WBER

WBER
Broadcast area Rochester, New York
Slogan The only station that matters
Frequency 90.5 (MHz)
First air date 1985
Format Alternative radio
ERP 2,500 watts
HAAT 127 meters
Class B1
Callsign meaning BOCES Educational Radio
Owner Monroe BOCES#1
Website wber.monroe.edu

WBER is a listener and school district supported community radio station in Rochester, New York, USA, owned and operated by the Board of Cooperative Educational Services, Monroe #1. The station was founded by BOCES in 1985. Andrew Chinnici (also known as Chris Andrews) was the first program director, a position he held until it was taken over by the current program director, Joey Guisto. The call letters are said to stand for BOCES Educational Radio, but the station was once known as WRHR which stood for Rush Henrietta Radio after the original licensee of the station (the Rush-Henrietta Central School District).

History

As WRHR, the station was a student-run club operated out of the Rush Henrietta School District. The station was granted a low power license (10 Watts) in 1975. The station operated during school hours under academic supervision, and then after school. The radio format at first was mainly structured- utilizing Top-40 radio formats and the accompanying bumpers and sounders. A handful of DJs spun what was termed "progressive" music, with longer LP cuts. School board meetings were also broadcast on a tape-delayed basis. Eventually, bands such as the B-52's and Talking Heads were aired by WRHR, exposing them to the station's listening area. The school district provided special support for students who broadcast live play-by-play basketball late into the evening from schools within the Section V conference.

In the first year of operation, The Station Manager was Brad Landon, a High School Senior that was stricken by Muscular Dystrophy, and Brad had the first show that was broadcast on the frequency. The first song played was "Beginnings" by Chicago. The first words spoken on-air were those of Mike Morgan, when during initial compressor testing he said "Is this thing working?". Morgan installed and wired much of the production equipment for the station and was the News Director the first year WRHR was on the air.

Some of the most notable announcers from the WRHR days include:

George Michel and Stan Katz, district administrators, and technical assistant Rich Bzura were instrumental in making WRHR a reality.

Partnership with Monroe BOCES

It was taken over by the Monroe BOCES #1 Technology Department renamed and upgraded to 2500 watts under the leadership of BOCES Assistant Superintendent Gerald Cummings. WBER has been serving the Rochester, NY and Western New York area since 1985, as a real life training ground for students in Monroe #1 BOCES Eastern Monroe Career Center (EMCC) Radio and Television Career & Technical Education (CTE) class as well as members of the community interested in learning about radio broadcasting. The station is listener supported, and depends on donations and underwriting to make budget. Most of the on-air staff volunteer their time to the station. A notable quality of the station during the late 1990s and early 2000s was the curious inability to play any two songs at the same volume level. Some songs were recorded with a volume adjustment halfway through the song. While it did not completely diminish the listening experience, it was part of the station's charming identifiable qualities. It also tried to automate itself overnight with less than reliable results, often leading to dead air.

WBER also originates part of its day from area school districts which currently include Fairport, Webster, West Irondequoit and Brighton.

The station tagline was changed to "Rochester's Real Modern Rock Station" in the late nineties to distinguish itself from a commercial station that attempted to tap into the same listener base. As that station's relevance faded, the original tagline "The only station that matters" returned. WBER is one of America's first full-time Alternative Music radio stations. It is also one of the first radio stations, and the first in Rochester, to offer a web stream broadcasting live radio on the Internet. DJ's currently use the identifier "Ninety-point-five FM, WBER, the only station that matters" or the legal ID, "The best in alternative music since 1985, this is the only station that matters, 90.5 FM WBER, Rochester". Other stations have since adopted the slogan "The Only Station that Matters", most notably WBAL-AM in Baltimore, Maryland, which first used it in late 2010-early 2011.

The station's playlist is largely listener decided. Periodically throughout the regular programming, a "test track" is played. Listeners are invited to phone in their opinion of the song or visit the website to vote. It is by this process that new titles are added to the regular rotation, which the Selector playlisting program is used. WBER also presents local concerts for popular artists played on the station. Due to the feedback and involvement of the listening audience, WBER has become a notable music outlet for not only the Rochester area, but the surrounding region as well. Broader exposure via the Internet has only expanded the scope of their influence.

In the late 1990s, the now-defunct Red Social Lounge located in the St. Paul quarter of Rochester once hosted "WBER Night" on Friday nights. Proceeds from the door would go to help support the station. Inside, DJs would spin popular tracks from WBER's current playlist. When Red Social Lounge closed in 2002, WBER Night came to an end.

2000–present

Over the years, funding had been obtained through donations and program underwriting. Recently, these sources of funding have not been as plentiful as in years past. On June 2, 2006, WBER conducted a massive on-air campaign to raise $20,000 to help meet budget goals through the end of the year. The fundraiser would begin early in the morning, only playing music from 1985, the year that WBER first went on the air. When $1,000 was raised, the plan was to continue on to 1986, and continue the process for every year until reaching 2005. The on-air staff expected the campaign to last days, maybe even a week. In an unexpected outpouring of donations and affection, the fundraising goal was met only 12 and a half hours after it started.

