WEMU

Last updated

WEMU
Broadcast area Washtenaw County, Michigan
Frequency 89.1 MHz (HD Radio)
Programming
Format Public radio and jazz
Subchannels HD2: Jazz
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner Eastern Michigan University
History
First air date
December 8, 1965 (1965-12-08)
Call sign meaning
Eastern Michigan University
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID 18311
Class B1
Power 15,500 watts
HAAT 88 meters (289 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
42°15′48″N83°37′34″W / 42.26333°N 83.62611°W / 42.26333; -83.62611
Links
Public license information
Website wemu.org

WEMU (89.1 FM) is a noncommercial radio station licensed to Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States, serving Washtenaw County, Ann Arbor and the western suburbs of Detroit. Owned by Eastern Michigan University, it is an NPR member station carrying news and Information shows mornings and afternoons, with jazz music heard the rest of the day. On weekends, a mix of jazz, blues, adult alternative and Latin jazz shows are heard, along with some NPR weekend talk shows and EMU sports broadcasts.

Contents

WEMU's studios are located at King Hall next to Roosevelt Hall on the campus of EMU on North Huron Street, and its transmitter is located near the EMU campus on West Clark Road at Laforge Road, both in Ypsilanti.

History

WEMU signed on the air on December 8, 1965. It originally broadcast on 88.1 MHz with studios in the Quirk Building on Eastern Michigan University's campus. In 1976, the station moved to King Hall, and in February 1977, WEMU began to feature a primarily jazz format. Later that year, in October 1977, WEMU changed to its current 89.1 FM frequency. The next major addition came on April 7, 2004, when WEMU added digital broadcasting. [2] Located online at WEMU.org, the station streams live 24 hours a day.

According to a 2017 tour of WEMU, the station holds one of the largest jazz broadcast libraries in the United States, with nearly 100,000 records and CDs in its collection. [3]

Still broadcast out of King Hall on the Eastern Michigan University Campus, WEMU currently shares the building with the student newspaper The Eastern Echo and the Early College Alliance program. [4]

Programming

WEMU carries the drive time NPR news programs All Things Considered and Morning Edition , in addition to other NPR and Public Radio International (PRI) information and cultural programming. WEMU also hosts the EMU sports network and carries EMU football and basketball broadcasts.

According to the WEMU radio schedule, weekdays offer six hours of locally hosted jazz between Morning Edition and All Things Considered, with the syndicated jazz show Pubjazz overnight. Local weekday jazz show include 89.1 Jazz with Michael Jewett and The Break. Starting on Friday nights, weekend programming includes a mix of news and music shows, both local and national. Weekend local shows include From Memphis to Motown, The Roots Music Project, Cuban Fantasy, Sunday Best, Grooveyard, The In Crowd, and Big City Blues Cruise. [5] [6]

WEMU is licensed for HD Radio operations. [7] It broadcasts a mixed format of traditional and smooth jazz on its HD2 digital subchannel. [8] The HD2 formerly aired a mix of folk, roots and Americana music.

See also

References

  1. "Facility Technical Data for WEMU". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. "WEMU FM 89.1 Ypsilanti - Michiguide.com Dials (D)". www.michiguide.com. Archived from the original on April 19, 2007. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  3. Slat, Christopher (August 30, 2017). "Tour the WEMU jazz record library with host Michael Jewett". Concentrate. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  4. "A Peek Into EMU's History: Buildings on Campus". Blog EMU. June 26, 2018. Archived from the original on October 23, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  5. "People | WEMU". www.wemu.org. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  6. "89.1 WEMU Radio Schedule | WEMU". www.wemu.org. Archived from the original on August 20, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  7. "Station Search Details".
  8. "HD Radio station guide for Ann Arbor, MI". Archived from the original on November 1, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2014.