MIDDLETOWN - It was 1972, and Francesco Liseo and two of his friends were climbing out the bathroom window in a desperate attempt to avoid arrest. They made it, but the remaining two teens were not so lucky.
In those days in Sicily, there were only three radio stations, all run by the government, that were legal. It was hard, Liseo says, to get a license from the Italian government in order to have a radio station.
But he and his friends, having heard that a lot of towns broadcasted illegally, decided to give it a shot. Their station, which they broadcast four hours a day after school, played music, gave the local news, and had guests ("they were regular people") who gave advice, making jokes along the way, to people who called in with problems. "We didn't have too many listeners," says Liseo, "and we knew we'd go to jail if we got caught, but it was a good way to start."
When the government found out about them through word of mouth, they were shut down. But not before the young man realized that this was what he wanted to do with his life.
The year 1975 found him in the United States (he came because he had family here), broadcasting for one hour on Sundays at a radio station out of West Hartford. (He worked at a factory during the week.) He brought his homeland with him, playing Italian music and putting on the air the recorded phone calls of his sister, who was still in Sicily, reading him the newspaper from their native land.
When he returned to Italy in 1979, he found he no longer had to climb out of bathroom windows in order to follow his passion, as it was now easy to get a broadcasting license in Italy. He had a night show for one and a half years, and then, in a quest for more money, did odd jobs in Germany, Holland, England and France. In 1981, he moved back to Sicily, and met his future wife, Debra, who was living there at the time.
They moved to Debra's hometown, Middletown, after the birth of their daughter, as they felt it was too expensive to raise a child in Italy. After working in a factory for five years, Liseo went on disability for polio. "But my head went back to broadcasting," he says.
His love of radio took him to a volunteer position at a television station in Hartford that featured a Second Audio Program (people can listen to the radio while watching television). Again he played Italian music and played tapes of his sister reading the news from Italy to him.
A chance meeting one day with Nick Harding, a student of Wesleyan University and the president of its radio station, WESU 88.1-FM (a non-profit free form of radio run by volunteers), led him to a spot at the station from 3 to 5 a.m., Monday through Friday. "I did this for a year," he says. "Debra was annoyed that I was doing this for free at that hour. I would wake her up when I got up at 2:30 in the morning. She'd say, 'If it was for money, I wouldn't mind.' But I didn't care because I love it. It's my life."
Eventually, he got to sleep a little later, when he got spots from 5 to 7 a.m. and 6 to 8 a.m. Once again, he brought news from Italy via his sister. And he would translate tidbits of information about Italy that he got from CNN, or the Internet, or his Italian television channel, or from The Middletown Press. (He has only spoken Italian on his shows.) "I would bring to the show whatever I heard from Italy. I know everything that happens there."
The morning shows that he loved so dearly, and which he did from 1994 until 2004, came to an end when they were replaced by National Public Radio, a satellite program located in Washington, D.C. From 5 a.m. to noon on WESU, there are no disc jockeys, and so Liseo now has a show on Saturdays, from 1 to 3 in the afternoon.
"I miss the morning show," he says. "It's different from other shows. You know you have people listening. They're getting ready for work, they're driving to work. In the afternoon, they're busy."
His show, "Avanti Tutta" (which means "full steam ahead" in Italian), has a somewhat different format.
He no longer does the news. "In the afternoon, everybody already knows what's happened." He says he's more of a disc jockey now, with more music than talk. He plays Italian music, throws out jokes between songs, and does public service announcements.
He is also a DJ on the side for the Italian community, playing Italian and American music.
Frank Milardo, a friend and listener, appreciates what Liseo brings to the Italian community. "He's the only one who has such a program. The Italian community can't hear this anywhere else - Italian music from the '70s, '80s, '90s, and today. And you've got to appreciate the time and dedication he puts in."
Milardo doesn't have to worry about Liseo going anywhere. "I'll drop the radio when I die. If I can walk and I can talk, I'll be there," says the broadcaster. "When I'm on the microphone, I feel like I'm doing something good for the whole Italian community."
For information, see www.wesufm.org or e-mail programguide@wesufm.org.

