WBER-FM

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WBER-FM
Broadcast area	Rochester, New York
Slogan	The only station that matters
First air date	1985
Frequency	90.5 (MHz)
Format	Alternative radio
ERP	2,500 watts
Class	B1
Callsign meaning	BOCES Educational Radio
Owner	Monroe BOCES #1
Website	wber.monroe.edu

WBER is a listener and school district supported community radio station in Rochester, New York, owned and operated by the Board of Cooperative Educational Services, Monroe #1. The station was founded in 1985 by Andrew Chinici (also known as Chris Andrews). Joey Guisto now serves as program director. The call letters are said to stand for BOCES Educational Radio, but the station was once known as WRHR which stood for Rush Henrietta Radio after the original licencee of the station (the Rush Henrietta Central School District).

Contents 1 History 2 Notable qualities and shows 3 External links

[edit] History

As WRHR, the station was a student run club operated out of the Rush Henrietta School District. The station was granted a low power license (10 Watts) in 1975. The station operated during school hours under academic supervison, and then after school. The music format was "free form" from the beginning. Bands such as the "B-52s" and "The Talking Heads" were first exposed to the area by WRHR. The school district provided special support for students who broadcasted live play-by-play basketball late into the evening from schools within the Section V conference. Probably the most notable announcer from the WRHR days is Doug Emblidge of WHAM-TV in Rochester.

WBER has been serving the Rochester, NY and Western New York area since 1985, as a real life training ground for students in Monroe #1 BOCES Eastern Monroe Career Center (EMCC) Radio and Television Career & Technical Education (CTE) class as well as members of the community interested in learning about radio broadcasting. The station is listener supported, and depends on donations and underwriting to make budget. Most of the on-air staff volunteer their time to the station.

WBER also offers remote broadcasting services to area school districts which currently include Webster, West Irondequoit and Brighton.

The original station tagline was "Rochester's Real Modern Rock Station." As their scope expanded beyond pure rock music, the original tagline was a bit of a misnomer. Most DJ's use this station indentifier: "The only station that matters, ninety-point-five FM, WBER, Rochester." WBER is one of America's first full time Alternative Music radio stations.^{[citation needed]} It is also one of the first radio stations, and the first in Rochester, to offer a web stream broadcasting live radio on the Internet.^{[citation needed]}

The station's playlist is largely listener decided. Periodically throughout the regular programming, a "test track" is played. Listeners are invited to phone in their opinion of the song or visit the website and vote. It is by this process that new titles are added to the regular rotation. WBER also sponsors local concerts for popular artists played on the station. Due to the feedback and involvement of the listening audience, WBER has become a notable music outlet for not only the Rochester area, but the surrounding region as well. Broader exposure via the Internet has only expanded the scope of their influence.

The station has provided young professionals (a number of whom have graduated from the nearby University of Rochester) with an interest in radio broadcasting to program shows catering to an eclectic audience with an interest in Alternative Rock/Alternative Music.

In the late 1990s, the now-defunct Red Social Lounge located in the St. Paul quarter of Rochester once hosted "WBER Night" on Friday nights. Proceeds from the door would go to help support the station. Inside, DJ's would spin popular tracks from WBER's current playlist. When Red Social Lounge closed in 2002, WBER Night came to an end.

Over the years, funding had been obtained through donations and program underwriting. Recently, these sources of funding have not been as plentiful as in years past. On June 2, 2006, WBER conducted a massive on-air campaign to raise $20,000 to help meet budget goals through the end of the year. The fundraiser would begin early in the morning, only playing music from 1985, the year that WBER first went on the air. When $1,000 was raised, the plan was to continue on to 1986, and continue the process for every year until reaching 2005. The on-air staff expected the campaign to last days, maybe even a week. In an unexpected outpouring of donations and affection, the fundraising goal was met only 12 and a half hours after it started.

[edit] Notable qualities and shows

Part of WBER's identifying charm is its inability to play any two songs at the same volume level. Sometimes a song will be recorded with a permanent volume adjustment midway through the song. No explanation has been offered by the station for this phenomenon.

The end of the year countdown is a highly anticipated event. Listeners vote on their top five favorite songs from the year. One vote per person is allowed, though bands have attempted to use fake emails to vote for themselves. The top thirty songs are counted down on New Year's Day.

The Friday Morning Show is another hallmark of the station. Hosted at present by Sgt Pepper, Joey Guisto and Lil Jess, it is the station's weekly show from 6-9pm. There are giveaways and the Prospect Song of the Week is introduced. The FMS is marked by frequent visits from listeners, DJs, and many others, including musicians, ghost hunters, and local celebrities.

The Indie Show, which showcased the work of independent artists and labels, was brought to an end in March 2007 by its creator, Joey. Citing that indie labels have largely been gobbled up by the larger labels, it was getting harder and harder to program something called "The Indie Show." The last song played on The Indie Show was a selection from the Red House Painters.

[edit] External links

• WBER official website