tonybreed: a blog

Thursday, July 10, 2008

So, Tony, you're leaving WLUW; what's the deal?

As I've said, I'll be leaving WLUW at the end of this month. I'm sad to leave the station, but I'm excited about my next project: the upcoming web radio station of the Chicago Independent Radio Project (CHIRP). There isn't time in my life to do both, and I'm looking forward to being one of the founding DJs of a new station.

Since last July, WLUW hasn't been the station it used to be. Being a part of WLUW wasn't just a matter of being on the air: we had a sense of mission. We were building something. When Loyola announced that they were taking back the station, everything changed overnight; the mission was gone. We were still trying to run a good station, but with the future uncertain, there was nothing to build.

Loyola didn't talk to the station volunteers for a full 9 months. Make no mistake, we were very poorly treated. Their refusal to meet spoke volumes: we were not important to them. And we were left on our own to parse and re-parse Loyola's meager press release, arguing about what it all meant. This treatment was saddest of all for the 60% of us who were Loyola students (many of whom graduated this year).

Then, after those nine months, a representative came and told us, essentially, not to worry, everything was fine, nothing was changing (aside from the station management — a change he denied Loyola had orchestrated, but that's a topic for another day).

In the meantime, a core group of WLUW volunteers, led by the former program director, had founded the Chicago Independent Radio Project, to create a new, truly independent station. I joined immediately. Initially, for me, it was a new sense of mission, and an outlet for the creative energies that were no longer needed at WLUW. Over the past year, I've seen CHIRP build into something with a good chance of success, and I'm very proud of what we've already accomplished.

Many WLUW djs decided to leave the station as of the moment Loyola took over, but I decided not to. The station was not fun anymore, but I still enjoyed my show. I've only been on air since early 2006 and I just wasn't ready to go yet.

Then CHIRP decided to start a webcast. Sure, it's a smaller audience, and it's not "real radio" yet -- but I want to be a part of it, and I want to be a part of it from square one. The choice was easy for me, and I gave notice.

I respect the decision of those who have decided to stay with WLUW and fight to keep the station great, and I wish them luck. It will not be the station it used to be; Loyola has made sure of that. However, it may still be great. Already, in the week since the official transition, Loyola has become more engaged with the station, fixing equipment problems and looking to the future (whatever that may be).

Meanwhile, if you've been one of my regular listeners, I'd like to hear from you. Leave me a comment here, or drop me a line at dj [at] tonybreed [dot] com. I'll keep you informed as CHIRP progresses.

Yer Friday morning radio pal,
Tony

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posted by Tony at 7:23 PM

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Rather than reading my blog, which is boring and never gets updated anymore, may I suggest you read my comic, which is at hitchedcomic.com

I am officially no longer a DJ at WLUW. Long story.

However, the Chicago Independent Radio Project will have a webcast soon, and I'll be a part of that. And we can still talk about music... leave me a comment if there's something on your mind.

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This blog is hosted by Blogger, but all the images, plus the rest of my personal and professional sites, is hosted by ULTRAsurge.com. They have very cheap rates available for sites like this one, that have low-bandwidth needs.

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