Every afternoon in the WESU office, Jess Jones '08 and Mu Abeledo '09 coax ideas from spunky Middletown kids. The children gain hands-on experience with radio broadcasting, learning how to produce and record their own WESU show.

Approximately 15 children, most of whom are residents of the Traverse Square housing complex, congregate here to participate in Middletown Youth Radio Project (MYRP), a community partnership Abeledo and Jones founded this past spring. Their broadcast premieres today.

"These kids have a great perspective of life that they can share on the radio," Jones said.

According to Jones, the voices of the youth population are often filtered through adult media. Hoping to establish a space in which the youth of Traverse Square can safely express themselves and feel ownership and pride in their creation, Jones and Abeledo set up MYRP to offer kids an autonomous voice in the media.

On Tuesday afternoon, the two met with Ayanna and Clayton, two sixth graders from Traverse Square, at the radio station headquarters.

Ayanna, a ten-year-old who has been involved with MYRP since its inception, intends to use the youth radio program to build her career in singing and rapping. She points to Oprah, who rose to fame through radio.

"If you wanna be like me, you gotta have high professional experience," she said.

In a song that she recorded with four of her friends, Ayanna raps, "You know this is simple / Some people got pimples / I got a little dimple / Don't laugh in my face / I'll put you up in space."

Ayanna deftly maneuvered the controls at the sound panel during her scheduled time at the studio, with Jones and Abeledo close by to encourage her and offer help and support.

"It's all about the process," Abeledo said.

Abeledo hopes to impart a sense of responsibility, efficiency, and skills in radio production to all the kids involved. They are all held to a high standard, and must pass a DJ/Producer test in order to operate the soundboards on air.

Clayton, an eleven-year-old boy, also joined MYRP with a mission. Clayton dreams of being an author in the future, and during his time at MYRP has crafted a story about a boy possessing a mind-reading helmet. He explained his writing process: "I said it out loud, and Mu wrote it down."

Abeledo and Jones' idea for MYRP transpired one day after their WESU Latin American music radio program, Musica Pa' Gozar.

"I was interested in media as a form of education and self-confidence building," Abeledo said.

Abeledo and Jones began their efforts to organize in the spring, distributing fliers throughout Traverse Square and informing Wesleyan's neighbors of their vision. They organized a brainstorming session, in which they realized that working with a large group of energenic kids, mostly between the ages of ten and thirteen, could sometimes present management challenges.

With high levels of curiosit and enthusiasm, the group worked with Abeledo and Jones to create a public service announcement. The PSA informed the local community about the importance of traffic safety, warning drivers about the dangers of indiscretion and fast speeds. The three boys narrating the announcement tell the story of a friend who was struck by a car. This PSA aired all summer on WESU.

Abeledo and Jones returned to campus early, on Aug. 20, to work on MYRP. The first-ever broadcast occurs today at 6:30 p.m. (on 88.1 WESU), and will continue throughout the semester.

Copyright 2004-2007, The Wesleyan Argus. All Rights Reserved.
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Some may think it strange airing such a program on a university radio station, but General Manager Ben Michael sees nothing odd about it.

"To me, adding a program like Jeff's is in line with a lot of our other goals," Michael says. "Sure, we're a nonprofit, noncommercial, community station. It may be a dying thing in this world, but we try to provide services to the community - whether it's music, or a spotlight on community issues or cool business technologies - and we're doing it with a lineup of locally produced talk shows."

Last Friday, Sherman engaged guest Tom Avitabile in an hour-long conversation that was more Charlie Rose than "Wall Street Week."

Avitabile, creative director for a Madison Avenue ad agency, writes music, plays drums in a jazz group, directs videos and is a master of the anecdote. He and Sherman met at a party, which led to his invitation to appear on the show. During his hour on air, he entertained listeners with stories about a computer he made when he was 14, his internship at NBC-TV and tracks from a CD he recorded with his band, "The Howling Thurstons."

