Tom Crawford WMSE 91.7
“We have one of the largest on-air staffs in the market and we intend to stay on the air 24 hours a day/seven days a week.” Crawford said Tuesday. “DJs were given the option to not do their shows for their own safety. Other station are completely automated, we don’t have that luxury.”
He said so far no one has decided not to do their show. If things get bad enough Crawford and his technical crew would make decision when the time comes. “We will make sure the music is there for everybody and we remain broadcasting.”
Crawford relayed a message from a listener: “I just want to say how important it is for me to be listening to the radio the past few days. The sense of community connection and thread to normalcy during these stressful times is so critical to bolstering emotional resolve, especially among those of us who live alone. Thank you and all your djs who are able to continue to share their voices and music with us. WMSE is a lifeline.”
WMSE’s website has a large archive of shows going back eight years, a continuous livestream of the stations extensive jazz library and a YouTube channel of filmed performances of the weekly Local Live show as well as other live performances that were captured.
Becky Mortensen, WUWM
Your local public radio station is now more important than ever. At WUWM we are balancing following the instructions from health officials and keeping the community informed. All of the staff at WUWM is working from home. Reporters and producers are conducting interviews by phone and going to great lengths to keep bringing the public the most updated information about the COVID-19 pandemic. We are committed to providing the latest information from health officials and telling the stories of a community living in isolation. In addition to our on-air coverage, we’ve added a coronavirus feed to our website and our app has all the latest developments on how COVID-19 is impacting the community.
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WUWM is focusing all of our efforts on keeping the community connected. We recognize the significance of this historic pandemic and the lasting impact it will have. Because of that, we will work tirelessly to be a reliable source the community can turn to. While this is an uncertain time, know that you can turn to WUWM not just for the latest information but also for news that looks to the light at the end of the tunnel. Life in Wisconsin is going to look and feel very different for a while, but the community can always count on WUWM to provide important local coverage.
Jordan Lee 88.9
On Monday, March 16, 88.9 closed the office and folks were asked to work remotely. When we spoke on Monday, 88.9 Program Director Jordan Lee said he was working to continue content delivery via an application called Zencastr.
“Content is king,” Jordan said. “If that means we have to talk to somebody on the phone—that is not my preferred quality of audio in everyday situations but we are not in everyday situations right now.”
If it comes to it, he added, “I want Dori Zori to be able to do the morning show from her living room.”
Lee said his number one goal is to keep listeners listener positive and inspired. “We have a deep archive of great recordings that we’ve recorded over the last 13 years. I’m actually copying a hard drive of archived recordings as we speak to give to my team to work on from home to give me edits.” Aside from many local bands, 88.9 has had touring acts from Lizzo to Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros perform in the studio.
DJs have been given the green light to play songs that will get people in the right spirit. “Music has the power to change things. How can we uplift spirits and make people have those kitchen dance parties?” Lee said.
Martin Hallanger, Riverwest Radio
Riverwest Radio closed its studios to live production on Friday, March 13. “Any shows from before then are literally from a bygone era,” says programming director Martin Hallanger. “Instead we are producing a live call-in show daily 5-7pm and with our producers calling in from home.
“I started ‘Another Day’ on March 19 with cohost Peter Donalds. We are giving our thoughts and local information as it becomes available on weekdays.
“We also made this request on Facebook and on our website:’Do you have some good quality audio you would like to air and Riverwest Radio? Do you have poetry or prose you would like to read on Riverwest Radio? Please share audio files or written word with us at wxrw104.1@gmail.com for consideration! (Note: MP3 files are currently best for us.)’
“All of our plans are in flux in that they depend on technology, laws restricting travel in Milwaukee and our personal health. We look forward to hearing from our producers and the community as a whole.”
