WSIU Radio | Signal eNewsletter | March 2010

Signal

Vol. 3, No. 3: March 2010

An Online Newsletter from WSIU Public Radio

WSIU To Host Spring Community Support Drive for Public Radio

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oin WSIU as we celebrate public radio during our Spring Community Support Drive, March 19 - March 26! Listener support is WSIU’s most reliable resource and helps to sustain your favorite programming, including Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and great classical music, as well as weekend programs such as A Prairie Home Companion and Car Talk.

WSIU serves as your voice in southern Illinois and in portions of southwest Indiana and southeast Missouri!

From the benefit of building a new high school in Carterville to the consequences of state budget cuts on high school students in Olney, WSIU’s award-winning local, regional, and state news programming is made possible by community support.

WSIU Radio has been a steadfast part of the Southern Illinois community for more than 50 years. Your financial help during this 2010 Spring Community Support Drive will ensure that WSIU remains strong for many years to come. Remember…WSIU Radio is Powered by You!

This Month on Morning Conversations March 1: Illinois Public Radio’s Amanda Vinicky sits down with Illinois Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) to discuss current politics.

March 23: SIUC Engineering Professor Bruce DeRuntz (right) will preview his Science Café seminar on robots and their future with humans.

March 2: Representatives of the American Cancer Society and Southern Illinois Healthcare will stop by to discuss Colon Cancer Awareness Month.

March 30: MCMA Dean Gary Kolb and RT Associate Professor Jay Needham will talk about their upcoming photography and sound exhibit on Antarctica.

March 8: Coordinators and presenters of the 2nd Annual Southern Illinois Men’s Health Conference will preview this year’s event.

Morning Conversations is also making preparations to schedule representatives of the Jackson County League of Women Voters to discuss the Illinois Fair Map initiative. Plus, stay tuned for a special segment about the 2010 Census.

March 9: SIUC Chancellor Sam Goldman makes his monthly visit.

SIUC Engineering Professor Bruce DeRuntz.

Photo: www.engr.siu.edu.

Morning Conversations is hosted by Jennifer Fuller and airs at 8:30am on Tuesdays and other days of the week, as needed. Listen online at wsiu.org.

Cape Girardeau Storytelling Festival original short stories as a preview to the 3rd Annual Cape Girardeau Storytelling Festival, which will be held April 9-11 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

WSIU Radio will feature a special collection of stories recorded live during last year’s festival.

Steve Otto of Kansas City, Missouri narrates a tale at WSIU’s booth during the 2nd Annual Cape Girardeau Storytelling Festival. Photo: WSIU staff.

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n March 24, tune in to WSIU Radio to hear tall tales and other

Attendees at the festival visited the WSIU booth and spun their favorite yarns especially for the station.

Stories you’ll enjoy include Max and Margaret’s trip to the county fair, the $50,000 dollar race horse, and the

Boone & Crockett Pancake among others.

WSIU invites you to stop by our booth again this year to meet our outreach staff, pick up educational materials, and record your own story, which will be shared online at wsiu.org, in our Radio section.

To learn more about this year’s event, visit capestorytelling.com, which includes a link to the WSIU InFocus program, “Storytelling Festival,” filmed during the first festival in 2008.

SIRIS Volunteer Profile: Laura Borger break, and now that I’ve been volunteering with the organization each summer, I definitely think that more teachers should consider doing it, as well.”

Laura Borger. Photo: Crystal Essex.

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eet Carbondale native Laura Borger, who has been volunteering with the Southern Illinois Radio Information Service (SIRIS) for approximately three years. As a high school teacher, Borger had the luxury of enjoying free summers, but in 2007, she decided to volunteer some of her time to the community by reading on-air with SIRIS. “I first heard about volunteer opportunities with SIRIS on WSIU Radio,” says Borger. “I thought it was a good thing to do during the

Borger views SIRIS as a community outreach service that many local citizens can certainly benefit from. “We are transmitting information and news to people who do not have access to it, or for whatever reason, they cannot read it on their own,” she says. “Plus, it’s personal.

SIRIS volunteers are reading local papers and informing people about births, deaths, and many other things that are happening in the community.

It’s old school, as well as a dying art.”

Borger is a devoted PBS fan and feels that public radio and TV are the finest information sources available. “Public broadcasting is the best journalism out there. There is no advertising, which means their loyalties are to the public,”

she says. “Everyone, especially teachers, should support public broadcasting!”

Borger considers herself a public broadcasting junkie and counts All Things Considered, NOVA, Nature, and This Old House among her favorite programs. “I also enjoy listening to Click and Clack on Car Talk, Zorba Paster, and any PBS host who has a side-kick that laughs.”

Borger holds a Master of Arts degree in Speech Communication from Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) and is currently making preparations to return to graduate school to pursue a second master’s degree in English.

Before hitting the books once again, Borger is enjoying her time working at a local winery, playing video games on her Playstation 3, and being a loving owner to her new puppy.

Learn how you can give back to your community as a SIRIS volunteer by calling (618) 453-2808 or clicking on the SIRIS tab at wsiu.org.