Even though his is a business show, Sherman, 48, says whenever possible he spotlights the human side. Sherman is adept at conversational segues and laces his show with questions such as, "How did you feel when ... ?" and "What did you think about that?" or "Tell me about some of your fears, as well as your successes."

"I always wanted to host my own show," Sherman said. "I listened to a lot of talk radio and thought I could ask better questions than some of the hosts."
It took him a few concept meetings with Michael and grunt jobs at the station before he earned his time slot in May. Sherman contacted Michael last summer about doing a business program and took a training program before guest-hosting a couple of shows.

Sherman came up with the name "Business Buzz."

"It's short, memorable and descriptive," he says.

A Wesleyan grad with an MBA from Temple University, Sherman was a corporate executive before the tech bubble burst. After that, he taught business at Farmington High School. Currently a marketing consultant, he teaches economics at Southern Connecticut State University and the University of Bridgeport.

Though he isn't paid - only Michael draws a salary at WESU - Sherman insists that being on the air, meeting and talking to interesting guests is payment enough.

Among upcoming guests are the owner of a Connecticut biofuel company and entrepreneurs Sherman has met through the Connecticut Venture Group - start-up companies seeking venture capital. One guest he looks forward to interviewing has come up with a unique design for a car oil filter.
"It may sound boring, but he claims you can go 25,000 miles between oil changes," Sherman says. "It's also environmentally sound."

By Tuesday, Sherman has lined up his Friday guest. He has a pool of business people waiting to come on his show, he says. Though Sherman has only been on air for a month, "Business Buzz" has already garnered positive e-mails and phone calls.

Tomorrow's guest will be an online, do-it-yourself retailer. Sherman wouldn't reveal the person's name, but says it's someone in Connecticut "breaking the paradigm of Home Depot - not just selling for low cost but for high end, and also having a design element on their Web site."
Sherman vows listeners will never hear him rattling off stock quotes, shilling for products or offering infomercials. And he recruits guests who will banter with him and won't bore listeners with business or technical jargon. He expects future guests to be as lively as Avitabile.

If he can keep it up, Sherman's next step may be a call-in show, either on WESU or AM radio.

"I'm genuinely excited to be here," he says, "but when I feel I'm good enough, I'd like a shot on commercial radio."

Native radio/Web program launched
Posted: February 19, 2007
by: Gale Courey Toensing / Indian Country Today http://www.indiancountry.com

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. - A new weekly radio program and Web cast, called ''Indigenous Politics: From Native New England and Beyond,'' was launched Feb. 5 from Connecticut's Wesleyan University.

J. Kehaulani Kauanui, a Native Hawaiian and assistant professor of anthropology and American Studies at the university, is the producer and host of the program.

The program will air on Mondays [NOTE TO READERS: this program now airs on Tuesdays at 4pm EDT] from on the university radio station at WESU 88.1 FM, with live streaming on the station's Web site at www.wesufm.org. WESU's transmitter covers two-thirds of the state of Connecticut and reaches as far north as Springfield, Mass., and south to Long Island, N.Y. - a potential listening audience of several million people. WESU recently became an affiliate of Pacifica Radio, with a potential audience of millions more.

''Indigenous Politics'' features interviews with political leaders, community activists and cultural authorities, as well as scholars whose work addresses indigenous politics.

Kaunui's first show featured a long, in-depth interview with Suzan Shown Harjo, Cheyenne/Hodulgee Muscogee and a poet, writer, Indian Country Today columnist, lecturer, curator and policy advocate who has helped Native peoples recover more than 1 million acres of land and numerous sacred places as the president and executive director of the Morning Star Institute, a national Native rights organization.

Harjo discussed a number of important current issues, including the needed reauthorization of the Health Care Improvement Act, lawsuits that would prohibit the Washington football team and others from profiting from the use of ''Indian'' symbols, and ongoing efforts to protect cultural and sacred places.

