Changes coming to Waco Public Radio – KWBU
Beginning September 6th you’ll hear a few new programs on 103.3FM, KWBU. The program line-up has had only a few changes over the majority of KWBU’s 24 plus years as the NPR station for Greater Waco.
“The schedule was designed 25 years ago” Station Manager Brodie Bashaw said. “Repeats on the weekends gave people a chance to hear a rebroadcast, but in this day and age of podcasts and on-demand listening it's no longer a necessity.”
KWBU President Joe Riley added that there are some programs that listeners have asked about for years; now there is room for new programming.
The Moth Radio Hour, Mountain Stage, Radio Lab, Freakanomics, On the Media, and The New Yorker Radio Hour are all coming to KWBU. Also KWBU’s Beth Richards will be hosting the locally produced Broadway on the Brazos. With these additions, the number of repeats drops from eleven to only five.
Marketplace Tech, a daily 4-minute segment exploring how technology is changing our world, is also being added to the line-up.
The talk program Think is being extended to five days per week to include Friday at 1pm, moving Science Friday to a one-hour broadcast at 2pm.
Snap Judgement, the Ted Radio Hour, Travel with Rick Steves, Live Wire, and Beale Street Carvan will be time-shifted.
Also new to the station is Molly-Jo Tilton, serving as KWBU’s full-time reporter. Her prior experience includes a reporter internship with Texas Standard. “I am learning more about the area every day and am excited to bring the stories of this community to our listeners.” She added that she’s looking for interesting and hidden gem subjects in addition to the big happenings.
Rachel Velasco, KWBU’s Community Engagement Coordinator, said, “The medium has changed with technology. There is a gap in funding with many younger listeners believing that just listening is supporting. But that is not how it works for public radio. It takes dollars. We are not funded by people simply listening – a mindset many of that younger generation seem to have.”
All of these changes – new programs and the additions to staff of a dedicated full-time reporter and a community engagement coordinator – are elements of KWBU’s Five-Year Plan, a blueprint of strategic objectives to heighten the station’s service to – and support from – the greater Waco community. The focus for FY ’24-’25, the middle year of the plan, is to increase the station’s base of support. Currently only about 5% of the regular listeners make annual donations; doubling this number will provide stability going forward. KWBU’s fall drive, coming October 3 – 11, will be called “Build the Base – Fund the Five-Year Plan, and it will provide more details about challenges and next steps for Waco Public Radio.
Finally, KWBU’s 25th year is approaching, with special events planned through the 2025 calendar year to celebrate this momentous anniversary. Stay tuned!