for a free trip to anywhere in the world, donated by Turkish Airlines.

The station exceeded its $5,000 fund goal by raising $9,000, plus a matching gift of $5,000, for a total of $14,000.

This was its first-ever marathon and fundraiser, officials said.

The money will help support the station’s operating budget, according to station officials.

Lemos said the station saw a 100 percent increase in its numbers last weekend because of the marathon.

“Being live pays off!” he said. 

KBeach has received many national awards, with students having gone on to become radio hosts across the country, station officials said.

According to its website, it has 12 talk shows and 15 music shows.