We’ll be updating our website to reflect the changes, so stay tuned to find out where your favorite programs (and new ones too!) have landed on the schedule.

As always, if you have questions about our programming, feel free to drop us a line. We love hearing from you!

WPRB 103.3 FM, the 14,000-watt community-supported, independent radio station located in Princeton, NJ – hey, that’s us! – is holding its second annual Membership Drive. The drive begins on October 1st, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) and runs until October 8th, 2008. The 2008 Membership Drive will feature special programming including live in-studio performances, extended DJ sets, exclusive membership premiums – not to mention a few surprises!

After the cut, more details about this year’s membership drive.

Founded in 1940, WPRB is the nation’s oldest college FM station and broadcasts to the greater New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and Delaware area, as well as millions more online through its website, WPRB.com. In 2007, WPRB’s trustees and its undergraduate student board of directors decided to shift to a member-supported operating model for the future, thereby allowing WPRB to maintain greater flexibility and control over its programming.

While WPRB is located on Princeton University’s campus, the station does not receive funding from the school. Donations pledged during this drive will support station operations – equipment maintenance, transmitter fees, merchandise, music purchases and more. Last year’s inaugural drive raised over $40,000 for WPRB’s operating budget, and demonstrated the commitment of WPRB’s listeners support for unique and varied independent radio programming.

“We came into last year’s drive with absolutely no idea how well or how poorly we would do, so it was really very exciting and encouraging when we started to see the sort of enthusiastic response that we got from people as the week went on,” said Ye “Cody” Wang, WPRB’s 2008 Development Director. “Now we’ve got a great foundation of success to build on, and we know that our listeners are 100% committed to not only keeping WPRB on the air, but also to improving and evolving our programming and presence.”

This year’s drive programming kicks off on Wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m. with DJ Jon Solomon and special live musical guests Oxford Collapse (Sub Pop Records), Jennifer O’Connor (Matador Records), Home Blitz (Gulcher) and Brown Recluse Sings (Tequila Sunrise).

WPRB’s Membership Drive will also feature:

- Friday 10/3, 7:00 p.m.: Pop Recon will feature exclusive interviews with 4AD recording artists Stereolab and Philadelphia’s Dead Milkmen (Updated 9/22).

- Monday 10/6, 7:00 p.m.: x Clean Yr Room x welcomes Secretly Canadian recording artists The War On Drugs and Gulcher recording artist Kurt Vile.

- Wednesday 10/8, 6:00 a.m.: Classical Discoveries with Marvin Rosen features extended programming and special in-studio guests.

- Wednesday 10/8, 9:00 p.m.: A special live “Grand Finale” event! Stay tuned, and be surprised!

In addition to the special drive programming, WPRB will be giving away a brand new 2008 Toyota Yaris to one lucky listener this October, courtesy of FreeYrRadio.com. The FreeYrRadio campaign, which supports independent radio stations across the country, selected WPRB as a participating station this year, and hosted a special free benefit concert for WPRB this past summer that featured Secret Machines and DJ Dave P.

WPRB operators will be standing by at (609) 258-1033 to take pledges at all hours of the broadcasting day (usually 6AM-2AM ET). Additionally, pledges can be made online with all major credit cards by logging onto:

http://pledge.wprb.com/

Exclusive membership premiums are available to pledging listeners, and can be seen online at pledge.wprb.com. This year’s premium items were designed exclusively for the drive by illustrator John Cei Douglas and DJ Maria T (host of WPRB’s “Her Jazz” and “Pop Recon”).

In addition, WPRB plans to “reissue” its classic “Headphones” design, and special premium gifts – from CD’s and LP’s to signed records, box sets, DVD’s, limited edition artwork and more – will be available to listeners who pledge with a credit card at specified hours; these gifts range in value from $5 to $200 in retail value.

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Though we have official staff recaps coming at you shortly, have a listen to interviews we taped with some of the audience at last night’s Free Yr Radio event.

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Not only did we tape interviews, we reported live from the event on WPRB! Julia from x Clean Yr Room x chatted quickly with DJ KPC at 6PM ET.

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Click here to get your ticket! »

This is a free, all-ages event! Visit FreeYrRadio.com to get your ticket to the show! You won’t want to miss this!

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What is Free Yr Radio? It’s a joint effort between Toyota and Urban Outfitters to generate awareness and support for independent radio stations they’ve partnered with. This year, WPRB was selected as a program partner, and we’re honored. They’ve graciously organized this concert, as well as a benefit compilation, to introduce this year’s selected stations to new audiences.

And for a bit of some really amazing news: Free Yr Radio has donated a brand new Toyota Yaris for this year’s Membership Drive! Between October 1st and 8th 2008, one lucky WPRB listener will actually get to win this. More details to follow very, very soon.

And now, more about who’s performing!

WPRB and Secret Machines go back quite a-ways, at least to the age of Web 1.0, before MySpace and Facebook, in those heady days when Google stock was worth just as much as Station Manager Cody’s old 1984 Toyota Corolla SR5 (exactly $0, since he gave it to the Salvation Army).

