Listener Supported Community Radio in Viroqua, WI.

WDRT's First Day of Broadcasting a Huge Success!

Thanks to Our Listeners and Supporters

At 9:00 a.m. on Friday, September 17th, WDRT 91.9FM issued its first, historic broadcast from its Main Street studios in Viroqua, Wisconsin. Listeners at home and in their cars from as far away as Brownsville, Minnesota and Blue River, Wisconsin called to let us know they were picking up the signal. A steady stream of visitors stopped by the station to wish us well. The voice of community radio was also heard in cafes and shops in Viroqua, Westby, and Soldiers Grove.

WDRT thanks all the volunteers, members, business supporters, and listeners who made our first day of broadcasting possible. Creating this small-town station has truly been a community effort. An article in the Vernon County Broadcaster presents a good summary of where we are and how we got here.

We take seriously our mission of delivering a wide mix of music and cultural affairs programming and educating the public on broadcasting, reporting, and audio production. We welcome you to stop by the station, e-mail, or call us to share your ideas.

The public is also invited to join WDRT's Board, members, and volunteers at our first Annual Meeting. It takes place in the Fellowship Hall at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Viroqua on Tuesday, September 21st, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Wednesday, September 29th

Join us for Rhubarb Pie, Ice Cream, and Storytelling

Radio personality, author, Lake Wobegon creator and storytelling legend Garrison Keillor will visit Viroqua, Wisconsin to celebrate WDRT's launch on Wednesday, September 29. The celebration includes a Rhubarb Pie & Ice Cream Social with Garrison Keillor, 3:00-4:30 p.m. at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 504 S. Main St., Viroqua and the Be Well & Do Good Work Community Celebration with Garrison Keillor 4:30-5:30 p.m. at the Western Wisconsin Food Enterprise Center, 1201 N. Main St., Viroqua.

In addition. WDRT will honor its Founding Members at a Donor Appreciation Luncheon with Garrison Keillor from 12:00 to 1:15 p.m. at Optimo Cafe in Viroqua. For more details contact info@wdrt.org. Seats are limited and going fast!

We're delighted that Garrison Keillor is offering his public support for Southwestern Wisconsin's only community radio station, WDRT 91.9FM. He, like us, believes in the power of independent, noncommercial radio. He'll be here for the day to tour and record in our studios, tape an interview in front of a live audience at our local Lutheran church, and do what he does best, tell stories.

Note that WDRT's official broadcast debut is still scheduled for September 17th. Thanks to the many dedicated volunteers who are working night and day to make this dream a reality!

WDRT Successfully Tests Its Transmitter

Signal Heard Throughout the Coulee Region

At 4:50 p.m. on August 28th, 2010, WDRT's engineers flipped the switch on our transmitter and the first strains of music were broadcast over the 91.9FM frequency.

A few excited board members drove around the four-county area that night to determine our coverage area. To our delight, the signal reached farther than we'd dreamed. As expected, it was strong in Viroqua, Westby, La Farge, Viola, and Readstown. But WDRT 91.9FM was also heard as far away as Mt. Sterling, Gillingham, Rockbridge, Hillsboro, DeSoto, Coon Valley, Cashton, and Soldiers Grove. One intrepid board member even parked at the apex of the narrow, rickety bridge between DeSoto and Lansing to enjoy the clear signal he found there.

If you heard us, too, bear in mind that the transmitter was running in test mode, which issues a lower quality signal than what you'll hear when we broadcast live from the studio. If you missed us, you don't have long to wait until we're back on the air! Volunteers are racing to prepare for our scheduled debut on 9/17.

Getting the transmitter installed and running marks a huge milestone for the station. Behind the scenes many people spent countless hours preparing for this moment and dealing with many diverse challenges along the way. WDRT thanks its all-volunteer technical crew as well as the folks from BroadcastDoc Technical Services and Vernon Telephone Cooperative for their help.

Have you joined the groundswell?

WDRT Awarded Citizen Journalism Grant

Training To Begin This Fall

WDRT has received a $6000 grant from the Sparkplug Foundation to establish a citizen journalism training program. With this grant we will train residents of all ages on gathering, writing, producing, and broadcasting local news. The grant also allows us to create a repeatable training model that can be used to educate groups for years to come.

Training funded by the Sparkplug Foundation grant will begin this fall. Classes will be conducted by professional radio journalism instructors. Topics covered will include: interviewing, fact-checking, investigative journalism, journalism ethics, writing for radio, audio recording, and editing. WDRT's state-of-the-art broadcast studios will serve as the classrooms. Projects developed in training will air during WDRT's local news and information programs.

Citizen journalism will play a key role in WDRT's programming. In an era when only five media corporations own the vast majority of our nation’s TV and radio stations, newspapers, and magazines, we believe local news production is more important than ever.

