DePaul grad / July 19, 2007 1:59 PM

Where is Loyola and what is WLUW??????

Andrew / July 19, 2007 2:22 PM

For your background, smartass.

kate / July 19, 2007 2:31 PM

I think that article's way too long for me to read and pay attention to at work.

DePaul grad / July 19, 2007 2:37 PM

That decision sucks! Sorry man! I knew I hated Loyola for a reason!!

Bill V / July 19, 2007 2:52 PM

Without being too wordy it sure seems that since Loyola gave up WLUW it sure has become a station that once again matters. Now that they see that, they want it back. I think the current folks are doing a great job and think the decision sucks!

fluffy / July 19, 2007 2:55 PM

I used to listen to WLUW years ago- it had great shows- especially early in the mornings, weekdays. I used to listen to mary's show and even won free tickets to see the Blackheart Procession. Then, I moved to another part of the city and....no reception. That sucked.

What's happening is a shame and if there's something I can do to support the station, I need to know.

Greg / July 19, 2007 3:33 PM

@kate: too long, but also too convoluted to glean any worthwhile information from.

too much teethgnashing is probably premature: WLUW was a good, endearingly amateurish station before the 'BEZ takeover. For the past five years they've been as good, and as endearingly amateurish. Unless there are hints of a format shakeup (all jesuit...all the time!), I'm not too worried.

TRoyal / July 19, 2007 3:54 PM

@Greg: Given 'BEZ's track record with trying to fix what ain't broke, I'd be willing to bet a format change is imminent.

As for 'LUW's impending doom, there's nothing you can do. Loyola's going to sit by and tout it as a campus radio station when in fact it's being run by a for-profit entity. The "close-knit" community may still exist, but all that's left now is someone to pound the nails into the coffin. sadly.

Dave! / July 19, 2007 4:18 PM

I'm no WBEZ fan... let's not forget, Malatia is the one who wanted to kill music on Chicago Public Radio. But they have done a great job with WLUW. It's _possible_ Loyola will still continue to good things with it... bottom line, it *is* their station.

Pippu / July 19, 2007 4:24 PM

It sucks. But for people without reception, I always tune in via the net at www.wluw.org.

Dunl / July 19, 2007 5:32 PM

Too early to say. Loyola "taking back" WLUW is in and of itself neither good nor bad. I was a bit concerned at the mention in Feder's column of Loyola planning to "make it [WLUW] part of the curriculum." If they start dictating that certain hours will be reserved for people taking certain classes, I think those programming hours are going to suck. But I've not yet heard enough to know if that's what this might mean or not.

Andy / July 19, 2007 11:02 PM

I like the Gapers Block article, but this one by Timeout gives a better summation of what's going on:

http://www.timeout.com/chicago/outandabout/?p=2548

And this one on Chicagoist too:

http://chicagoist.com/2007/07/17/wluw_wtf.php

I think it sucks. Obviously it's up in the air right now as to what Loyola will do with the station, but their actions so far do not bode well (ie: insisting that the current program director and station manager both be let go). It's also clear from their FAQ that they want to turn the station into more of a learning tool. As though the 100+ students who volunteer there aren't learning anything?

skafiend / July 20, 2007 10:25 AM

Funding-wise, won't that be a good thing. I've hosted or co-hosted a couple of shows on the station in the past (Live From the Heartland being one) and had to do the whole pledge drive finding thing. It was brutal. If the school taking it back means they won't have to sweat about their future anymore due to funding, then great. Make the school take full responsiility. And as for making sure that times are set aside for students in that field, so what? There are people on the air there now who aren't much better than a student would be when it comes to on air personality.

Jenny of WOW / July 20, 2007 10:48 AM

Hi, I am Jenny, host of WOW, mentioned in the Dan's article. I am also a Loyola grad who became involved in the station as a student, and stayed involved after I graduated many years ago. I have been through several turnovers with WLUW in the last eleven years, so I suspect a widescale drastic change may be unlikely (who knows, I could be wrong). However, the firing of Shawn Campbell and Craig Kois, two people who have run the station during and prior to BEZ's tenure, is extremely concerning. If Loyola wants students to learn from the best, Shawn and Craig are the best - no one cares more about community radio than they do, and they are a loss to us volunteers personally and professionally as well as any future students who will never have the chance to learn from them.

