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Campus Directory

FACULTY AND STAFF

Peter Kreten

Title:Director of Student Media
Office:Campus Media Center
Phone:773-298-3375
Email:pkreten@hitchedhike.com
Department:Student Media

Biography

Peter Kreten is a native of the South Side of Chicago and has worked in college radio for over two decades. Since July 2008, he has served as the director of Student Media at Saint Xavier University. Under Kreten’s leadership, WXAV was recognized by Paste Magazine as one of the best college radio stations in the United States, and the WXAV student staff has won numerous Student Silver Dome Awards from the Illinois Broadcasting Association (IBA) for broadcasting excellence. Kreten has been interviewed and featured in The Washington Post, Radio World, and RadioInfo.com, and he has also published articles in the Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media.

Education

M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction

Saint Xavier University

B.A. in Mass Communication and Secondary Education (Social Sciences)

Saint Xavier University

Areas of Specialization

Kreten's primary focus is on audio and video production, along with scriptwriting, podcast production, and newspaper layout and design.

Courses Taught

  • COMM 205: Mediated Messaging
  • COMM 220: Audio Production
  • COMM 221: Video Production
  • COMM 223: Podcasting

Selected Honors/Awards

  • Executive Board Member of the College Radio Foundation
  • Aided in the development and creation of College Radio Day and Vinylthon, global events that involve over 500 college radio stations from around the world.
  • In 2024, The Xavierite won six Illinois College Press Association Awards (ICPA), including First Place in the category of Best Editorial Writing.
  • In 2020, WXAV 88.3FM won first place for Best Underwriting Spot in the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System’s (IBS) Golden Microphone Awards.
  • In 2015, WXAV was named one of the “Best Alternative Radio Stations” in Chicago by the Chicago Tribune in the article “Radio Rage,” published on June 21.
  • Second place winner in the 2013 Illinois Broadcasting Association’s Silverdome Awards in the category of Best Radio Documentary/Series for Veteran Matters.
  • Quoted and featured in the Italian newspaper Avvenire in the articles “Le radio d’ateneo conquistano il web” and “Lo statunitense Kreten: così gli studenti sono protagonisti in onda.”
  • Quoted in the October 12, 2011, edition of The Washington Post in the story “An SOS For College Stations.”
  • In 2010, WXAV was named by Paste Magazine as one of the 40 Best Low Watt Radio Stations in the country.
  • From 2008 to the present, SXU Student Media has won over 10 Illinois Broadcasters Association’s Student Silverdome Awards and 16 Illinois College Press Association student awards.

Presentations/Publications/Productions

  • Book review published in The Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media (Volume 58, Number 2, June 2014).
  • Presenter at the annual IBS Student Media conference in New York City, focusing on the state of college radio.