A profile of the DJs and leadership of WESU, one of the nation's oldest college radio stations ... by Wesleyan Student, Rory Stamp

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Calling all Writers! Want to be on-air?

Mitty Parade is looking for unpublished writers of short fiction, creative non-fiction or poetry to come read one or several pieces on the air and talk about their creative process. Pieces sent in could also be read if the writer can't be there in person, though they are strongly encouraged to, as the interview would be informal and fun!
The show is every 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month at midnight starting February 19th, but the show can be prerecorded to accommodate guests. For more information or if you are interested in being a guest on the show please contact Claire via email: Mittyparade@gmail.com

New Spring Program and Training

WESU is excited to announce the start of our new and exciting Spring Program this week!  Tune in to hear the new shows broadcasting over the airwaves this season.

If you like what you hear and wish you were a DJ yourself, please sign up to train with us at wesufm.org/training!

As easy as this cat                                               and this dog

make it seem, you actually kind of have to know what you're doing.  We'd love to help!

WESU receives transmitter donation

Thanks to the folks at 99.9 FM WEZN  in Bridgeport, Connecticut, WESU will soon broadcast from a new 10,000 watt transmitter! WEZN upgraded their main transmitter and donated their old back up transmitter to WESU. Considering this transmitter was only used while servicing their main unit, it has been used minimally, in contrast to WESU's current transmitter which has run for nearly 24 hrs/day for nearly 3 decades!  WESU's "new" Harris FM 10K Transmitter is essentially the big brother to the Harris FM 3.5 K transmitter that has faithfully served WESU since 1988. 

While this doesn't mean that WESU will be pumping out more power, it will save us money and maintenance since we have been pushing the limits of our current transmitter to fulfill our FCC license to operate at 6,000 watts. Since our upgrade WESU has been "burning through transmitter tubes" according to Ben Michael General Manager. "The new FM10k transmitter will not even break a sweat pumping out the power needed to fulfill our license and will save us thousands of dollars in annual operating costs".  Michael goes on to say "We had just begun the process of pricing the cost of purchasing a new transmitter so this donation is timely and will save tens of thousands of dollars we would have had to borrow." 


The new transmitter has already been moved to the WESU transmitter site and will be hooked up in the near future. 


Special thanks to our friend and Engineer, Paul Litwinovich for making this dream come true. 

Last Call!

A big THANK YOU to the 231 folks who came together in support of the 7th Annual WESU Holiday Pledge drive 2011. Your support is a testament to the service we provide to the community.

This year's drive was tough going for our dedicated volunteer DJs, but our success is a reminder of our what is possible when we work together towards a common goal!

Season's Greetings and listener supported community radio for all!

88.1 FM WESU CALLS ON LISTENERS TO GIVE THE GIFT OF COMMUNITY RADIO THIS HOLIDAY SEASON IN CONDENSED 8 DAY PLEDGE DRIVE

December 2nd, 2011

Middletown, CT--- Wesleyan University’s non-commercial college and community radio station, 88.1FM WESU, calls on listeners to give the gift of WESU this holiday season during The Seventh Annual WESU Winter Holiday Pledge Drive. This year’s drive will kick off at 4pm December 5th and continue for 8 days through the end of live programming (3am) on Monday, December 12th.  This year WESU will conduct 2 separate 8 day pledge drives with one in the Winter and another in the Spring rather than a single 2 week winter Holiday pledge drive.

The goal for this year’s 8-day drive is to raise $10,000 in listener support to sustain operating expenses throughout the coming year. Meeting this goal, although difficult, will keep WESU on track to raise $35,000 in community support before the end of the fiscal year in July.  WESU’s General Manager Ben Michael says that, “It will be a huge challenge for our volunteer broadcasters to raise $10,000 in 8 days. However, we know listeners value the service we provide and we are counting on them to help us meet our goal so we can continue to offer the most diverse radio programming in Connecticut.”

2011 was another great year for WESU. Highlights include WESU’s rising from #3 to #2 in the Hartford Advocate Readers Poll.  In the Spring of 2011 WESU became the first radio station in Connecticut to broadcast the daily radio news magazine, Al Jazeera English. Al Jazeera English has received numerous international awards for news coverage and WESU is pleased to include it as a complement to their diverse mix of public news and Public affairs programming from NPR, Pacifica, and other independent and local sources.

In addition to these accomplishments, The Generation Public Radio Exchange (PRX) Bullying Stories Project panel has selected WESU’s Middletown Youth Radio Project’s pitch as one of its finalists in this national competition.  The Middletown Youth Radio Project (MYRP) is a program on WESU in which youth from the Middletown community create audio projects including songs and stories and play them on the air.  The committee was impressed by the creative approach to talking about bullying, and the balance of both a social structure perspective and personal stories.  As thanks for the pitch, the youth radio group will receive: an audio storytelling kit that includes a digital recorder and audio editing software, training webinars on producing, refining, and distributing stories, story advising from a professional producer, and likely inclusion in a youth radio special to be broadcast nationwide via PRX.

Financial support during this pledge drive will help ensure that WESU continues to grow and operate as a creative vehicle for partnership between the Wesleyan University community, the people of the greater Connecticut River Valley, and beyond. Donations will directly benefit WESU and help to ensure local, community-based programs and alternative news and music continue to have a home on the radio dial.

Weekdays, WESU boasts a diverse schedule offering a robust program of News and Public Affairs by day drawing from NPR, Pacifica, independent, and local sources. Week Nights and Weekends WESU broadcast a diverse range of “free form” music and creative programming that includes Jazz, Soul, Blues, Rock, Caribbean, Hip Hop, Experimental, Electronic, Gospel, Oldies, Latin music, and much more.

To show your support for WESU, please donate now at www.wesufm.org, or call 860-685-7700 during the drive 12/05-12/12 and make a pledge. Online pledges are conveniently processed immediately, prevent clerical errors, and are more eco-friendly since there is no paper involved. For more information on how you can support WESU contact Ben Michael, General Manager – generalmanager@wesufm.org 860-658-7707.

Record Fair Thanks!

Thanks to everyone who came out to support the WESU Fall record fair! WESU raised nearly $1,000 to help sustain WESU operations. Mark your calendar as the Spring 2012 Record fair is scheduled for April 15th.