The WPRB Membership Drive begins today! The full schedule for our special week of programming will be:

Sunday 10/9

7pm – 10pm                        John Weingart

10pm – 2am                       Mister Various

Monday 10/10

6am – 9am                        Classical with Toby

9am- 11am                         Classical with Sara

11am – 1pm                       Jazz with Dan Buskirk

1pm – 3pm                        Yo Gabbie Gabbie

3pm – 5pm                        Scullination with Eli

5pm – 6pm                       Timeout with WPRB Sports

6pm – 6.30pm                WPRB News

6.30pm – 7pm                The Week In Review

7pm – 9pm                       DJ Rev MC

9pm – 11pm                     Rock with Aaron

11pm – 1am                      Metal Mania

1am – 3am                        DJ Carnie

Tuesday 10/11

6am-9am                         Classical with Michael

9am – 11am                     Classical with Bob

11am – 1pm                      The Outerspace Employment Agency

1pm – 4pm                       Rockabilly Roadhouse

4pm – 8pm                      Motorfunker

8pm – 10pm                    Not Truth, But Effect with KPC

10pm – 12am                  Transitional Soundscapes

12am – 3am                     Extremities

Wednesday 10/12

6am – 11am                        Classical Discoveries

11am – 1pm                        Classical Discoveries Goes Avant Garde

1pm – 3pm                         The Clothesline with Wilbo

3pm – 5pm                        The Front Porch with Molly and Adoley

5pm – 7pm                        The Death of Tango with Pablo

7pm – 10pm                      Rock with Jon Solomon

10pm – 12am                    J.T.

12am – 2am                      The Sprawl with Mickey Kane

Thursday 10/13

6am – 11am                        Towe on Thrsday

11am – 1pm                        Blues, Bop and Beyond with Will Constantine

1pm – 3pm                         Teenage Lust with Colin

3pm – 5pm                        Majestic Jams with Gabe & LP

5pm – 7pm                        Doubleplusgood with Lizbot

7pm – 9pm                        Clean Yr Room with Art and Julia

9pm – 11pm                      Best of the UK with Scott

11pm – 1am                       Peacock Dreams with Lance Loud

Friday 10/14

6am – 9am                         Classical with Kate

9am – 11am                       Classical with Nathan

11am – 2pm                       Serenade to a Cuckoo with Jerry Gordon

2pm – 5pm                        Pop Rocks with Louisa

5pm – 8pm                       The James & Andy Show

8pm – 9pm                       State of the Station

9pm – 10pm                     Lauren & Dixon

10pm – 12am                  Slot Time with Surgeon General

12am – 3am                     Music with Space with Mike Hunter

Saturday 10/15

6am – 7am                        Classical with James

7am – 9am                        Classical with Gabe

9am – 11am                       Sangeet

11am – 12pm                    The world’s Fare with Pangaeo

12pm – 4pm                     FOOTBALL – Live Coverage Princeton vs. Brown

4pm – 6pm                       All Ages Show with Paddy

6pm – 8pm                       Recherché with Readie Righteous

8pm – 10pm                     DJ Shane FM

10pm – 12pm                   Old School Rock and Roll with Kurt

12pm – 2am                     Between the Lines with Sitesh

Sunday 10/16

6am – 10am                      Sunday Morning Opera with Sandy

10am – 1pm                      Sunday Jazz with Jeannie

1pm – 3pm                        Musical Odyssey with Bonnie and Xander

3pm – 5pm                       Jamrock Radio with Selecta Bam Bam

5pm – 7pm                       Side-B Radio with Phil Jackson

To make a donation, either call us during a show at 609-258-1033 or go to pledge.wprb.com

A former classical director, Sara Shukla, sent me a link to a great piece in the NYT earlier this evening (click!) that kind of prompted some renewed thinking on the topic.  It’s true that people don’t listen to the radio as much these days, but you could also say that it’s true that people don’t listen to music in the same way any more either.  The much-heralded “death of the music industry” has failed to really impact the success of most radio stations, especially many free-form stations like WRVU and WPRB, because these stations provide things you just can’t find on the internet or on satellite radio or what have you.  On stations like WRVU and WPRB, you have engaging and thoughtful DJs who know a heck of a lot about music putting together sets of music for your listening enjoyment and often commenting on them in enlightening ways.  Whether you agree with a certain DJ or not, it’s hard as a music listener to not see the value in this.  Independent radio also has an endearing unpolished nature to it, making otherwise obscure music accessible and relatable and interesting to those who might not have found it interesting in the first place.  The benefits for station staff are also immeasurable.  Speaking as a student, I believe I’ve learned more through working at WPRB than in any combination of classes I’ve taken in school, and I think that anyone who has ever worked in college radio would agree to at least some degree.

