They call it the “coolest little station in the nation” for a reason. Now in its second year, 98.7 FM WVMO — dubbed “The Voice of Monona” — is attracting listeners with a format that blends authentic local flavor with music programming that harks back to the heyday of commercial radio, when DJs were local rockstars and in charge of what was blasted over the airwaves.
Wisconsin radio hall-of-famer Lindsay Wood Davis, one of the station’s founders, says WVMO is pioneering a new model for community radio stations. After years of planning, Davis helped the City of Monona obtain a low-powered FM radio signal from the Federal Communication Communication.
“We never went into this to try to sound like anybody else. We want to be hyper-local. Local, local, local, local. We literally can’t be too local,” says Davis, who also chairs the city’s radio committee. “At the same time we wanted everything to sound very professional on all levels. Audio sound, reliability, all of those things. Certainly programming.”
Launched in August 2015, WVMO operates out of Monona’s city hall and boasts a small but sophisticated studio built and designed by some of the top radio engineers in the area. The result is a 100-watt signal that covers most of Madison (and all of Monona).
“The short connection from the transmitter to the tower is part of why we sound so crisp. The antenna is right above [the studio] on the Monona Fire Department’s hose drying tower. I just love saying our antenna is on the hose drying tower,” Davis says with glee. “We might be Monona-focused, but we are definitely reaching folks on the east side — all over Madison if you’re listening in your car.”
Most of the music on WVMO is programmed by Madison radio veteran Tom Teuber, former program director of Triple M, 105.5 WMMM-FM. Teuber says the station mainly broadcasts Americana, a genre commercial radio could never quite figure out.
“It’s a type of music that defies labels. So you don’t hear it much on the radio especially how we’re doing it. It’s roots music. It’s folk music. It’s classic country. A little bit of blues … not a lot,” Teuber says. “One of the rules we have is no Auto-tune. No drum machines. Just good music.”
The Voice of Monona’s catalog is extensive. The station plays deep cuts from artists like Lyle Lovett, Bonnie Raitt, Alabama Shakes, Johnny Cash and Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings as well as local bands like Wheelhouse and Harmonious Wail.
The core of the WVMO’s music collection was supplied by legendary Madison disc jockey Jonathan Little, programmer of the now-defunct WISM. Little was known nationally for setting trends in the music radio world and turned Z104 into a hit station. He donated hundreds of songs, supplemented by Teuber, that make up the station’s ever-growing rotation of Americana.
WVMO follows a classic, small-town music radio clock: Breaks every 20 minutes starting at the top of the hour. But where a commercial radio station would play advertising, WVMO broadcasts a message from the Monona Police about the dangers of illegal fireworks (“If it goes up, it’s illegal”) or driving while texting; a run-down of important city meetings or just a quick hello from the Walsh family on Sylvan Lane. Davis says WVMO serves the community without boring the community.
“One thing people assumed at first is that we were going to broadcast the city council meetings. No we’re not. That’s two and a half hours of, ‘Huh?’” says Davis. “But we do inform people about what the city council is discussing that night. In between these community segments, we have this great, professionally produced music programming that gets people hanging on until the next announcement.”
Around 60 volunteers help run WVMO and forge the station’s close ties to the Monona community. The "WVMO JingleGals" record quirky, 1950s-style station announcements. Students from Glacial Drumlin Middle School have a “Words of Wisdom” segment. There’s even a “Hooked on Monona” fishing report.
Volunteers also produce music shows. The station has a traditional Dixieland jazz program hosted by former mayor Dick Litchfield and his wife Mary Ann. Retired Monona public works employee Jim Gunderson leads the “British Invasion and Beyond” show. And volunteer Mary Huelsbeck spearheads “Sing it Sister!” which focuses on forgotten gems of rock, pop and soul. Richard March, a UW-Madison folklorist and musician, hosts a polka show. The station also broadcasts specials, like a play-by-play of Monona’s annual wife-carrying competition.
And WVMO is getting noticed. It received six awards this year from the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association, the first time a low-powered, community radio station has won accolades in the statewide contest. The Voice of Monona is also a finalist for “Favorite Local Radio Station” in this year’s Isthmus reader poll (final results will be announced in the Annual Manual on August 24).
“We’re a hit! Our plan is to continue to build on our early success. Get even more local. The city and citizen support for the station is just tremendous,” Davis says. “We aren’t for Monona. We are Monona.”
