Re: WBRS Brandeis Radio?

[Bob Nelson <raccoonradio@yahoo.com>]

> WBRS is off the air a lot because they currently
> depend on live DJ's to be on the air, and must shut
> down when no one is available to do a show. 

My own station, WMWM at Salem State, is in a similar
situation. We were off sporadically during the summer,
mostly on weekdays (well, off-and-on) while the
weekend schedule was full-up. Weekends have mostly
non students doing Hispanic programming, blues,
jazz, doo wop, local rock, etc. Weekdays are mostly
students with alternative rock.

When we're not on, the 91.7 frequency is replaced (in
many places) by that of WNEF Newburyport, simulcasting
WUMB 91.9. Maybe someday someone will set up an
automation system at WMWM. (I will say that during
those times on weekdays when a DJ isn't around and
someone like the general manager is in the office,
they'll keep us on by throwing on a various artists
compilation as they do work in the office.)

Getting back to WBRS, their longtime blues DJ Greg
Sarni runs something called the Blues Trust which
every year sponsors Boston Blues Week. Today (Sep.
28) from noon to 6 pm, the Trust puts together New
England's only free blues festival, at the Hatch
Shell; they've done so since 1996. A few years ago,
blues singer Toni Lynn Washington was a guest of
honor there (she's one of the DJs on WMWM's "The
Juke Joint", rotating with several others). The
Blues Trust also raises money to pay medical
expenses for blues artists, and they have a CD
of festival highlights. Good job, Greg, and if 
anyone out there wants to see some blues for free
today, stop by the Hatch Shell.