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Olivia DrakeMarch 23, 20152min
With more than 20 vendors from throughout New England and the tri-state area selling new and used music in all formats, the 88.1 FM WESU community record fair has become a cherished tradition, attracting a diverse crowd of new and old record collectors. The WESU Spring 2015 Record Fair will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 28 in Beckham Hall. Browse new and used CDs, records, music-related apparel, books, WESU merchandise and more. WESU DJs will be spinning records live throughout the day to inspire your crate digging. "Each vendor will be offering their own unique mix…

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Olivia DrakeDecember 4, 20142min
Wesleyan’s non-commercial college and community radio station, 88.1FM WESU, is holding its 10th annual WESU Holiday Pledge Drive. WESU is a constant source of diverse music, provocative public affairs, and creative free-form programming that has engaged countless curious and discerning listeners for more than seven decades. The station is currently celebrating its 75th year of operation. Community support during this pledge drive supports locally produced free-form radio created by student and community volunteers. Currently, WESU operates 24 hours per day, seven days per week, and is supported by a volunteer staff of over 150 student and community volunteers, one part-time paid staffer, and…

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Olivia DrakeNovember 3, 20142min
On Nov. 2, elected city and state officials and university staff joined a large crowd of WESU volunteers and staff in Wesleyan’s Daniel Family Commons for an event commemorating the community radio station’s landmark 75th anniversary.State Representatives Matt Lesser and Joe Serra presented the WESU Board of Directors with a citation, and Middletown Mayor Daniel Drew was joined by Councilmen Grady Faulkner and David Bauer to present the station with a Proclamation from the City of Middletown. Cathy Lechowicz, director of the Center for Community Partnerships, and Ben Michael, WESU general manager, gave brief remarks about the important role WESU…

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Olivia DrakeOctober 29, 20143min
WESU Radio will host an event to commemorate the non-commercial radio station’s 75th anniversary on Nov. 2. Middletown Mayor Daniel Drew, among other dignitaries, will be in attendance to honor the station’s 75-year legacy of community service and acknowledge the radio station’s staff of more than 150 student and community volunteers. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. in Olin Library and is open to the public. There, attendees can view an exhibition titled “WESU: Celebrating 75 Years of Community Radio,” which offers an anecdotal look at one of the oldest college radio stations in the United States using photographs, documents,…

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Olivia DrakeJuly 3, 20144min
Lovers of vintage doo wop, rhythm and blues and rock ’n’ roll attended a night to remember when Wesleyan's 88.1 FM WESU Middletown presented the "WESU 75th Anniversary Doo Wop Extravaganza" on July 12. The fundraising concert, held at the Middletown High School Performing Arts Center, was a celebration of 75 years of community radio. Headlining the show was Jay Siegel’s Tokens, the legendary group that recorded the mega hit, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." They’ll be joined by The Super Girls Group, featuring original members of some of the greatest female groups of rock ’n’ roll, including:  Louise Murray of The Hearts & Jaynetts (“Lonely Nights” and “Sally…

Olivia DrakeJanuary 23, 20143min
For 75 years, 88.1 FM WESU has provided a platform for the enjoyment of underground music and under-represented genres generally absent from commercial airwaves. The year 2014 will mark WESU’s 75th Anniversary, and "we’ve got a metric boatload of events and special programming to celebrate," said DJ "Cheshire Cat" Bryan Skowera '99. "Rather than air just our selections, we want our listeners and friends to contribute to our playlist by helping us pick the songs." This month, WESU is broadcasting “75 Years of Socially Conscious Music," a program that features listener and staff suggestions that reflect both socially conscious music and WESU’s…

Gabe Rosenberg '16March 11, 20131min
For the first time, 88.1 FM WESU was elected the "Best College Radio Station" in the 2013 Hartford Advocate Readers Poll. WESU is Wesleyan’s non-commercial college and community radio station, reaching an audience of 1 million people throughout Connecticut and southern Massachusetts. The station offers a wide variation of music and free form shows, as well as a schedule of public affairs and independent and alternative news programming. On last year’s Hartford Advocate Readers Poll, WESU placed third, behind 91.7 FM WHUS, from the University of Connecticut, and 91.3 FM WWUH, from the University of Hartford. Rob DeRosa, host of…

Olivia DrakeDecember 2, 20102min
Wesleyan's non-commercial college and community radio station, 88.1FM WESU, is holding its sixth annual WESU Holiday Pledge Drive. This year’s drive continues through the end of live programming at 3 a.m. on Sunday Dec. 12. The goal for this year’s two-week drive is to raise $15,000 in listener support to sustain operating expenses throughout the coming year. Meeting this goal will keep WESU on track to raise $30,000 in community support before the end of the fiscal year in July. During its 71st anniversary year, WESU completed the 3-year project of quadrupling its broadcasting power from 1,500 to 6,000 watts (ERP). This upgrade…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 24, 20103min
[youtube width="640" height="480"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBlX-CsFVJQ&f[/youtube] After three years of engineering, implementing structural and electrical upgrades, and navigating the FCC, Wesleyan’s listener supported community radio station WESU 88.1FM, is now broadcasting at a newly assigned power of 6,000 watts of effective radiated power (ERP). “This is a major milestone for WESU since we have been broadcasting at a power of 1,500 watts for the past three decades,” explains station general manager Ben Michael. “This ‘once in a generation’ power upgrade makes our radio signal available to twice as many potential listeners in Connecticut and Massachusetts.” Michael estimates the potential listening audience of close…

Olivia DrakeDecember 17, 20092min
Wesleyan's non-commercial college and community radio station, 88.1FM WESU, calls on listeners to give the gift of WESU this holiday season during The Fifth Annual WESU Holiday Pledge Drive. The goal for this year’s drive is to raise $25,000 in listener support to sustain operating expenses throughout the coming year. As Wesleyan struggles to close a budget gap this fiscal year, WESU faces more pressure than ever to become a self- sustaining community service. To date, the station has raised $13,000. “To be able to keep pace with the revenue we in raised past years pledge drives in this tough…