WMSE is the rare radio station where the programming actually becomes better during pledge drives. During its on-air drive, WMSE DJs host all manner of special and themed shows, and break out music rare even by the station's already esoteric standardslast evening, for instance, they spun hours of all-local soul and R&B 45s.
Even in the Internet age, WMSE plays music that you literally can't hear anywhere else: Dewey Gill, for instance, crate digs for the rarest, earliest jazz and swing 78s ever made for his Sunday morning show, spending literally hours cleaning them to make them audible again. Mark Krueger, meanwhile, draws from his impossibly large collection of prog-rock from communist countries for his Sunday night prog show. And the Saturday afternoon "Boogie Bang" guys spotlight Milwaukee rap and R&B music no other radio station will touch. These shows are truly destination radio.
Through Nov. 6, WMSE is hosting a pledge drive with the modest goal of raising $125,000 to keep operating. You can donate here, and in exchange you'll receive all manner of tax-deductible swag, from excellent CDs to iconic T-shirts and a beautiful wall calendar.
