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COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES
COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES
COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES
COURTESY OF WRUW-FM 91.1 CLEVELAND
COURTESY OF WRUW-FM 91.1 CLEVELAND
COURTESY OF WRUW-FM 91.1 CLEVELAND
The on-campus radio club that eventually became WRUW-FM transmitted its first program over a public address system at Flora Stone Mather College in 1946. Now, Case Western Reserve's station—launched as WRUW in 1967— broadcasts to most of Northeast Ohio, portions of Michigan and southern Canada, as well as the rest of the world via online streaming.
"More Music, Fewer Hits" is as much a rallying cry as it is WRUW's official slogan. With the station's 200,000-plus albums and CDs, trained volunteer DJs are at the station 24 hours a day, concocting eclectic shows dedicated to myriad genres rarely heard on commercial radio—including French new wave, surf rock, underground soul and polka.
The station has about 50 student members and 65 community members (including university alums) with on-air shows, and raises about 45 percent of its $134,000 budget during an annual fund drive. David Caban (CWR '89), pictured top left, host of the Sunday Matinee program of show tunes since his undergraduate days, said the station's longtime home in the Mather Memorial Building "always feels like you're hanging out in your best friend's basement: comfortable and quirky, with a casual vibe that carries over to the airwaves."