Many of my fellow volunteers have vowed to continue doing what we do for the next nine months we are under BEZ's management - the consensous is that we owe it to our listeners as well as to Craig and Shawn's legacy. If you want to support us, please continue to listen to WLUW's programming - we're sticking it out for you. If you'd like to express your concerns to Loyola administration, I encourage you to be polite and emphasize the benefits of a station that showcases diverse music, news and discussion that can't be heard anywhere else on the radio - WLUW's mission does embody Jesuit values of social justic and service learning, so we believe we are only an asset to the university. Contact info is at www.luc.edu

Finally, there is a new bill which would allow for low power FM radio stations in urban areas. If this bill passes, there would be the opportunity to create a very similar radio station to WLUW, and WLUW volunteers are already organizing towards this goal. I encourage you to sign the petition at http://www.freepress.net/lpfm/

Stephen / July 20, 2007 10:57 AM

@ TRoyal: You said "As for 'LUW's impending doom, there's nothing you can do. Loyola's going to sit by and tout it as a campus radio station when in fact it's being run by a for-profit entity. "

And what "for-profit" entity is that? Cuz Loyola ain't for-profit...

I think it is too early to assume that Loyola is going to completely trash and destroy WLUW. Until we hear from Loyola about exactly what they plan to do, I remain hopeful that WLUW can remain the station that WBEZ helped it become.

Spook / July 20, 2007 10:58 AM

I’m no BEZ fan either! Yea, I listen a lot, mostly in the morning, but I
take perverse joy in disregarding the please of the BEZ pledge drive.

With incrementaly slow maturity, I've stopped,(well almost :-), haranguing BEZ reporters and other staffers who I encounter at events where alcohol is served, sadly They run in some of My circles,mostly boring folks to tears!
Word, think I’m bad here, you aint seen nothing til you’ve seen a Spook with drink in hand (sometimes two!) standing up for a real cause!

But I got nothing but love WLUW, and I donate at least yearly, even though receiving the signal in Logan Square is dependent on the seasonal sunspots. Yea, I got the two WLUW T shirts, bumper stickers, and the mug. Mostly I listen to Democracy Now with Amy Goodwin, and random hip hop shows. But I use to listen to a lot more to shows like Labor Express, From the Trenches, and Chicago Justice.

The sad thing was I didn’t even know about the WBEZ connection, my bad! Thanks Gapers Block

I think WLUW should be publicly funded as opposed to WBEZ/NPR, the exception being WWOZ New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Public Radio.

But depending on how this thing shakes out maybe I'll fork over a few duckets to BEZ next year if they do right by WLUW, which is Chicago’s real Public Radio!

Happy Friday, yall!

G.P. / July 20, 2007 11:01 AM

Loyola? I forgot all about that part of Rogers Park years ago when they tore down the Grenada theater and we could no longer sneak in through the fire escape to drink and smoke.

Then they tore down the Devon theater and I could no longer enjoy those cheap double features. Bastards.

skafiend / July 20, 2007 11:35 AM

Jenny...

They fired Craig Kois? Too bad. He created more opportunities and believed in that station more than anyone else I can think of.

And Spook, you know you can listen to 'LUW on line, right?

Finally, G.P.: Last thing I saw at the Grenada was a Mel Brooks film festival. We went in at about 7 on a Saturday and didn't leave until about 10 the next morning. I lasted until "The 12 Chairs" then fell asleep.

R / July 20, 2007 11:36 AM

I don't know how Loyola thinks they'll be better prepared to run WLUW now...they obviously had no interest in the station five years ago, and while to make this sudden change in management for the benefit of their new communications school is within their rights--they own the place--they don't seem to be living in reality. College radio stations in general can suffer from a lack of student and administration interest, which gogt Loyola in this mess to begin with, and making all of these sudden changes, especially by bringing in a lone staff member to take over the place, will not help keep up the momentum that Shawn and Craig currently have, given all the local press this matter has received. Where I went to school, only a small group of dedicated students actually showed up for their shows, & did work for the station. Loyola, in my opinion, is really a prep program for professional school (law, med, business), so it will be interesting to see if this communications program will actually have a signficant number of students who are willing to show up for their shows (and not because it's a program requirement). Loyola has burned bridges with the existing group of DJs and staff, and by next June, they'll realize that they reap what they sew. Let's hope that the Local Community Radio Act is passed so that talented, dedicated DJs can find a permanent home on the airwaves.

printdude / July 20, 2007 11:51 AM

Huh.

I thought radio was dead.

Gramps / July 20, 2007 12:11 PM

What's that, y' say?! Radio??

