by Citizen Wausau on March 31st, 2008
[A note from Dino: As spring springs on us, our thoughts take us away from the computer, and outdoors. To new hobbies, and to bikes, and camping. Well, WNRB is a community radio station, and while it might not be a Santa Cruz full suspension dream bike, it might be a hobby you're interested in. I have a feeling that it might be a little bit like Citizen Wausau, where it is what you bring to it a little bit. So, thank you to Tom Neal for this post.]
Saturdays are wide-open … ready for you to jump in and become a part of the community’s Saturday experience. I’m talking about hosting your own radio program on WNRB-LP (93.3 FM, Wausau). Time slots are open on Saturdays for people who’d like to bring their own personalities/musical tastes/viewpoints to the airwaves. Provide the spring/summer soundtrack for people outside washing their cars, or driving around with the windows down, or jogging with their radio headphones on.
Just think: Do an early morning wake-up show, maybe with acoustic alternative or folk music. Or a late-morning classic rock exploration of “B-sides” and deep album cuts. How about blues or classical music in the afternoon? Rule Saturday night with a party mix. Do a one-hour or two-hour show. Buddy up with someone and do a 2-person show.
It’s easy and it’s a gas. A fun sideline/hobby for your life. Takes about 10 minutes to learn the ropes in the studio. Pay is $0 … it’s an all-volunteer station. Studio is on 6th Street on Wausau’s east side at the Wausau Area Hmong Mutual Assoc. offices. Contact me here if you’re interested (there are also open slots on weekdays). And, of course, tune in for my show, Roundtrip, Thursday nights 7-9 for music you just won’t hear on any station in these parts.
by Tom Neal on December 17th, 2007
(Editors Note: When we started the individual blogs, we mentioned pulling some forward to the front page…at random, or because we really dug them. So we are going to start with this post from Tom Neal about WNRB. I have heard of this WNRB thing, and I bet it is fun.)
Thought I’d take this opportunity to promote something I do and where I do it. On Thursday nights, from 7 to 9, I host a radio show (Roundtrip with Neal at the Wheel) on commercial-free WNRB-LP, 93.3 FM. It’s a kick, groove, self-indulgence that allows me to delve into my preoccupation with music. (more…)
by Tom Neal on October 2nd, 2007
After a Year of Silence, Wausau Community Radio
Station Is Up and Running — Now the Web Looms
WNRB-LP (93.3 FM) is set up in its new home and has returned to the air (old media?) and now our thoughts turn to the wonderful Web and the possibility of once again live streaming.
Cessation of hosting and surrender of the station’s FCC license by Northcentral Technical College in 2006 led to the year-long off-air hiatus. The “Friends of WNRB-LP,” a group of volunteers and former show hosts, organized to save the station. WNRB-LP (the “LP” refers to the station’s low-power FM designation) is newly licensed and, with NTC-donated equipment, has resumed operations from new studios at the Wausau Area Hmong Mutual Association offices.
In recent weeks, the station has been playing a mix of music “loops” as the program grid is filled in with live shows. Now back on the airwaves are live Hmong language news and music programs, Dr. Rent’s landlord/tenant information program, yours truly’s “Roundtrip with Neal at the Wheel” (Thursdays 8-10 p.m.; Billy Bob says check it out!) and other programs featuring blues, bluegrass, classic rock and more.
The station’s goal is to present a rich mix of locally produced programming — things like consumer information, community bulletin boards, alternative world news, environmental news, alternative music, and Asian and Hispanic language programs.
As the show grid fattens up, the Friends of WNRB-LP hope to present a live streaming service of this programming. But we need an angel, a bandwidth baron or baroness who can supply a pipeline to the world. Know someone? Are you that someone? Let me know here at Citizen Wausau, or via e-mail at wnrb-lp@hotmail.com .
By the way, any aspiring announcers out there? It’s easy to present a show. You don’t need to have radio experience or a special license; if you can handle a home stereo, you can do this. You just need to be willing to take on a weekly slot or even two and be responsible for it. You can even enter a substitute pool and just help out with the occasional show to spell someone. Those interested in presenting a program, assisting with station operations or providing underwriting support can contact the Friends of WNRB-LP wnrb-lp@hotmail.com.
WNRB-LP (93.3 FM, Wausau) is licensed by the FCC as a low-power FM “community” radio station — a non-commercial, non-profit entity offering primarily locally produced
programming. The station’s broadcast radius includes the greater Wausau metropolitan area and extends as far as Merrill, Marathon City, Hatley and Mosinee (reception depending on geography). The station’s parent organization is the Wausau Area Hmong Mutual Association — a registered 501c(3) non-profit group located in Wausau (Peter Yang, Executive Director).
Thanks, ya’ll … neal.
