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Jan
11
Vocalo: Public Radio For The Region
Filed Under Chicago Public Radio, Northwest Indiana, Vocalo, WBEW
Chicago Public Radio (WBEZ-FM 91.5 MHz) has been around for a long time, including a presence in Chesterton with sister frequency WBEW-FM (89.5 MHz) for a couple of years. I always thought of the 89.5 MHz frequency as a translator to help push WBEZ’s signal further into Northwest Indiana, but it turns out that there is more. This shows that I’ve been spending too much time in the satellite radio world and have been neglecting some of Northwest Indiana’s local radio offerings.
This summer, WBEW began a service — Vocalo.org — that allows web users to generate on-air content for broadcast on the radio station.
According to Vocalo’s “about” page:
Vocalo.org is a content sharing, social networking site with a BIG twist!
We broadcast the stuff you make on 89.5 FM in Northwest Indiana and Chicago on our live webstream. We take music, stories, commentary, news, and anything else you can dream up.
Whether you make Vocalo.org your home blog (we’re all set up for that) or want to bring your content from other sites, we hope you’ll share your stories, photos, video and audio right here.
I’m going to have to start tuning in to hear some local radio with a NPR-style flavor, but one that is aiming for a different audience than the traditional public radio station, including WBEZ.
Writes Current.org:
Chicago Public Radio’s :Vocalo attempts an ambitious fusion of talk radio with an extensive website where users can network and share their own writings, recordings and videos, some of which will be curated for broadcast by an eclectic team of host-producers.
CPR execs hope this cross-pollination between web and broadcast and within a diverse audience will create a unique, listener-driven sound that draws in Chicagoans disenchanted by the usual pubradio fare on CPR’s existing news-talk service, WBEZ.
Here’s how The Infinite Dial describes Vocalo:
In intent, it’s a next-generation NPR and there’s no shortage of agreement on the need for such a thing. In practice, Vocalo alternately recalls a lot of things–the college radio of 30 years ago, the earliest days of progressive radio, and the almost-completely-lost-to-history black progressive radio of the ’70s. It is also very reminiscent of the “Open Source Radio” experiment on CBS’ KYOU San Francisco.
Don’t worry if 89.5 MHz doesn’t come in where you are, the station provides an internet stream and there are plans to upgrade the station’s wattage.
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9 Responses to “Vocalo: Public Radio For The Region”
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[...] Read more over at Region Life. [...]
Yeah… I’m not turning off my satelite radio for this.
Hi Buzz,
Do you ever listen to Dennis Miller on WIND 560 AM?
Not since I got XM.
He should get on America Right. Laura Inghram, Hanity, and Mark Levin are on there.
I love XM.
Hi Buzz,
I flip around all the time between various stations — if I’m in the car, I listen to Glenn Beck on XM 165, then flip over to Dennis Miller on WIND 560. If I get tired of talk, I flip between XM 46 (Top Tracks), XM 8 (80s) and XM 62 (Suite 62) to satisfy my radio attention deficit disorder.
If I’m at the office, I listen to WLS, then Miller on WIND, then back to Rush on WLS after Miller is over. If it’s 2 p.m. and I’m near a radio, I always try to listen to Roe Conn on WLS.
You can get the XM music channels online. XMRadio.com
I usually have Fred or the 80s channel on in the office.
I used to have an extra antenna and power supply in the office for my XM radio, but I haven’t taken the unit out of my car for a while.
I just can’t seem to bring myself back to radio … maybe this is a reason to give it one last try
Hi Steve,
Good to see you stop by!
The fun thing about Vocalo is that the listeners can potentially produce content that will get on the radio.
I haven’t really had a chance to listen in much — I can’t really pick up the signal very well in my vehicles. I might have to check out the stream as the alternative until the signal upgrade is complete.