Why no, I haven't had much use for the radio since the days when me and the missus would gather 'round the ol' cathedral-style Atwater Kent in the parlor for our weekly fix of Amos 'n' Andy. Course, those were much simpler times. ..

Spook / July 20, 2007 12:35 PM

"And Spook, you know you can listen to 'LUW on line, right?"

Man, I sho didn't! I just got into the whole online radio thing, and just assumed LUW didn't have that feature, thanks for the tip, baddy-0

and gramps, hope you post
more often!

Dubi / July 20, 2007 5:29 PM

the music is the best part of wluw, I don't expect that to change much

my wluw experience

wluw :caller number seven wins tickets

me: hello?
producer: you are caller number five (hangs up)
me:(dialing again) hello?
producer: congratulations you won tickets to see TRS-80!

Michael / July 21, 2007 11:37 PM

I think that based on the fact that they canned Kois and Campbell, and their stated intention to make the station a part of the communications curriculum, you can probably expect some changes, perhaps drastic, to the format once WBEZ is no longer managing the station. There are faculty members who do not share the community radio vision, and would more than likely want to alter programming to reflect what they desire, which ain't indie rock or Democracy Now. By all means, let Loyola hear your voice, but I don't think it will outweigh the Communications Department, who spearheaded this effort to take the station back.

Jim / July 25, 2007 6:15 PM

Guys - LUW always supported local/indy music way before the "community" designation. I seriously doubt that's going to stop simply because the University is opting out of its contract with BEZ. History would tell you that just 5 years ago BEZ's involvement was considered the worst thing to ever happen...the same types of outrage, blogging and petitions you’re seeing now, were out there then decrying the association between the two.

Sean and Craig, while seemingly great stewards of the station, are just the most recent in a long line of faculty and staff that have given their hearts and souls to the students and listeners… The station has been around for 30 years.

Change happens. The University finally realized what an asset they were holding, and quite frankly, the infighting and general lack of comportment and “bi-partisanship” during the last major change (way before BEZ entered the picture) did real, long-term damage to the Dept of Communication both in their internal dealings with each other and how they were perceived in the greater university community. People lost their jobs or were forced out. Students who complained were subtly threatened in ways way beyond acceptable behaviors from Dept Heads. Tenures were denied and those educators moved on.

With a “New” Dept of Communication (whatever that means) in the works, maybe it made sense to take the entire thing back under control. History would show that in previous incarnations the station was a very real draw for students of both broadcasting and community affairs. There are professionals in the industry all over the US that are Loyola/LUW grads – go to Wikepedia and look at the VERY small number of Alumni listed. I can add another 20 to 30 working at what they love off the top of my head.

We all know about the groups like “Friends of WLUW” If you’re interested in the flip side of some of the goings on over the last several years, take a look at http://www.wluw.blogspot.com/

Having said all that – I’m taking a wait and see attitude.

Jim / July 25, 2007 6:15 PM

Guys - LUW always supported local/indy music way before the "community" designation. I seriously doubt that's going to stop simply because the University is opting out of its contract with BEZ. History would tell you that just 5 years ago BEZ's involvement was considered the worst thing to ever happen...the same types of outrage, blogging and petitions you’re seeing now, were out there then decrying the association between the two.

Sean and Craig, while seemingly great stewards of the station, are just the most recent in a long line of faculty and staff that have given their hearts and souls to the students and listeners… The station has been around for 30 years.

Change happens. The University finally realized what an asset they were holding, and quite frankly, the infighting and general lack of comportment and “bi-partisanship” during the last major change (way before BEZ entered the picture) did real, long-term damage to the Dept of Communication both in their internal dealings with each other and how they were perceived in the greater university community. People lost their jobs or were forced out. Students who complained were subtly threatened in ways way beyond acceptable behaviors from Dept Heads. Tenures were denied and those educators moved on.

With a “New” Dept of Communication (whatever that means) in the works, maybe it made sense to take the entire thing back under control. History would show that in previous incarnations the station was a very real draw for students of both broadcasting and community affairs. There are professionals in the industry all over the US that are Loyola/LUW grads – go to Wikepedia and look at the VERY small number of Alumni listed. I can add another 20 to 30 working at what they love off the top of my head.

We all know about the groups like “Friends of WLUW” If you’re interested in the flip side of some of the goings on over the last several years, take a look at http://www.wluw.blogspot.com/

Having said all that – I’m taking a wait and see attitude.