WSUM
Encyclopedia
WSUM is a student radio station in Madison, Wisconsin
, affiliated with the University of Wisconsin–Madison
. The station schedule consists of a wide range of music and talk programming serving the campus and Madison community.
graduate student at the university, were asked to lead the effort to bring a student radio station back to UW-Madison. The university approved the project in June, 1995. The key to the proposal was getting Dr. Hoyt and Dave Black involved to add long-term stability to the project and getting the administration to apply for the FCC license. The station began in 1997 with an internet-only broadcast. In 2001, the FCC
agreed to a radio tower to be built in the town of Montrose
in southern Dane County
. The proposal was met with contention from local citizens of Montrose, but after a lengthy legal battle, the tower was constructed and terrestrial broadcasting of WSUM began on February 22, 2002, at 2:22 PM.
Since then, WSUM has expanded to near-24/7 programming. The station currently has over 250 members.
, funk
, house music
, folk
, video game music, and community affairs.
game, select away men's basketball games, The Rose Bowl
, The Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
, Women's Hockey Frozen Four, WCHA Final Five, and The 2010 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament. The stream can be found at www.wsum.org.
. Currently, the show features WSUM Sports Director Kyle Deckelbaum, Assistant Sports Director Sam Maxwell, Badger Herald Sports Editor Mike Fiammetta, and Nathan Palm. The Student Section has featured a myriad of renowned guests, including ESPN's Scott Van Pelt, Andy Katz, and Adam Rittenberg
, as well as numerous UW coaches and student-athletes. The Student Section has traditionally aired every Tuesday from 4-6 PM. In the Fall, 2011, semester, however, the show switched to Mondays from 4-6 PM CT.
, near the UW–Madison Campus. The festival has drawn bands from around the country including The White Stripes
, Andrew WK, …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead.
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, affiliated with the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
. The station schedule consists of a wide range of music and talk programming serving the campus and Madison community.
History
The radio station began in 1952, but went off the air in 1993. It restarted when a group of volunteers, including Steven Thompson, a member of a former student radio group and now of National Public Radio, and Dean Troyer, the newly elected Student Services Finance Chair, submitted a budget and proposal to the SSFC, the Associated Students of Madison and the UW–Madison administration. Dr. James Hoyt, former chair of the UW–Madison School of Journalism, and General Manager Dave Black, a journalismJournalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
graduate student at the university, were asked to lead the effort to bring a student radio station back to UW-Madison. The university approved the project in June, 1995. The key to the proposal was getting Dr. Hoyt and Dave Black involved to add long-term stability to the project and getting the administration to apply for the FCC license. The station began in 1997 with an internet-only broadcast. In 2001, the FCC
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
agreed to a radio tower to be built in the town of Montrose
Montrose, Wisconsin
Montrose is a town in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,134 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated communities of Basco, Montrose, and Paoli are located within the town.-Geography:...
in southern Dane County
Dane County, Wisconsin
As of the census of 2000, there were 426,526 people, 173,484 households, and 100,794 families residing in the county. The population density was 355 people per square mile . There were 180,398 housing units at an average density of 150 per square mile...
. The proposal was met with contention from local citizens of Montrose, but after a lengthy legal battle, the tower was constructed and terrestrial broadcasting of WSUM began on February 22, 2002, at 2:22 PM.
Since then, WSUM has expanded to near-24/7 programming. The station currently has over 250 members.
Programming
WSUM prides itself on the wide variety of programming it provides the community. Programming on WSUM consists of a variety of music, sports and talk shows, including indie rockIndie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
, folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, video game music, and community affairs.
WSUM Sports
The award-winning WSUM Sports Department provides UW-Madison students exceptional hands-on experience in the field of sports broadcasting. WSUM Sports offers numerous sports talk shows throughout the week, all of which are entirely produced and hosted by students. In addition, WSUM provides live play-by-play coverage of Wisconsin football, men's and women's basketball, and men's and women's hockey on its online sports stream. The station also has an exclusive partnership with www.UWBadgers.com, the official website of Wisconsin athletics, to broadcast Badger softball and women's hockey games. In January 2010, the WSUM Sports Department began an exclusive partnership to provide the on-air talent for the Big Ten Network as a part of its "Student-U" initiative.Online Sports Stream
The WSUM online sports stream launched in October, 2008, with a broadcast of Wisconsin vs. Ohio State in football. Coverage has since expanded to include men's and women's basketball, men's and women's hockey, and women's softball. In October, 2009, WSUM Sports traveled to Minneapolis to broadcast its first road game: Wisconsin vs. Minnesota football. WSUM has since covered every Wisconsin football road Big TenBig Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
game, select away men's basketball games, The Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
, The Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament is held annually at the end of the men's college basketball regular season. The tournament has been played each year since 1998. The winner of the tournament is designated the Big Ten Tournament Champion, and receives the conference's automatic...
, Women's Hockey Frozen Four, WCHA Final Five, and The 2010 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament. The stream can be found at www.wsum.org.
"The Student Section"
"The Student Section" is WSUM's signature sports talk show and was named "best student talk show" by the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association in 2009 and 2011. The longest-running show on the station, it is the only program remaining from WSUM's on-air launch in 2002. The show, which primarily focuses on the Badgers, traditionally features the sports department's most active and involved members with both the station and Wisconsin Badger AthleticsWisconsin Badgers
The Wisconsin Badgers are the collegiate athletic teams from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. This NCAA Division I athletic program has teams in football, basketball, ice hockey, volleyball, soccer, cross country, tennis, swimming, wrestling, track and field, rowing, golf, and softball...
. Currently, the show features WSUM Sports Director Kyle Deckelbaum, Assistant Sports Director Sam Maxwell, Badger Herald Sports Editor Mike Fiammetta, and Nathan Palm. The Student Section has featured a myriad of renowned guests, including ESPN's Scott Van Pelt, Andy Katz, and Adam Rittenberg
Adam Rittenberg
Adam Rittenberg is a blogger and sports journalist for ESPN's college football section dedicated to the Big Ten Conference in college football. Before 2008 when he joined ESPN, he was a sports writer at Daily Herald in Illinois. Rittenberg is a graduate of Northwestern University and resides near...
, as well as numerous UW coaches and student-athletes. The Student Section has traditionally aired every Tuesday from 4-6 PM. In the Fall, 2011, semester, however, the show switched to Mondays from 4-6 PM CT.
"Red Alert"
WSUM is home to one of the most widely recognized student sports talk programs in the nation: "Red Alert." The concept for the show was developed by the award-winning current cast consisting of WSUM Sports Director Kyle Deckelbaum, Assistant Sports Director Matt De Re, Badger Herald Sports Content Editor Max Henson, Daily Cardinal Sports Editor Nico Savidge, and sports enthusiast/provider of comedic relief Robb Valentyn. The show, which aired from 4-5 PM CT on Thursdays (and currently airs 4-5 PM on Wednesdays), uses its unique style to cover a wide variety of local and national sports.Party in the Park
Each year, WSUM puts together a free music festival that is funded through donations and fundraising events. The event was originally known as Party in the Park and was held in James Madison ParkJames Madison Park
James Madison Park is a waterfront park located on Lake Mendota in Madison, Wisconsin. It is owned by the city of Madison.-Gates of Heaven Synagogue:...
, near the UW–Madison Campus. The festival has drawn bands from around the country including The White Stripes
The White Stripes
The White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...
, Andrew WK, …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead.