WSIE Blog
07/02/2020
by Jason Church, General Manager for WSIE 88.7 "The Sound"
WSIE 88.7 "The Sound" lives on to Jazz another year!
Thanks to your support, along with a very generous contribution from The Kranzberg Arts Foundation, WSIE was able to overcome a $100,000 loss this past fiscal year (July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2020). Prior to COVID-19, WSIE was on track for a record-breaking year in underwriting support, thanks to the hard work and effort of our Account Executive, Stephanie Lewis. But, due to the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our underwriting partners were forced to reduce services, or completely shut down. This resulted in about 90% of our underwriting partners being unable to continue their support of WSIE at the time. This, combined with the fact that we were still struggling to overcome the loss of Illinois State funding, is what led us to the #saveWSIE campaign.
I am still just simply amazed and humbled by the support that we received ... not only from our listeners here in St. Louis, but also from fans of this music around the nation and around the globe. All of the individual donations, along with the gift from The Kranzberg Arts Foundation (THANK YOU, Nancy, Ken and Chris, for believing in WSIE and its mission!), we all were able to come together and eliminate the $100,000 shortfall to #saveWSIE.
The work is never done, though. We are currently rebuilding our underwriting partnerships, applying for grants and we continue to count on you, our loyal supporters, to ensure that WSIE continues on our upward path toward financial solvency. There are a few easy ways that you can help in these efforts, going forward:
- Make a tax-deductible donation - If you are able to, the easiest way to show your support is to make a donation to WSIE. Your donation will go directly to cover a portion of our annual operating budget. Whether it's a one-time, larger contribution ... or a smaller, monthly amount, every dollar counts!
- Encourage Underwriting - If you own, work for, or even know of an area business that might be interested in supporting WSIE, please be sure to let them know about this wonderful way that they can get their business' information in front of our listeners. Not only does underwriting help bolster WSIE's annual budget, but it also lets our listeners know which businesses really care about keeping this wonderful radio station alive and well in the St. Louis region.
- Tell a friend - If you love what you're hearing when you tune into WSIE 88.7 "The Sound," odds are that many of your friends, family and co-workers would also appreciate what we're doing. But, with our small budget, we are unable to advertise much ... so your recommendations go a long way toward building our audience! And the larger our audience gets, the better our chances are of bringing new underwriting partners on-board.
WSIE 88.7 "The Sound" is the perfect companion wherever you are. Whether at home, at work, in the car, or wherever you are, WSIE is there for you through the good times ... and the not so good. But most importantly, we want to be there in the future. So I ask you ... please do what you can to help me ensure that this regional gem is able to stick around for the next generation of lovers of this music. And maybe even the generation after that.
Thank you for everything you're doing and for everything that you will do to support WSIE 88.7 "The Sound."
Jason Church
General Manager
WSIE 88.7 "The Sound"
jaschur@siue.edu
05/18/2020
by Dave Black, St. Louis Guitarist
“They Can’t Take That Away From Me” by George and Ira Gershwin, was originally written for a (1937) Hollywood film called ‘Shall We Dance’ sung by Fred Astaire.
Since then, radio stations from all around have broadcasted later versions by Sinatra, Art Tatum, Ella & Satchmo, Sarah Vaughn, Billie Holliday w/ the Count Basie Orchestra and many others!
Over the past few years in St. Louis, WSIE has been the primary source for recorded Jazz...both old and new! Plus, they have been a major source of support for our music community in different ways such as events calendars, artist interviews and co-sponsoring Jazz festivals!
Right now with this COVID-19 situation and loss of Illinois state funding, WSIE can use some of your help! If you happen to have anything to spare, you might want to drop a few $$ In their bucket!
“....no they can’t take that away from me!”
#saveWSIE / If you wish to donate, go to http://wsie.com/support
10/16/2019
By Christiann, 7 - Mid (Mon, Wed, Fri) on WSIE 88.7 "The Sound"
Tonight's Sinatra Session is a Capitol single from 1958 recorded on October 16th! ... Today in Jazz History trumpeter Roy Hargrove was born in 1969. We lost him last November. We will remember Roy Hargrove with a few tunes throughout the evening by Roy and The RH Factor... ALSO, Today in Jazz History saxophonist/arranger/composer Benny Carter recorded "Symphony in Riffs" in 1933. I found it! We will hear it! All tonight 7pm to midnight on 88-7 The Sound!
10/10/2019
By Jason Church
WSIE 88.7 The Sound proudly presents Edwardsville High School Tigers Football Homecoming Game this Friday at 7 pm. If you would rather listen to our regular offering of the best Jazz, Smooth Jazz, Blues and Easy R&B in St. Louis, head to WSIE.com, or tune in via the TuneIn app.
Join the Voice of the Tigers, Colin Suhre. This week, the Tigers are back at home as they take on the Belleville West High School Maroons.
Tigers Football on WSIE 88.7 The Sound is made possible by Anderson Hospital, Cassens and Sons, Clean Eatz, EdgeWild - Edwardsville, First Community Credit Union, Infinite Wellness Integrative Medical Center, Rick Marteeny - State Farm Agent and Sievers Equipment Co.
9/18/2019
By Jason Church
Happy Wednesday, Everyone!
I wanted to take a moment to address a small concern that I've heard from folks, concerning a phenomenon that involves personal FM transmitters.
I've had the occasional email or Facebook message from folks, complaining about hearing off-format music, cursing or other programming on 88.7. Rest assured that what these folks are hearing is not coming from WSIE, rather it's coming from a nearby vehicle, home or business.
This type of phenomenon is the result of someone nearby, using a personal FM transmitter. Here is a brief description of what these personal FM transmitters are and what they do, courtesy of Wikipedia:
"A personal FM transmitter is a low-power FM radio transmitter that broadcasts a signal from a portable audio device (such as an MP3 player) to a standard FM radio. Most of these transmitters plug into the device's headphone jack and then broadcast the signal over an FM broadcast band frequency, so that it can be picked up by any nearby radio. This allows portable audio devices to make use of the louder or better sound quality of a home audio system or car stereo without requiring a wired connection. They are often used in cars but may also be in fixed locations such as broadcasting from a computer sound card throughout a building."
Unfortunately, most personal FM transmitters utilize lower-band frequencies, such as 88.7.I want all of our listeners to know that, if you hear anything on 88.7 that seems out of the ordinary, it's definitely not coming from WSIE...it's coming from a car or building near you.
I just wanted to clear this up, as WSIE 88.7 The Sound is 100% dedicated to bringing you the Jazz, Smooth Jazz, Blues and Easy R&B that you know and love, 24/7, 365.
Thanks so much!
Jason Church
General Manager
WSIE 88.7 The Sound
