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WEMU

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WEMU
Broadcast areaWashtenaw County, Michigan
Frequency89.1 MHz (HD Radio)
Programming
FormatAnalog/HD1: Jazz, News and Talk
HD2: All Jazz
AffiliationsNPR
Public Radio International
Ownership
OwnerEastern Michigan University
History
First air date
December 8, 1965; 58 years ago (1965-12-08)
Call sign meaning
W Eastern Michigan University
Technical information
Facility ID18311
ClassB1
Power15,500 watts
HAAT88 meters (289 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
42°15′48″N 83°37′34″W / 42.26333°N 83.62611°W / 42.26333; -83.62611
Links
Websitewemu.org

WEMU (89.1 FM) is a public radio station owned by Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan. On weekdays, it carries NPR News and Information shows in morning and afternoon drive time, with jazz programs 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.

WEMU has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 15,500 watts. The transmitter is on West Clark Road at Laforge Road in Ypsilanti, near the EMU campus.[1] The signal covers Washtenaw County, Ann Arbor and the Western suburbs of Detroit. Located online at WEMU.org, the station streams live 24 hours a day.

History

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WEMU signed on the air on December 8, 1965; 58 years ago (1965-12-08). 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

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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.

References

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  1. ^ Radio-Locator.com/WEMU
  2. ^ "WEMU FM 89.1 Ypsilanti - Michiguide.com Dials (D)". www.michiguide.com. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
  3. ^ Slat, Christopher (August 30, 2017). "Tour the WEMU jazz record library with host Michael Jewett". Concentrate. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
  4. ^ "A Peek Into EMU's History: Buildings on Campus". Blog EMU. 2018-06-26. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
  5. ^ "People | WEMU". www.wemu.org. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
  6. ^ "89.1 WEMU Radio Schedule | WEMU". www.wemu.org. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
  7. ^ "Station Search Details".
  8. ^ "HD Radio station guide for Ann Arbor, MI".
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