Every spring, the WPTS radio productions director, Varun Bhandari, shaves his beard into what… Every spring, the WPTS radio productions director, Varun Bhandari, shaves his beard into what he calls a ‘spring stache.’ Last year, he introduced his friend Jason Keinath, a former WPTS productions director, to the idea.

The two decided to hold what they termed a ‘stache-off’ to see who could grow the fiercest moustache.

The word of their contest spread, and last November, it became a WPTS event – The Moustache Challenge.

WPTS then decided to enter in the Collegiate Broadcasters, Inc., National Student Production Awards and has now been nominated as one of four radio station finalists in the “Best Station Promotion” category.

WPTS is competing with other finalists, WKNC radio from North Carolina University, KCSU radio from Colorado State University and WMLU radio from Marshall University. The other universities held a concert, a “requestathon” and an 88-hour music marathon, respectively.

The station will find out its final standing in the national contest, CBI’s National College Media Convention, which will be held on Oct. 25 through 28 in Washington, D.C.

After being introduced to the challenge back in November 2006, WPTS began a quest to find out which staff member could grow the best or most creative moustache.

All types of moustaches fought for the No. 1 spot: the handlebar moustache, the natural moustache – also know as the Magnum P.I. moustache – the Fu Man Chu moustache and the freestyle Roadmaster moustache.

Bhandari and Keinath then decided to take it one step further and challenge the city of Pittsburgh to the ‘stache-off’.

“It was so ridiculous and out there and fresh,” Bhandari said.

Not long after, WPTS member Jenna Harris noticed an article in The New York Times called, “The Glorious Moustache Challenge” with notorious filmmaker, Jay Della Valle. The station immediately contacted Della Valle and invited him to be part of their Moustache Challenge.

Promotions for The Moustache Challenge popped up around campus throughout the month. WPTS even offered “The moustache ride,” said Jeremy Zerbe, WPTS promotions director.

“A moustached person would piggyback ride you to class,” he said.

There was also a “Pin the stache back on Trebek” contest – because “[Alex] Trebek looks like a creep without his stache,” Zerbe said.

The grand finale was at the end of November. Della Valle was on campus to screen his documentary “The Glorious Moustache.”

“It was the big, end-all, be-all finale,” Bhandari said.