Lest you worry, WPRB is not in any danger of being sold.  In fact, WPRB is and will continue to be a thriving, musically and newsically and sportsically diverse organization for years to come.  Thanks to our community-supported model, we exist due to the generosity of our listeners and so are not beholden to any organization that might seek to squash us without our input.  Like all independent stations, however, WPRB is doing its best to remain relevant in the digital age, and we’re making plans to expand online offerings in the future (which could include more online accessibility to broadcast material and special online-only content).  We love to hear support and suggestions from our listeners, so if you’ve got any cool ideas, comment on this post and we’ll take them under consideration.  Whether it’s organizing and executing a supercharged membership drive to maintaining balance in the schedule between familiar shows and new voices to fixing the website when it’s broken, there’s always issues to hammer out at WPRB, but thanks to our listeners, I think we’re producing better radio than ever.

I personally hope WRVU is able to find the silver lining really soon.  In a year that has seen the sale of WRVU, KUSF, and KTRU, independent broadcasters need to ensure that they stay relevant and connected to their listener bases.  As for these new online stations, I think that if WRVU’s DJs are able to continue to produce a great product while finding ways to engage listeners even from an online stream, they can remain a vital part of Nashville’s music scene and the broadcast landscape as a whole.  Perhaps moving to a more community-supported format would do them good; perhaps, at this point, it’s better to make lemonade from their lemons.  In any case, please remember how important our listeners and supporters and DJs and staff (who are all volunteers) are to us at WPRB, and we could literally not exist without your support.  You can make sure that we keep running strong by donating now or in October during our drive, or by purchasing WPRB merch through our new online store, or by calling in during your favorite radio show to chat with the DJs, or by just tuning in every once in a while.  With your support, we can remain weird and wacky and wonderful well into the future.

Follow the WRVU saga here and here.

Become a contributing blogger for WPRB’s summer blog!

WPRB is looking for witty, compelling, and enthusiastic writers who share our obsession with music. Assignments are very flexible but will include reviewing shows, cds, covering anything and everything going on in the area, etc. Writers will generate weekly posts ~200-300 words and have the opportunity to intern part time at the station.

Submit CVs/work experience to louisa@wprb.com under the subject heading BLOG FOR WPRB.  If selected, we will contact you for an interview.

Celebrate WPRB’s Fourth Annual Membership Drive this Friday October 15th with two special events!

This Friday, WPRB Presents: Blonde Redhead with Pantha Du Prince and Blood Feathers at The Electric Factory in Philadelphia, PA! Come out to listen to great music, meet WPRB DJ’s, and get exclusive membership drive merchandise. Tickets are only $15 at the door, but they are selling quickly, so be sure to buy them in advance for your chance to chat with some WPRB DJ’s.

This Friday October 15th, Hot Rod Scott and The Professor of Rockabilly Roadhouse are hosting a Benefit for WPRB at Jack’s Twin Bar in Gloucester City, NJ! This event features performances by the Speedwells and Full Blown Cherry, exclusive Rockabilly karaoke, and prizes at the door. All proceeds from this event funds WPRB’s diverse programming, so be sure to come out to support your favorite radio station.

Remember, to pledge click here or dial (609) 258 1033 to speak with a WPRB Representative during all hours of the broadcast day!

You can view our premium gude detailing all of our different pledge levels and exclusive WPRB items by clicking here. Special premium gifts given by record labels, distribution companies, and artists are available to listeners who pledge at certain hours, so be sure to tune in during your favorite show to get these specialty items. Remember, donations pledged during this drive will be directed towards station operations, so be sure to tune in and support WPRB!

The 4th Annual WPRB Membership Drive has kicked off! Tune in now for specialized programming and premium giveaways!