Alyssa Mt. Pleasant, Tuscarora and assistant professor of American Studies and history at Yale University, hailed the program as a new arena for American Native stories and analysis.

''Kauanui's radio show brings important American Indian and indigenous voices to Connecticut's airways, providing crucial commentary rooted in the scholarly research and activism of Native people and their allies. This couldn't be more timely,'' Mt. Pleasant said.

Kauanui said her approach would not be journalistic in the sense of representing all different viewpoints, but rather would focus on an in-depth interview with one person and reporting from an indigenous perspective.

''There are other places that represent all points of view, and I don't think this program has to do that right now. I really want to privilege the voices of Native New England. The show is also Native New England and beyond but, first and foremost, I think we need to educate local listeners of the struggle going on right here,'' Kauanui said.

A scholar who self-describes as technologically challenged, Kauanui was tapped for the radio program by Ken Weiner, the station's public affairs director.

She took a six-week training course along with the students and other DJs, who are all community volunteers, and did two internships and community service hours before taking a practical and written exam.

On Jan. 17, Kauanui did a live music show to mark the 113th anniversary of the U.S.-backed overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy.

''All the music I played affirmed Hawaiian sovereignty, so I've really had a good time,'' she said.

Kauanui said she is motivated by several key issues affecting nations across the country, most notably the fact that many tribes do not have ''basic'' federal recognition.

''Historically, recognition differed between state-recognized tribes from the original 13 colonies and the 'treaty tribes' in the Western states. More recently, the backlash against casino development has been instrumental in the opposition to federal recognition. The conflation of federal recognition with the specter of Indian casinos indicates that most nontribal residents in these states refuse to uncouple questions of tribal economic development - a question of a nation's political economy - and the social justice issue of honoring the U.S. trust doctrine,'' Kauanui said.

The 21st century's ''most notorious cases'' involve two Connecticut tribes - the Eastern Pequot and Schaghticoke tribal nations, Kauanui said.

'''Citizens' rights' groups have bolstered the backlash in Connecticut by state officials, which now implicates the federal process for tribes across the entire U.S. Beyond Connecticut and New England, over 20 state attorney generals across the USA are filing briefs to cut back tribal jurisdiction by arguing that portions of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 are unconstitutional. This new movement is being lead by attorney generals Larry Long of South Dakota and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. In the case of Connecticut, this new role marks a 180-degree turn. Just over 20 years ago, Connecticut played a major part in pressuring Congress to federally recognize the Mashantucket Pequots because the state was set to benefit financially,'' Kauanui said.

Future show will be aired with help from students Kalia Lydgate, Raffi Stern and Amelia Dean Walker. All are volunteers.

Kauanui has lined up several interesting programs. Confirmed guests include Richard Velky, chief of the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation; Brian Wescott, Koyokon Athabascan and Yup'ik, actor and film producer currently working on a docudrama called ''We Are Still Here'' about the life and time of Cahuilla elder Katherine Siva Saubel; and Randolph Lewis, associate professor of American Studies at the University of Oklahoma and author of ''Alanis Obomsawin: The Vision of a Native Filmmaker.''

Future program topics will include Hawaiians and the politics of federal recognition; Native feminisms; same-sex marriage bans in Indian country; indigenous environmental issues; U.S. militarism and indigenous peoples' service; domestic violence and restorative justice; indigenous language revitalization; sports teams and Indian mascots; the U.S. presidential election and American Indian voters; indigenous peoples and the prison industrial complex; contemporary land rights; Indian gaming and the politics of casinos; and indigenous

youth movements.

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Homeless man gives weekly perspective for college radio show

By Annie Tasker, Hartford Courant | July 27, 2006

By ANNIE TASKER, Courant Staff Writer
MIDDLETOWN -- In his 30 years of being homeless, Fred Carroll has found some creative places to rest his head: the back room of a bowling alley or a 7-Eleven, the balcony of a luxury suite at a hotel where he was doing construction work.

