Hi Friends,
The WLUW staff held a meeting Monday night where we all found out that after five years of making successful independent community radio, Loyola University will be taking back control of the station’s programming next summer. The university decided to pull the station’s funding in 2001, and since 2002 WLUW has relied on pledge drives to balance our budget.
During these recent years Chicago Public Radio has helped manage the station and fundraising under a limited management agreement while the day-to-day operations were controlled by station manager Craig Kois and program director Shawn Campbell — two wonderful individuals who personify the mission of WLUW.
On Monday Craig and Shawn learned that they were being let go from their positions, which is a devastating blow to WLUW. Loyola plans on taking control of the station in June of 2008… and in the interim, a staffer from Chicago Public Radio will oversee day-to-day operations.
Currently, we don’t know what plans the university has for WLUW. We hope that they understand the station’s vital role as a community media outlet, although we’ve heard that Loyola believes the station primarily serves Rogers Park and the university campus. This is NOT the case — WLUW’s highest listenership comes from the Lincoln Square/Ravenswood and Andersonville/Uptown areas. Rogers Park is tied for third with Wicker Park.
If you would like to see WLUW continue as a source of independent community radio you can send your support of the station to the president of Loyola, Fr. Michael Garanzini. Here’s a link: http://www.luc.edu/president/index.shtml. His e-mail is: mgaranz@luc.edu.
Also, for more detailed info on this situation go to:
http://chicagoist.com/2007/07/17/wluw_wtf.php
http://www.timeout.com/chicago/outandabout/?p=2548
Thanks for your continued support of Outside the Loop RADIO, and especially of WLUW !!
Pax,
Mike Stephen, host
Andy Hermann, producer
Outside the Loop RADIO
www.outsidetheloopradio.com
www.wluw.org