You never know what the DJs will play next, and that's the point, at U-M student station WCBN
Program Director Kristin Sumrall cues up a track during her WCBN show last week.
If you think radio is too predictable, then obviously you haven’t been listening to WCBN.
Tucked away in the basement of the Student Activities Building on the University of Michigan central campus, WCBN — the U-M’s student-run, freeform station at 88.3 FM — is about as far from mainstream radio as you can get.
With programming that can see Cyndi Lauper’s “She Bop” land next to James Blood Ulmer’s “We Bop Black Rock” and the Osmond Brothers next to Pete Seeger, and shows ranging from folk to funk to techno and everything in between, the station is a listening adventure.
You never know what you’ll hear, and that’s the plan, said Kristin Sumrall, U-M alum and WCBN program director.
“Variety, we pride ourselves on that,” she said. “College radio attracts certain types of people and a lot of people do like to play the weirdest thing they can, or something unusual, whether it’s old or new. … The whole thing about college radio is you never know what someone might play for you next, and if you get involved with it, WCBN has an extremely huge library. A lot of radio stations don’t have what we have.”
WCBN has been broadcasting at 200 watts since 1981, and was recently given FCC approval to increase its power — and thus its range — to 3,000 watts (now the station just has to raise money for a new antenna). At present, listeners can pick up WCBN in Ann Arbor and over toward Ypsilanti; the new antenna will increase the range to include places like Saline and Dexter.
Walking into WCBN’s funky but welcoming office and studio space is like stepping back in time to the 1970s.
“(The university) did a small renovation a couple of years ago, but mostly it hasn’t changed in 40 years,” said Sumrall, with a gesture taking in the studios, worn furniture and wood paneling festooned with countless promotional stickers for bands.
The on-air crew includes such veterans as Arwulf Arwulf, marking 30 years at WCBN this year, and long-time reggae host Brian Tomsic, as well as relative youngsters, such as Ben Yee, a PhD student in nuclear engineering, who has been involved for five years. He hosts the jazz program “Jazz Till Noon” Thursdays from 9 a.m.-noon.
Yee said not only does he appreciate the station’s “phenomenal” collection of jazz, he likes the chance to hang out with “like-minded, but at the same time, slightly twisted people. It’s wonderful talking to them and hearing their experiences,” he said. “You’ve got people who have been here 30-40 years, and then you’ve got this constantly rotating cast of students coming in, bringing in new ideas and different ways of approaching a subject that’s been done many different times already.”
He also appreciates the opportunity to hone his communications abilities.
“I’m not much of a public speaker … being able to hold people captive as an audience is a crucial skill,” Yee said.
Given its location on the U-M campus, one might assume WCBN’s primary audience is students, but that’s not the case, Sumrall said.
PROFILE
WCBN
- What: Freeform radio station at the University of Michigan.
- Where to listen: 88.3 FM or online at WCBN.org.
- What you'll hear: Pretty much anything — and that’s the point.
- Some popular programs: Arwulf Arwulf’s “Face the Music,” Thursdays at 7 p.m.; Down Home Show,” Saturdays at noon; “Dancehall Reggae” with Brian Tomsic, Saturday, 7-9 p.m.; “Prop Shop” with Chill Will, Saturdays, 9 p.m.-Midnight.
- How to make a request: Call 734-763-3500.
“A lot of our longtime listeners are people who may have come to Ann Arbor for college, (and there are) lots of local folks that were born and raised here that listen to us. Those people are our bread and butter… We had a testimonials campaign about a year ago; we got hundreds of letters from people in the community, a lot of them have been listening to us for years.”
Since WCBN faces competition from commercial pop stations, as well as music programmed via iPod and online music services such as Pandora, activities to increase visibility — concert sponsorship is one avenue — are important.
“I don’t think a lot of (the students) are aware of the radio station,” Sumrall lamented. “We work hard to make them aware.”
Still, Sumrall, who hosts a rock show Friday afternoons from 3-5:30 p.m., sees the station’s potential. “I grew up listening to college radio and know how great it can be and influential it can be,” she said.
Yee agreed. “There are choices, but the important thing we as a station provide is context; that’s what sets us apart,” he said.
Arwulf, who became involved with the station in 1977 and earned a regular slot in 1980 (you can also catch him on Eastern Michigan University station WEMU), said he enjoys the leeway the freeform format offers. But that’s not all he finds appealing.
“The main reason I keep working here is to be able to share ideas and enjoy the incredible range of people that come through here, the students and the people from the community,” he said.