But these days, for one hour a week, his home is on the airwaves of Wesleyan University's WESU FM 88.1 as host of "The Homeless Report."

"I can't hold a thought or string three things together well enough to do anything, but I can sit down and talk," said Carroll, 52. "So I figure, that's my contribution."

Middletown Councilman and talk show host David Bauer says Carroll does more than that for the community. After finding Carroll playing chess with a Wesleyan student in a local coffee shop, Bauer brought him onto his Friday afternoon show, "The Bauer Hour," a year and a half ago.

Though they no longer work together, Bauer still thinks Carroll's observations do a service to Middletown not only by giving a voice to the homeless, but by giving listeners a new perspective on where they live.

"Through his eyes and words, people can see their town in a whole different way," Bauer said.

From 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Sundays, Carroll delivers stream-of-consciousness commentary and guest interviews on homelessness and other issues in Middletown. The topics range from the sculptures on Main Street (Carroll hates them) to panhandling (he's morally opposed). His guests have included Green Party gubernatorial candidate Cliff Thornton, and a man who, until recently, lived in a tent on the street.

"There's got to be a homeless theme," he said. "Like, I'll talk about the war, but from a homeless perspective, because that was my deal."

On a recent show, Carroll veers from panhandling to circus animals to, inevitably, the necessity of money itself.

"Money isn't everything, but it's good when you're hungry," he said to Bob, the man who lived in a tent and who is now becoming a regular on the show.

He goes on to explain his stance on the psychology of panhandlers: Either you've got it or you don't, he said - "it" being an emotional capacity for approaching strangers and asking them for money. He compares panhandlers to mimes, "workin' it with the face, with a hat or something."

Carroll doesn't panhandle - and advises people not to give money to those who do. "When you give a panhandler a dollar, God only knows what has happened on a karmic level," he tells his audience. "You may not have done him a favor, but you don't know that."

The Homeless Report started as a 2 a.m. spot in February, and was moved to its current time after getting good feedback from Wesleyan University listeners. Carroll's first thought when he got moved to a Sunday afternoon slot this summer was that he was in over his head.

"I did a great goofball show at 2 in the morning," he said. "I had fun. But what I realize is I'm not really qualified."

Carroll said he's homeless because he's bad at saving money. Moving with his mother to Connecticut from Woodhaven, Queens, in 1974 after his parents' divorce, he said, started him on his path to homelessness.

"I started getting sloppy and indigent right away," he said. The working world, with its insistence on paperwork and forms of identification, never felt right to him.

"Most people who are sober and reasonable and intelligent have never really played the fool," said Carroll. "I think my deal is, I never lost it, but I've been an idiot. I can talk about it with a certain authority, this homeless thing."

Think about a daily routine after work, and how different a daily routine can be for the homeless, Bauer said. When you're living indoors, you come home, change your clothes and use the bathroom. If you're homeless, doing the same basic things in public is against the law.

"To be homeless is to be illegal in just about everything you do," Bauer said. "In some very difficult ways, being homeless is a full-time job. The show gives people a window in on a life like that."

Carroll, in fact, isn't homeless these days - and it's making him nervous.

For the past few months, he has been living with Anne-Marie, the hot dog lady on Court Street, in exchange for helping around the house and walking her brother's dog. If his experience has taught him one thing, it's that, when you're living under someone else's roof, you're two words away from being back on the street: "Get out."

So, even though he has a house key and a cellphone from Anne-Marie that rings "Flight of the Bumblebee," Carroll is waiting for the other shoe to drop.

It's that mind-set that makes him predict he will die alone, huddled in a bus stop, trying to stay out of the cold.

Until then, he will be Middletown's voice for the homeless - if for no other reason than that he's the only one in the running for the title.

"Most people want the homeless to be invisible," Bauer said. "That he's out there taking a fresh whack at it every week - it's uncharted territory."