Anyway, unlike that car the Secret Machines are as valuable as ever. Texan transplants to New York City, the Secret Machines are currently on tour, and we’re thrilled they’ve decided to visit Philadelphia! Since September 000 (Ace Fu, 2002) to their last record for Reprise Records, Ten Silver Drops (2006), WPRB DJs have been charmed by the group’s early-era Flaming Lips approach to “pop [choruses] with demented twists.” In a live setting, they’re just as compelling; after their set opening up for Blonde Redhead, another DJ remarked, “They played their entire set as if it was a continuous post-rock opera.” The band plans to self-release their forthcoming next album through the World’s Fair group.

Opening up our event is local DJ and nightlife wünderkind, Dave P. Since the mid-90′s, Dave P and his crew have hosted Making Time, Philly’s premier dance party featuring live music from The Next Big Things and more. Every time we give away tickets to it on WPRB, the phone’s are ringing off the hook. So yeah, we’re really psyched to have Dave — on his birthday! — take some time out for us.

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Pow Pow: Princeton 103.3 [WPRB]. I actually saw a guy in the crowd today at the show who was wearing a Princeton 103.3 shirt. I grew up listening to that station, and it has completely warped my brain forever. Young influence.

Aw, thanks guys! Happy to have warped your brain.

As I sit here at my perch listening to Howard Jones’s “No One is to Blame” (lame, I know, but ’tis truly a good song), I’m pondering what do I do once Princeton’s basketball season is over. You’re probably asking yourself right now, “Does this schmuck have a life?” Yes, I do, but as a sportscaster, I always fear the end of a sports season. After covering a team for five months, the end of the season feels like leaving a loved one and not seeing him/her for a long time. You miss it, but you eventually learn to adapt to the changes. This year is no different than all the ones that came before it.

Fortunately for this broadcaster—and you the listening audience—there are three more contests before the curtain drops on the 2007-2008 Princeton Tiger basketball season. This Friday, March 7, the Tigers host Columbia. On Saturday, March 8, Princeton takes on Cornell at Jadwin Gymnasium. Both of those games tip off at 7:30 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, with broadcasts beginning at 7:10 P.M. at 103.3 FM and at wprb.com. The season finale will be played this coming Tuesday, March 11, at Jadwin against the Penn Quakers. The pre-game show begins on WPRB at 6:40 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time with the tip coming at 7:00.

Although basketball season is coming to an end, this sports enthusiast still has much to keep himself occupied over the next several months. Baseball season—college and professional—is now under way (cue up Mike Ditka’s rendition of “Take Me out to the Ballgame”), lacrosse season is in full swing, and—most importantly—SOFTBALL SEASON IS STARTING! Now I can don the blue shirt (or red or green, depending on the beer league) and perform my other favorite job. Other than the temperature here in Princeton, everything is in place for spring to commence.

That said, notice how italicized the words “standard” and “daylight” in the paragraph preceding the last. For those of you that may not have realized, Daylight Saving Time begins this Sunday (March 9). This has been a sticking point for me after the congressional act extending DST took effect last year. Why in the world is “Summer Time” beginning in the winter? Please Congress, throw me a bone here. Do you really think this is really going to save energy or do anything else relevant for the United States? Didn’t think so. Can we just move the beginning of DST to the first Sunday of April and its end to the last Sunday of October?

Now that I’ve gotten that off of my chest, here is the list of sports and other special broadcasts coming to WPRB in the next ten days. All games can be heard on 103.3 FM and at wprb.com.

Friday, March 7—Special Edition of No, You’re under Arrest w/ Diana (1:00 P.M. EST)

Friday, March 7—Princeton Men’s Basketball vs. Columbia (7:10 P.M. EST)

Saturday, March 8—Princeton Men’s Lacrosse vs. Virginia (11:40 A.M. EST)

Saturday, March 8—Princeton Men’s Basketball vs. Cornell (7:10 P.M. EST)

Tuesday, March 11—Princeton Men’s Basketball vs. Penn (6:40 P.M. EDT)

Friday, March 14—Princeton Men’s Ice Hockey vs. TBD (Game 1, ECAC Hockey Quarterfinals, 7:00 P.M. EDT)

Saturday, March 15—Princeton Men’s Lacrosse vs. Hofstra (2:10 P.M. EDT)

Saturday, March 15—Princeton Men’s Ice Hockey vs. TBD (Game 2, ECAC Hockey Quarterfinals, 7:00 P.M. EDT)

Sunday, March 16—Princeton Men’s Ice Hockey vs. TBD (Game 3—if necessary—ECAC Hockey Quarterfinals, 7:00 P.M. EDT)

So what have we learned this week? Sports is family, spring isn’t always warm, and Howard Jones can get you through writing a blog. Until next week, my friends, take care and don’t hurt yourselves.

And don’t forget to turn your clocks back Saturday night.

ian