WFIU has added a second FM radio channel for listeners who want to decide what programming they want hear.
The station previously alternated between music, news and local programming. Now, if a listener prefers only music or only talk programs, they can dial between the two stations.
“We have audiences that either listen to mostly news or mostly music,” WFIU Operations Director John Bailey said. “They’re sizeable, but distinct.”
Marketing director Laura Baich said the station’s channel went full-power early in October.
“We’ve tested it out, and we found out that the signal can actually reach Seymour,” Baich said.
The second channel on 101.9 FM will offer complementary programming -- meaning that when WFIU plays music, WFIU2 will have talk programming and vice versa. Previously, this feature was only available to listeners if they had a way to tune in to the station’s HD radio channel or the ability to stream the programs online.
“FM is still the main way that people come to us,” Bailey said. “That’s about 90 percent of our audience.”
Bailey said radio is a habit for many people, especially older individuals who make up a significant portion of the station’s 45,000 listeners who tune in at least once a week.
He admitted the number of people who reach the station through radio is being chipped at little by little.
“I ask my class every year if anyone woke up to a clock radio this morning,” Bailey said. “This year, in a class of 78, not a single hand went up.”
The station’s list of complete programming for both channels can be found at wfiu.org.
Additionally, the station is interested in receiving feedback on how WFIU2 sounds. Listeners can email wfiu@indiana.edu with their location and comments on the new station.