Contact Annie Tasker at atasker@courant.com

Contributing writer
MIDDLETOWN PRESS

This city has a lot to offer, and has added something to the roster: provocative nightlife.
Recently, Vinnie's Jump & Jive presented Struttin,' a dance and music extravaganza.
"I think Struttin' will be edgy; we want it to have a club feel," said Mary Farnsworth, art director, manager and swing dance teacher at Vinnie's, the non-profit community dance hall at 424 Main Main Street. "We want people to come out, dance and just boogie," she added.
WESU, Wesleyan University's radio station, sponsored the event which was rung in and rocked out by WESU DJ Lord Lewis the Velvet Knight. Lewis, aka Jason Villani, spun with fellow DJ and oftentimes event partner Sir Round Sound, a DJ for WHUS 91.7, the University of Connecticut's radio station.
The two bill themselves as Rumpus Room Sound System, and both are young men, but their taste in music is ageless, and so are their collections. Villani's massive melange of underground and rare tunes form the basis of what he plays and listens to on and off the radio and certainly what he spins at Struttin.'
To listen to some of the tracks Villani lays down at Struttin,' tune in on Monday nights from 6:30-8:30 p.m. to the "Rumpus Room," his WESU 88.3 radio show. According to Villani, "I've been all over the map as far as collecting, listening and playing. But the basic foundation that I DJ," he said, "is old and new heavy funk and soul and Afro and Latin grooves."
If Villani's description smacks of vagueness, Struttin' clears the fog visually as well as auditorially. When Villani DJs an event, he not only plays music but screens accompanying archival videos featuring footage of dancers enjoying themselves so much the crowd cannot help but follow.
"Jason has a bunch of videos from the scene in Britain of people just going crazy," said Farnsworth, smiling.
Farnsworth, too, is young and says Middletown sometimes lacks a nightlife for young adults, barring the bar scene. With Struttin,' a night that recurs every fourth Saturday of the month, Farnsworth said she feels the younger population, especially Wesleyan students, will have something to look forward to right in town.
"We're trying to start a hip night so you don't have to leave Middletown to have fun if you're young," she said.
Although Struttin' and all Vinnie's events are alcohol-free, largely because they are all-ages affairs, Farnsworth said she anticipates Struttin' in particular will draw a wide range of people because it is fun, all-inclusive and, by virtue of the music, inherently trendy.
"It will appeal to a different demographic because Jason's a little cooler than swing dancing," she said with an air of humor and self-deprecation, "and he's very welcoming; you feel comfortable when you get in the door, but you won't feel nerdy."
Villani said he agrees that his Struttin' debut was simultaneously convivial and cutting-edge.
"There's not a night in Connecticut that's like what you're going to hear at Struttin,'" Villani said, "so for me, it's super different, because I have to go to New York City if I want to go to a night for cool music and dancing."
Farnsworth said that Struttin' also fulfills Vinnie's objective to provide healthy entertainment for the community. After all, Vinnie's is an offshoot of Community Health Center Inc. at 635 Main St., so Vinnie's is a project with purpose.
"Vinnie's is partly about being healthy, partly about bringing the community together," Farnsworth said.
"Sometimes it has a very holistic feel, but we don't want that to prevent people from coming out and partying here on the weekends - minus the alcohol," Farnsworth added.
But, she explained, Vinnie's location is prime for people who wish also to visit a bar or a local eatery before or after doing up the dance floor at Vinnie's.
Janice Murphy, a Massachusetts resident, said she comes all the way from home for the Vinnie's experience. "In Massachusetts, there's nothing, and Vinnie's is a hotspot," she said.
Vinnie's primarily offers in-house classes such as yoga and various outreach programs such as school recess dance sessions. Farnsworth herself clears many of the events because, she said, she knows they will soundly appeal to a broad base of people.
"For anyone who comes to me with something that's safe, healthy and fun, I say great, awesome, do it," Farnsworth said. "Everything here is really enjoyable with a nice energy where people let loose."
Struttin' is therefore the icing on Vinnie's (healthy) cake and music to Farnsworth's ears. "It'll be a fun night out that's different from the usual top 40 dance parties," she said.
In short, Villani said that if he were to succinctly sum up Struttin, he would describe it as "a specialty night focusing on amazing tunes that foster people who are really passionate about music, love to dance and socialize in a cool setting."
And, he added, "I want to get out on the dance floor and bust a move."
For information, e-mail vinnies@chc1.com; call (860) 347-6971 ext. 3777; or see www.vinniesjumpandjive.com.

