Communiqué
Jazz and Bluegrass music streams are now available on-demand on WOUB.org and the WOUB App
< < Back toThe streams launched on March 21
ATHENS, OH – WOUB has launched two new 24/7 online streaming audio channels on WOUB’s new On-Demand page at woub.org/ondemand. The channels feature Bluegrass and Jazz music.
“For me, it’s intrinsically exciting to put together a good music program, and these are two great big programs,” said WOUB Director of Radio Rusty Smith. “And it’s always exciting to envision something, plan to do the work, and have a finished product. Mostly, I think it will prove to be two valuable services. The big Bluegrass streamer (WAMU in DC) stopped, so we can fill that void. There are other jazz services out there, but we will have our own take.”
Because WOUB FM has a long history with both genres of music, it makes sense for the station to offer these streaming services to interested listeners. For the last two years, Smith has worked with Ohio University work study students to digitize the WOUB Music Library.
“We have programmed Jazz on WOUB to some extent since before I joined the staff in 1981. As a fine arts service from 1987 to 2002, we played Classical music during the day and Jazz at night. The Classical CDs were donated to the Ohio University School of Music in 2002, but the Jazz was kept at WOUB as source material for the free-format show Audiosyncrasies. Listeners have asked for more Jazz and commented positively on programs featuring it,” said Smith. “We started playing Bluegrass in the 1970s, featuring live performance on Pickin’ and Grinnin’ and then production of the Bluegrass Hornbook program by staffer Leon Smith and community volunteer Marie Dickson. After that show was produced, Dickson continued by creating the original one-hour weekly show D28+5. It has been one of our more popular programs ever since. So, there is demonstrated audience interest for each format coupled with our ability to deliver the services.”
Smith says people in this region enjoy both Bluegrass and Jazz music and WOUB has a vast library of digitized music in both genres to program both the D28 + 5 stream and the All This Jazz stream.
“A big reason we are doing this now is that we have ability to do it. We now have the equipment, software, and streaming outlets to be able to offer it. The biggest set up for both Jazz and Bluegrass streams would be the digitization or acquisition of music. This is something we have been doing anyway. For the past few years, we have been taking our CD library and entering it into our playout system for airplay. The main goal was to have a big library of Bluegrass for Sunday afternoon D28 + 5 and a big library of Jazz available for Audiosyncrasies on Sunday nights, as well as for Radio Free Athens on our AM service. With the Bluegrass library completed, and the Jazz library, which is huge, well underway, it is a smaller step to set things up for live streaming. Plus, new releases get added weekly. Overall, it is part of our effort to offer listeners more and better choices.”
The new On-Demand page also has direct links to the radio and television schedules, current content from PBS and NPR sources, as well as WOUBs local content. Users will also find easy access to their WOUB Passport account, and the page highlights new content available on Passport and current Passport favorites.
Listeners can access the streams by visiting woub.org/ondemand. The streams are also available on the WOUB Public Media app.