Mon 4/5-Sun 4/11

One of the often-undercredited forces in the local music since is college radio. For some five decades northeast Ohio college radio stations have been a powerhouse, exposing new artists, promoting local acts, broadcasting public affairs programs and airing music genres — from folk and bluegrass to noise and Broadway tunes — programmed by a mix of student and community hosts. It’s driven many local underground music scenes. As the strength of their signals increased, they became more than campus outlets, attracting listeners from across the region.

Case Western Reserve University’s WRUW-FM 91.1, on air since 1967, broadcasts its diverse programming on 15,000 watts of power. And it’s stayed on throughout the pandemic, with its hosts — many of whom have become beloved familiar voices over the years — broadcasting from their homes throughout the pandemic. Many of its public affairs programs offered listeners information on pandemic-related issues such as financial assistance for artists and performers, online education, and the impact of COVID-19 on minorities and people of color.

“The most gratifying year of programming at WRUW has been during the pandemic,” says Brandt Fundak, host of Cream of Broccoli Radio Hour, in the station’s press release. “I’ve heard from a number of listeners who have told me that they appreciate what WRUW programmers have been doing to keep one small bit of normalcy in their lives.

The all-volunteer station canceled its Telethon in 2020, the annual event that raises the $65,000 operating budget for the non-commercial station, given the pressing need elsewhere in the community. Now it’s launching its 2021 ledge drive, running from April 5-11, to fund equipment to continue remote broadcasting, with the hope of returning to the studio at the corner of Ford and Bellflower later this year.

Go to telethon.wruw.org to make a donation.