“This place really taught me to listen to everything at least once … that kind of openmindedness is so antithetical to mainstream culture right now,” Arwulf added. “This is real alternative here. It’s a word that means more than a certain brand of pop music.”
WCBN is mostly supported by listener donations and money raised at an annual fundraiser. Although the U-M does pay the salary of a half-time engineer and kicks in some money for equipment, it is otherwise self-supporting and everyone else who works at the station is a volunteer.
Shows are done live, not preprogrammed or prerecorded.
“(The DJs) might have a few ideas written down about what they want to play, and a lot of people will bring some of their own records, but we do live radio,” said Sumrall. “We’ll have a song on, and it might inspire us to put a song on we hadn’t planned to play. It definitely takes spontaneity and the skill to be on your toes, to know what we have and what we don’t have.
“Freeform is freeform. People play what they think is appropriate — there’s no ‘you must do this at this time’ as far as music programming goes. Not here,” she said.
The most popular shows tend to be hosted by DJs who have been there longest. Early morning shifts, said Sumrall, are popular with taxi drivers and bakers. “People are always listening to you,” she said.
With most commercial stations following structured playlists and formats, outlets like WCBN are more important now than ever, she added.
“If you’re interested in listening to music at all, you should be listening to freeform radio, and non-commercial radio for that matter,” Sumrall said. “If you enjoy music even a teeny tiny bit, then I think that commercial radio would drive you absolutely insane. If you tune into commercial radio and they happen to be playing a song, they won’t be a minute later. Then you have to listen to five minutes of banter and two minutes of commercials. Then they might play another Nickelback song, or whatever their big thing is these days.
“It’s hard to know how much music is out there if you only listen to commercial radio,” Sumrall said.
Roger LeLievre is a freelance writer who covers entertainment for AnnArbor.com.
Comments
Gran Sjberg
Tue, Jan 11, 2011 : 9:03 a.m.
WCBN is an exciting station, like no other i know, and has a great communication with listeners, taking in a lot of requests. Being a listener from Sweden over web radio, and with the time difference of 6 hours, I can enjoy the early morning shows around lunchtime.
Borbsi
Fri, Jan 7, 2011 : 11:39 p.m.
Love cbn. det has music programs on the weekend that are like the "old" days! Freeform FM r u l e s.
Trepang674
Fri, Jan 7, 2011 : 8:39 p.m.
FM aint dead, as AA puts it...how am I going to hear this station in my car..in my office.? I had been an early listener back in early 70's and remember as a student working stiff, packing UoM van with donated jazz records from a collector. I hope they are still in the archives..most likely. I accidentally discovered these WCBN about 6 mo ago and it's format still rules...now that WDET exploded.
arwulfarwulf
Thu, Jan 6, 2011 : 5:30 p.m.
Has it occurred to "concerned" that for quite a number of us the phrase "FM Is Dead" feels very much like an attack? As someone who has devoted my entire adult life to this medium, that's how I (and many of us in this community) took it. This is a public forum; judging by the photo rather than a green leaf the individual whose comment I questioned works for the company that hosts the site, and I thought I handled the problem diplomatically. Apologies if I hurt anyone's feelings, and speaking for those who value and struggle for FM radio with our very lives: we beg your pardon.
ShadowManager
Thu, Jan 6, 2011 : 12:54 p.m.
Im know alot of older citizens, who really enjoy listening to the country shows on Saturday afternoons...on the RADIO, aka, F.M.
Ryan
Thu, Jan 6, 2011 : 9:50 a.m.
Check out WCBN DJ Andrew King's talk about Freeform Radio in an On Demand world from Ignite Ann Arbor 4: http://igniteshow.com/videos/future-freeform-radio-demand-world.
treetowncartel
Wed, Jan 5, 2011 : 11:04 p.m.
WCBN and WGPR, long time mainstays since my youth.
Somewhat Concerned
Wed, Jan 5, 2011 : 6:33 p.m.
More like probably. (As I think the controllers of this site are when they remove posts less attacking then the one mentioned.)
a2baggagehandler
Wed, Jan 5, 2011 : 6:24 p.m.
somewhat overly concerned perhaps
Somewhat Concerned
Wed, Jan 5, 2011 : 6:07 p.m.
Here is a surprise: AAcom generally eradicates comments that come even close to being a personal attack on another comment writer but not only left such a comment posted, it used it as its highlighted comment at the bottom of the first page. The comment is: "On behalf of my colleagues at WCBN, thank you for writing and posting this article. As for A.J.'s "FM is dead...and not a very good investment", this statement (like the too often carelessly applied word "eclectic") tells us much more about the person using it than the topic being discussed."