This year, WPRB has exciting t-shirt designs by artists Jared Shaffer, Bill Hewitt, and Kelsey Bohlinger. On top of this, we’re offering exclusive premiums, like a luncheon with our station manager and the opportunity to co-host a a show with your favorite DJ! Remember, to pledge click here or dial (609) 258 1033 to speak with a WPRB Representative during all hours of the broadcast day!

You can view our premium gude detailing all of our different pledge levels and exclusive WPRB items by clicking here. Special premium gifts given by record labels, distribution companies, and artists are available to listeners who pledge at certain hours, so be sure to tune in during your favorite show to get these specialty items. Remember, donations pledged during this drive will be directed towards station operations, so be sure to tune in and support WPRB!

WPRB’s Fourth Annual Membership Drive begins this Sunday, October 10th at 7 PM with John Weingart’s Music You Can’t Hear On the Radio! Listeners will enjoy a week full of exclusive programming for the drive.

WPRB operators will be standing by to take pledges during all hours of the broadcast day! Listeners can also pledge with all major credit cards or by PayPal by logging onto pledge.wprb.com. Special premium gifts given by record labels, distribution companies, and artists are available to listeners who pledge at certain hours, so be sure to tune in during your favorite show to get these specialty items. Remember, donations pledged during this drive will be directed towards station operations, so be sure to tune in and support WPRB!

Come out to support WPRB, support DJ’s, and get free WPRB merchandise.

This event is 21+, doors open at 8 PM and the show begins at 9! Be sure to get there early to meet DJ’s! Buy tickets in advance here.

We accept the following payment options:

• Major credit cards: We accept American Express, Visa, Mastercard, and Discover.
• Secure payments throught PayPal.
• Checks of all kinds.

Help support WPRB year ’round and make it easy on your wallet — sign up for recurring billing!

WPRB’s recurring billing system breaks up your payments into 12 installments. Ask your lovely WPRB telephone operator to set this up for you, or select “Choose your own amount” and “Recurring billing” from the online donation page:

click to enlarge

Call (609) 258-1033 to make a donation! You’ll be connected to a WPRB volunteer eager to take your call and walk you through the process. Or spare yourself the phone call a use our secure Membership Drive portal to donate from wherever you are!

Matching gifts always look good on WPRB!

If your company offers them, please let us know! Tell your phone operator or make sure to list your employer’s name in the “Checkout” section.

If you have any other questions regarding payments, please post a comment below and we’ll answer it for you!

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10/14/09 06:00:00 – 13:00:00
Classical Discoveries Marathon with Marvin Rosen (Classical/Modern)

Contemporary classical music by composers from all over the globe! Marvin will be joined in the studio by the following guests:

09:30 AM Derek Bermel: Composer and artist-in-residence at Princeton University’s Institute for Advanced Study.

11:30 AM Andrew Rudin: Composer of the first large scale, original serious composition for the Moog synthesizer.

There will be many one-of-a-kind surprise CD premiums for Classical Discoveries/Avant Garde listeners personally donated by Marvin.

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10/14/09 13:00:00 – 13:30:00
In-studio performance by Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls are “glorious free forest drone magic,” writes the music blog Forest Gospel. This Philadelphia-based pysch rock quarted explores the boundaries between ambience and noise through their thrilling improvisational performances.

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10/14/09 13:30:00 – 15:00:00
Loud Lunch with Lance Loud (Rock)

Tune in, turn on, and get down this October 14th for this year’s most mindblowing, face melting, psychedelic super-spectacular – the Loud Lunch membership drive special! We’ll be returning to the airwaves with two more hours of the latest and greatest in psychedelic extravagence, eclectic weirdness and good music!

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10/14/09 15:30:00 – 20:00:00
The Rhythm of the One with Matt (R&B/Funk)

The best 103 funk songs you probably never heard of plus lots of great funk CD premiums!

Matt is personally matching the first ten $10-per-month pledges with a $100 contribution of his own. If WPRB receives ten of these pledges, Matt will contribute an additional $33, bringing his pledge up to a total of $1,033.

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10/14/09 20:00:00 – XXXX
WPRB Membership Drive Grand Finale!

Join the WPRB family as we run through the highlights of our drive. Expect surprises!