WSIU Radio Welcomes New Music Program “After years of personal consideration, I decided to start another broadcast,” states the host of Sounds Like Radio, Dave Armstrong, who also has hosted a similar program at WDBX. “Broadcasting at WSIU Radio will bring this music to a larger listening audience, so I am very excited.”

Dave Armstrong. Photo: Monica Tichenor.

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eginning next month, WSIU Radio listeners can look forward to hearing a different sound over the airwaves. Sounds Like Radio, a program exclusively featuring experimental and avant-garde music and sound art, will join the early Sunday morning radio schedule, from 3-5am, in April (start date TBA).

Armstrong promises that Sounds Like Radio will broadcast tunes that are quite different from dancing music. “This is a genre of music that people do not ordinarily hear,” he says.

“Initially, it may be a small challenge, but after a few broadcasts, I hope listeners will learn to appreciate the new sounds.”

Armstrong believes that having his program on WSIU Radio will possibly make it the largest broadcast of

experimental music in the state and will certainly highlight Southern Illinois as a prime destination for sound artists, experimental musicians, and composers of new music.

Currently, Armstrong is recording the first broadcasts of Sounds Like Radio and is seeking music from experimental musicians.

Music material can be mailed to Armstrong at the following address: WSIU Radio, c/o Dave Armstrong Communications Building 1003 Mail Code 6602 SIUC, 1100 Lincoln Dr. Carbondale, IL 62901 For more information about Armstrong and his approach to experimental music, visit his blog at startlingmoniker.wordpress.com.

Underwriter Profile: Attitude Designs Attitude Designs is one of WSIU Radio’s newest underwriters, now sponsoring Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Fresh Air, the weekend news magazines, and weekend prime entertainment programs such as Car Talk, Whad’Ya Know?, Wait! Wait! Don’t Tell Me!, American Routes, and A Prairie Home Companion.

Attitude Designs is a division of 710 Bookstore and located next door.

According to staffer Elaine Carter, who has the intriguing title of 'Graphic Designer & Head of the Party Planning Committee', "We offer a variety of services, including custom screen printing, embroidery, graphic design, vinyl, digital printing, and promotional products. What most people don't realize is that we design, print, vinyl, and embroider in-house. It all happens right here!"

Reflecting on values shared with WSIU Public Radio, Carter says, "Like WSIU, we provide a service to help individuals, businesses, and organizations grow. We help them to get their message out. We feel it’s important to stay connected with the community."

Carter says they decided to help underwrite WSIU Radio programs to reach out to a broad regional audience and because the staff all loves listening to WSIU. “We think the community needs to support public broadcasting because we feel it is important to be informed. WSIU helps to keep you connected not only locally, but worldwide."

As a new sponsor, Carter hasn't yet had opportunity to talk with community members about their underwriting, but

Thank You, Underwriters!

Together, our members and underwriters make public radio possible! Please join us in thanking the underwriters who recently began or renewed their partnerships: The Big Muddy Film Festival at SIUC Cherry Insurance Services, Inc. Forbes Financial Group Illinois Student Assistance Commission College Illinois! Prepaid Tuition Plan My Favorite Toys at University Mall SIU Event Services for Southern Lights Entertainment SIU School of Law at SIUC The Southern Illinois Chamber Music Society Leslie P. Williams, C.P.A To see a complete list of WSIU underwriters and information about underwriting WSIU programming, visit us online at www.wsiu.org or call (618) 453-4286.

notes that "WSIU made it very easy to begin this relationship" with the WSIU Radio audience.

A quick review of staff members' favorite programs reflects the diversity that WSIU brings to the region: World Café, Car Talk, American Routes, Celtic Connections, All Things Considered, Fresh Air, Speaking of Faith, and Wait! Wait!

Don't Tell Me! Attitude Designs is located at 718 S. Illinois Avenue, on the corner of Mill Street and Illinois Avenue in Carbondale, and can be reached at (618) 529-5606 or online at attitudedesigns.com.

Sat, 3pm • Sun, 6pm March 6 New Releases What’s new in the Celtic music world? We round up the best of new and recent releases in the first program of each month. Good music just keeps on happening!

March 13 Happy St. Patrick’s Day “La Fheile Padraig shona daoibh,” or “Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you.”

We hope you can join us for the celebration of all things Irish in this week’s program.

March 20 Celtic American Men To follow up on last fall’s program

on Celtic American Women, we’ll see who turns up on the list of some of our own top Celtic male singers and instrumentalists, all American born and bred.

March 27 Honoring The Chieftains In a career spanning more than 40 years and with more albums by far than any other Irish band, The Chieftains have been Irish music’s ambassadors to the world. We’ll sample a small part of their prodigious output in this week’s program honoring their lifelong contributions to preserving and disseminating the music.

WSIU Public Radio Communications Building 1003 - Mail Code 6602 Southern Illinois University Carbondale 1100 Lincoln Drive Carbondale IL 62901 • 618/453-6101 • wsiu.org • wsiuradio@wsiu.org