On November 7, 2008, WBER held their second fundraising event. It is the reverse of the 2006 event, the station started the event by playing music from only 2008, and backtracked one year for every $1,000 raised. The event, hosted throughout the day by Joey, Sgt. Pepper, and many other station DJ's., not only prompted listeners to donate money, but also share their personal experiences related to the station. The event raised $23,000 in a little more than 15 hours.

Notable shows

The annual end of the year countdown is a highly anticipated event. Listeners vote on their top five favorite songs from the year. One vote per person is allowed, though bands have attempted to use fake emails to vote for themselves. The top thirty songs are counted down on New Year's Day.

The Spotlight Review has been on the air since 1989 and is hosted by Bob Scheffel. It airs Mondays from 9:00 to 9:30 p.m. and features reviews of new and not so new music.

First Impressions airs Tuesdays from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m., showcasing new music sent in to WBER, even if it will never make regular rotation. It is the longest-running specialty show on WBER and spawned The Spotlight Review. On December 9, 2008, Jeff Kurzrock announced he would be wrapping up his seven-year stint as host, due to increased commitments to work and family. Danielle Raymo was named the host for 2009. In June 2009 Danielle left WBER to advance her career at WZNE - 94.1 The Zone, a commercial radio station in Rochester. Shaun "Deputy" Dulen, former assistant station manager of WBER, was named the new host going forward.

New Wave Wednesday is hosted by Jennifer V (former program director at the now defunct WMAX-Rochester) and airs Wednesdays from 7 to 9 a.m. It features New Wave music, giveaways, and occasional guests. Jennifer V has won the City Paper's "Best Radio Personality" award,[1] and has been highlighted in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.[2]

The Friday Morning Show is another hallmark of the station. Hosted at present by Sgt. Pepper and Joey Guisto, it is the station's weekly show from 6 to 9 a.m. Sadly, Lil Jess departed from the FMS and WBER in October 2007, she is missed by her FMS cohosts and the WBER listeners. There are giveaways and the "Prospect Song of the Week" is introduced. The FMS is marked by frequent visits from listeners, DJs, and many others, including musicians, ghost hunters, and local celebrities.

Sloan Kristy was the host of the WBER Local Show starting in 2005, on Sundays from 8:00 to 11:00 p.m. The Local Show features the best and brightest stars from the local music scene in Rochester and the nearby regions of Buffalo and Syracuse. The Local Show has been on-air since 2001, and is now the longest-running Regional music show in Rochester. Sloan Kristy has been featured in many articles in City Newspaper and The Insider (both free weekly alternative publications) regarding the local music scene in Rochester. Most notably, she was named Radio Host of the Year for 2008 in The Insider. The show had a run time of 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. until 2008, when the show was expanded to three hours. The tag-line of the Local Show is "Support Your Scene!" On July 20, 2009, Sloan Kristy announced she would be stepping down from her duties as host after four years, due to the demand on her time related to other projects. Sloan Kristy hosted her last Local Show on August 2, and the last song she played was "Striking Out" by Delta Force 23. During the Annual New Year's Day Countdown on January 1, 2010, Joey announced that Warbux would be the new host of the Local Show starting in early February 2010.

Elektrobank is the newest specialty show on WBER, named after The Chemical Brothers song of the same name. The show was created by both Alex and Courtney and started in November 2007. Courtney was the show's first host but left soon after due to her academic constraints. Alex took over in January 2008. Elektrobank features electronic music of all subgenres—house, techno, drum and bass and more, and includes music form sister genres such as hip-hop, and live dance music that is heavily influenced by electronic music. Elektrobank also features local electronic acts, making it an arena for local artists in addition to the Local Show.

The Indie Show, which showcased the work of independent artists and labels, was brought to an end in March 2007 by its creator, Joey. Citing that indie labels have largely been gobbled up by the larger labels, it was getting harder and harder to program something called "The Indie Show". The last song played on The Indie Show was a selection from the Red House Painters.

Rant was another former specialty show and was hosted by Chris Andrews and Dr. Damien, who had previously hosted the station's morning show ("Dr. Damien's Morning Physical") for several years. Rant was WBER's first call-in radio show and was made possible after the station purchased its first digital delay, which was utilized primarily to prevent listener profanity, often inspired by Andrews' programming choices or Damien's whimsical skewering of listener opinions. The premise of the show was that listeners could have a weekly forum to discuss any topic that made them angry, whether related to the station or not. This often led to a discussion of serious social issues, as well as station policies. It was cancelled after the departure of Chris Andrews and Damien's decision that to continue the show without Andrews would be of limited comedic value.

References

  1. ↑ "BEST OF ROCHESTER '09: Readers' Choice". Rochester City Newspaper. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  2. ↑ Wallace, Daniel (June 28, 2008). "'Jennifer V' thrives with people skills and passion". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

Coordinates: 43°01′59″N 77°25′08″W / 43.033°N 77.419°W / 43.033; -77.419

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