The history of Bloomington’s community radio station; a continuing series. Brian Kearney fancied himself a sly fox. By applying for and being accepted as one of Herman B. Wells’ caretakers, he just might be able to obtain the legendary Indiana University leader’s blessing for the proposed Bloomington community radio station. Wells, though, was a slier fox. He knew from the …

As part of our effort to create a comprehensive history of WFHB, Bloomington community radio, we are gathering a library of oral recollections. Among the recordings is that of Richard Fish, a long-time audio engineer and old-time radio program archivist. Fish was in on the development of WFHB as far back as the late 1970s. His voice has been heard …

The history of Bloomington’s community radio station; a continuing series. The group that had formed nearly ten years earlier around Mark Hood and Jeffrey Morris’s idea to start an independent radio station in Bloomington seemed ready to fold. The FCC had denied the group’s application for a license in 1981. Now, in the spring of 1983, a “savior” came back …

The history of Bloomington’s community radio station; a continuing series. In the spring of 1979, a sophomore transfer from the University of North Carolina arrived on Bloomington’s Indiana University campus. By and by, he’d catch wind of the effort to start a community radio station in town. He was a musician, a saxophone player. His name was Brian Kearney. He …

Named the director of the Monroe County Public Library system in May 2022, Grier Carson knew he’d face some daunting challenges. But he was surprised by the news he received when he woke up on January 15th this year, The brand new, award-winning Southwest branch building had suffered extensive damage thanks to an overnight flood. The facility has been closed …

The history of Bloomington’s community radio station; a continuing series. Despite running into the Channel 6 brick wall — powerful WRTV TV Ch. 6 in Indianapolis controlled a lane of the broadcast spectrum uncomfortably close to the noncommercial frequency Jeffrey Morris hoped to secure for the planned Bloomington community radio station — the folks who supported the Community Radio Project …

Like the robin and the crocus, Trashion Refashion is a sign of spring in Bloomington. This year’s runway show at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater is the 15th annual exhibition of clothing designs made of repurposed materials. Molecular biologist Bettina Kehoe is typical of the amateur designers who dabble in recycled  couture. They join artists and trained designers in producing more than …

The history of Bloomington’s community radio station; a continuing series. Every radio station needs a frequency. That is, a lane on the electromagnetic spectrum where its signal — the stuff you’ll actually hear on your radio — can travel. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) acts as a traffic cop, directing each radio and TV station to an assigned lane, its …

She taught herself how to play the guitar and now she wants to help young girls, trans kids, and those questioning their assigned gender learn how to play music too. Amy Oelsner, known to many around Bloomington as Amy O and leader of two bands, one named for her and the other called Brenda’s Friend, is more interested in working …

The history of Bloomington’s community radio station, a continuing series. The motley crew hoping to start a community radio station in Bloomington almost perfectly represented the mid-1970s subculture. The original idea people, Mark Hood and Jeffrey Morris, along with eager WQAX veterans Jim Manion, Richard Fish, Robyn Carey, and Nick Brubaker, could, many of them, be described as late-age-hippies. Manion, …