Meet man behind new face of WESU radio
By JENNIFER HAWKINS, Middletown Press Correspondent

02/16/2006

MIDDLETOWN -- Sweeping changes have brought fans of National Public Radio programming spinning their dials to the new line-up at Wesleyan University’s WESU 88.1-FM radio.

Long a stalwart of university programming, embracing a new format didn’t come easily, but with much more grace than anyone could imagine, the dedicated volunteers who keep WESU on the air have found a way to expand their bandwidth to bring an entire lineup of favorite NPR programming into the mix.

Listeners can now start the day with Morning Edition followed by the popular Diane Rehm Show and Democracy Now! Mid-afternoon brings Car Talk, Talk of the Nation and the weekly lineup also includes progressive shows like Between the Lines, Radio Active, and current events from Pacifico Radio’s Free Speech Radio. Listeners who used to chase across the band to find the elusive programs can rejoice in WESU’s bold lineup of NPR programming.

Benjamin Michael, the general manager and sole salaried employee, is shouldering the transition and bridging the gap between old and new.

"As much as I love the new programming, there were a few that I truly regret not having a current slot in our line-up," says Michael and referenced DJ Franko Lizio’s show that brought a morning news and music slot in Italian and served a largely Sicilian audience.

"Franko had been doing that show for many years. There’s a large audience for that show, and I’m still looking for ways to bring it back."

The part-corporate, part-renegade agendas of the station’s board and supporters requires Michael to find inventive ways of keeping to the precise NPR format and the diverse creativity inherent in college radio.

Middletown born and raised, Michael remembers accompanying his hospice nurse mother to work where she would enlist him in painting the windows for the holidays.

"There were days when I couldn’t find the motivation to get out of bed to go to school, whereas my community involvements always would," recalls Michael.

During high school, he was frequently involved with Oddfellows Youth Playhouse and found summer employment on the Children’s Circus staff, and then to working with the jamborees, youth groups and outreach programs at Rushford.

College soon gave way to his greater passion for public service, and Michael found himself in San Francisco enrolled in the a conservation pilot program called "Summer of Service." This led to a three-year position on the Americorp administration staff.

"My plan at that point was just to dabble with as many different things as possible knowing that that would lead something," notes Michael of his early work experiences. "I was an events organizer, DJ, sound designer, graphic designer and even did a full-time stint as a designer in a jewelry shop," adds Michael, while noting that he "always knew I would pursue more of a service career."

Michael grew up listening to the radio station, and joined the volunteer staff in 1997.

"When I got back from California, I agreed to man the Oddfellows information table at the Wesleyan University Student Act Fair," Michael notes, "and while I was there I signed up at the WESU table."

"No one from the station ever called me," laughs Michael. "It was through my friend Jason Arnold that I finally got in."

Considered among the nation’s earliest college broadcasters, WESU has evolved slowly, often reinventing its programming with every four-year rotation of students. Most listeners equate the station with the standard of college radio programming, which consists of news/commentary, sports and non-mainstream music.

Until recently, WESU was owned and operated by Wesleyan students, who raised the funds for the equipment and oversaw adherence to FCC regulations.

Sometimes run more by randomness with the signal actually turned off for periods when students were unable to spend time keeping the station on air, the structure kept to a freeform platform of alternative music and college sports.