Speechless
Wed, Jan 5, 2011 : 5:39 p.m.
Before the arrival of online streaming, WCBN was a rare, everyday source for a very diverse range of sounds that could not be tuned in anywhere else. WEMU, WDET (until a few years ago), and the occasional for-profit station made room for an adventurous program slot or two, but no other station allowed this throughout the day. On the local radio dial, it's still quite unique. What has changed a great deal is the availability of thousands of online radio streams, broadcast internationally from FM/AM stations and net-only sources. In this context, WCBN belongs to a respectably large category of college broadcasters and independent communty stations, most of whom now deliver their freeform noises freely via the worldwide network of intertubes. Even so, the station has specialties and long-time hosts whose on-air style and selections are not easily replaceable elsewhere, if at all. While WCBN is no longer the sole freeform choice, its own net streams give it the opportunity to cultivate a slowly growing national and international listenership, which can include the large diaspora of U-M graduates and ex-Ann Arborites. Still, for various daily situations including driving, where the internet is not yet routinely available and analog radio continues to rule, this little station remains a unique, cherished option. So it will be great when an antenna upgrade allows it to reach eastward into Detroit's arid radio desert and westward into rural hinterlands where broadband may still be limited.
rusty shackelford
Wed, Jan 5, 2011 : 4:03 p.m.
The Sunday Best rules.
arwulfarwulf
Wed, Jan 5, 2011 : 3:27 p.m.
On behalf of my colleagues at WCBN, thank you for writing and posting this article. As for A.J.'s "FM is dead...and not a very good investment", this statement (like the too often carelessly applied word "eclectic") tells us much more about the person using it than the topic being discussed. Both WCBN and WEMU go to extreme lengths to make the signals and the playlists accessible online, but the art of entering into peoples' cars, kitchens, garages, businesses, bedrooms and workplaces through Marconi's medium --irregardless of internet connectivity-- involves a special kind of magic, and I cannot help but resent what feels like an insult to so many who try so hard to sustain those wonderful wavelengths in Washtenaw County. FM is far from dead. Squandered, abused, mishandled, and clearly misunderstood, but very much alive.
rusty shackelford
Wed, Jan 5, 2011 : 1:44 p.m.
The only source for good non-classical music on the air since WDET, in an inexplicable, catastrophic move, dumped most of their DJs to switch to standard NPR sydicated talk that duplicates WUOM. (Worst. Format change. Ever.) I mean some of the jazz on WEMU is ok, but it gets a bit smooth 'n groovy for my taste.
John Roos
Wed, Jan 5, 2011 : 11:54 a.m.
One of the reasons I live in nn Arbor... WCBN
millermaple
Wed, Jan 5, 2011 : 11:16 a.m.
WCBN is the greatest & will be even better with more power!
recordhound
Wed, Jan 5, 2011 : 10:02 a.m.
What happened to the guy that was filling in for DJ Del a while back? He was great.
Ben
Wed, Jan 5, 2011 : 10:01 a.m.
Ignore radio waves at your own cost. Not everyone has or desires high speed internet access. FM doesn't have the same draw it used to, but it is certainly not dead.
yeahyouknow
Wed, Jan 5, 2011 : 9:53 a.m.
WCBN is a great radio station, I tune in whenever I'm in the car. Andy Jacobs, your posts almost always absolutely crack me up. You're right, nothing is ever good enough, why bother to do anything at all!
Cerveza
Wed, Jan 5, 2011 : 9:45 a.m.
Commercial radio is dead. Non Commercial Radio is not! I use to work on a 1000watt station. We had huge support from not just the school, but from many communities around as well. 3000watts will bring in more listeners from outside the school. This is were they will find more supporters for the station. Pod casts are not everything. Many pod cast sites are blocked at the workplace. FM is not. If you want to go the tree huger route, why not supplement at some point with wind and solar. I applaud what the station is doing to expand their listener base.
vicki honeyman
Wed, Jan 5, 2011 : 9:38 a.m.
I've been a fan of WCBN since the early 1970's and have been part of the rotating DJ staff for a number of years. We are all volunteers, though we think of our program time-slots as a job and are 100% committed to never having dead air. I'm honored to be able to do radio at the station.
David Briegel
Wed, Jan 5, 2011 : 9:28 a.m.
I hear Jerry Mack has a Blues show? Been on a while?
Soothslayer
Wed, Jan 5, 2011 : 8:34 a.m.
Just leave it at 200watts and "go green" by pushing the web/pod cast feed. FM is dead anyway so not a very good investment.