Contact us at info@wdrt.org if you're interested in participating in our citizen journalism training.

July 2010 Newsletter Hits the Newsstands

Read All About It!

Check out the latest WDRT 91.9FM newsletter. We’re all terribly excited about the arrival and installation of the new broadcast antenna! You can see it on the left-hand side of Hwy 14 as you head north toward Westby, and the right-hand side as you head south toward Viroqua. Have a look at all the photos, including some great views of the countryside and the cities of Viroqua and Westby “from the air.”

Read an interview with Carl and Jeff, our super excellent studio construction heros.

There’s much more to learn about in the newsletter. Check it out!

Please consider becoming a member. At just $60 you’ll get a membership card, a bumper sticker and a WDRT t–shirt!

As always, feel free to contact us by email, Facebook, or on the phone at 638-WDRT (638-8378).

Studio Buildout Nearing Completion

Great Construction Progress!

The WDRT construction crew has been hard at work building the two broadcast studios. They've got all the drywall up (all three layers!), and as of the last day of June were nearly done taping the drywall joints and corners.

The studio equipment has been ordered, and the desks are being custom built by Joe Clark.

Next up will be the windows, the ventilation system and the doors.

Many people have been helping with the construction.

If you have questions or would like to contribute in any way to help bring WDRT 91.9FM to the airwaves, please contact us at info@wdrt.org.

And More!

WDRT’s Latest Newsletter

Check out WDRT 91.9FM’s May 2010 newsletter. Get the scoop on studio construction, outpourings of community support, a swelling music collection, and some talented 2nd graders.

WDRT’s 3rd Community Listening Session takes place this Wednesday, May 26th, at 6:30 p.m. at the Kickapoo Valley Reserve Visitor’s Center. Volunteers are moving quickly to get the station on the airwaves by the end of summer, but we still need YOU -- your feedback, your voice, your thoughts on programming. Share in building the dream of a local, noncommercial radio station.

Remember Kickapalooza ’09? Well, WDRT is doing it again. The Second Annual Kickapalooza will take place at the Vernon County Fairgrounds on Saturday, October 16th, 2010. It might sound far off, but we’ve already begun working to bring you a musical benefit that’s bigger and better than last year’s. Want to help? Anyone interested in Kickapalooza 2010 planning is welcome to attend a meeting on Thursday, May 27th at 6:30 p.m. It’ll take place in Community Room 1 (downstairs) at Vernon Memorial Hospital in Viroqua.

If you have questions or would like to contribute in any way to help bring WDRT 91.9FM to the airwaves, please contact us at info@wdrt.org.

Share Your Ideas About Radio

Join the Community Voice!

Yes, we're filling in the programming schedule and putting up studio walls, but there's still time to tell us your thoughts about the region's only community radio station! Join us on the evening of May 26th at the Kickapoo Valley Reserve Visitor's Center in La Farge. WDRT volunteers will facilitate an open discussion about how Driftless area residents want their station to sound and operate in the community.

Want to host a show? Or help those who do? Stop by on May 26th to share your ideas and help us bring this vibrant public resource to the airwaves.

You can also become a WDRT Ground Level member for a tax-deductible donation of $60. Get your very own WDRT t-shirt and bumper sticker!

WDRT's 3rd Community Listening Session takes place:

	Wednesday, May 26, 2010
	6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
	Kickapoo Valley Reserve Visitor's Center
	Located on Hwy 131 north of La Farge

Hope to see you there!

Shindig at the Viking Inn!

WDRT's May Day Benefit

WDRT 91.9FM, the Driftless region's only community radio station, is holding its spring benefit bash on May 1, 2010.

Rock to the sounds of Ted Parrish's Bad Axe Blues Band and the Jfar Coretet. Show your love for community radio and help the volunteers at WDRT bring this vibrant public resource to the airwaves by the end of summer.

Become a WDRT founding member. Get your first-edition WDRT t-shirt and bumper sticker!

WDRT's May Day Benefit Bash takes place:

	Saturday, May 1, 2010
	8 p.m. til Late
	Upstairs at The Viking Inn in Viroqua
	Suggested Donation: $10
	Beer, food, and other refreshments available

**Sign up to be a Ground Level member (with a $60 contribution) and admission is FREE!**

March 2010 Newsletter Hits the Streets!

March Newsletter

Download your copy of the WDRT 91.9FM's March 2010 newsletter

Highlights in this newsletter include:

• 2nd Community Listening Session in Westby on March 25th
• May 1, 2010: Save the date for WDRT's Spring Benefit Bash
• Programming Volunteers Wanted
• And more!

Download and read about what’s up and let us know what you think. Send a note to info@wdrt.org