The station faced financial hurdles and a need to replace and upgrade equipment. Over a period of a few years, around the beginning of 2000 through 2004, the station began a tumultuous transition as ownership was given to Wesleyan University.

While many embraced a more permanent solution to the station’s mounting needs, others were dismayed at having the university take ownership of what had historically been an independent broadcast.

"There were some demonstrations," says Michael, "including protesters with tape over their mouths demonstrating in front of the president’s office." Michael notes that there was "concern about control over creative content."

In negotiating the transition with Wesleyan president Douglas Bennet, the station found a new facility above Broad Street Books, a new transmitter and several upgrades.Under Bennet’s urging, the station affiliated itself with WEHU and the stations now share NPR programming.

Bennet, who was the president and CEO of National Public Radio from 1983-1993, well understood how the affiliation would benefit the station and enable the station to hire a permanent salaried general manager.

Michael was offered the position as GM and serves to keep the station running smoothly while still having the same cycles of students moving into the programming and out again upon graduation.

"We lost about 11 hours a day from our old programming," says Michael, "when we contractually began the NPR programming."

"Now, the daytime slots carry the most of the NPR line-up with student and community programming in the evenings," adds Michael, who notes that across the country, many college stations have been folded into National Public Radio and affiliated regional networks.

Keeping a diverse and creative line-up has been a critical concern of Michael. He is particularly proud of the afternoon shows like Talk For Your Rights and the Hartford-based Radio Active, who Michael credits with breaking news stories often overlooked by mainstream media.

"I felt that its important to use these airwaves to voice our own community concerns," says Michael. "We’re filling a very unique niche, and people are starting to gravitate away from some of the more traditional public radio stations."

The schedule of radio shows still works by the three-season programming that marks a college year. The hours extend around the clock now, with a diverse line-up of music including whole shows dedicated to Haitian, Caribbean and Italian programming, complete with DJs hosting theshows in their native languages.

On-air personalities familiar to Connecticut listeners are also present and the Friday night line-up features Berk Ziegler and Ian Q. LaForce, two very experienced and popular DJs who feature the latest music in everything from techno to hip-hop.

Fund-raising on the level most NPR affiliates use is still in the early stages, and on-air drives are a part of it. A community based 501(c)3, called Friends of WESU, is dedicated to raising the funds that will hopefully lead to the hiring of more permanent staff.

The station has printed schedules available, and an online version at www.wesufm.org. Michael can be reached at 685-7707 or wesu@wesufm.org.

December 01/05

WESU NEWS

WESU's Commander Aleon gets some local press!
Click here to read the Middletown Press article

WESU's Middletown Youth Radio Project was recently featured in the Christian Science Monitor!
(photo & article by Barbara Sloan)
click here to read the article

WESU was also recently spotted on the CBS Sit-Com How I Met Your Mother.

click here to find out more

Power Up! WESU power increase from 1,500-6,000 Watts ERP.

click here to learn more about this project

Radio rookies

Young DJs step up behind the mic to host their own on-air shows.

Homeless man gives weekly perspective for college radio show

WESU NEWS

WESU's Commander Aleon gets some local press! Click here to read the Middletown Press article

WESU's Middletown Youth Radio Project was recently featured in the Christian Science Monitor! (photo & article by Barbara Sloan) click here to read the article

WESU was also recently spotted on the CBS Sit-Com How I Met Your Mother. click here to find out more

Power Up! WESU power increase from 1,500-6,000 Watts ERP. click here to learn more about this project

Radio rookies

Young DJs step up behind the mic to host their own on-air shows.

Homeless man gives weekly perspective for college radio show

WESU's Commander Aleon gets some local press!
Click here to read the Middletown Press article

WESU's Middletown Youth Radio Project was recently featured in the Christian Science Monitor!
(photo & article by Barbara Sloan)
click here to read the article

WESU was also recently spotted on the CBS Sit-Com How I Met Your Mother.

click here to find out more

Power Up! WESU power increase from 1,500-6,000 Watts ERP.

click here to learn more about this project