WYMS (88.9 FM) is a

non-commercial A non-commercial (also spelled noncommercial) activity is an activity that does not, in some sense, involve commerce, at least relative to similar activities that do have a commercial objective or emphasis. For example, advertising-free community ...

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

. The station currently airs an eclectic adult album alternative music format, branded as "88Nine Radio Milwaukee". The station's license is owned by Milwaukee Public Schools, though it is managed and programmed by an outside group, also named Radio Milwaukee. In addition, WYMS airs weekly school board meetings on the over-the-air signal as a condition of MPS leasing the signal to Radio Milwaukee. The station broadcast in the

HD Radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for an in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. It generally simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD Radio is used ...

(digital hybrid) format, with its second subchannel carrying a locally-based automated AAA format. WYMS transmits from the WITI TV Tower in Shorewood and has their studios at 220 E. Pittsburgh Avenue in the

Walker's Point Walker's Point or Walkers Point may refer to: Australia * Walkers Point, Queensland, a locality in the Fraser Coast Region * Walkers Point, Queensland (Bundaberg Region), a town in Woodgate in the Bundaberg Region United States *Walker's Point, ...

area, with backup facilities maintained at the former main studios in the MPS administration building on W. Vliet Street in the Washington Park neighborhood. The Vliet studios continue to be maintained for school board meetings and for FCC correspondence, which remains under the purview of MPS. The public radio station announced its purchase of the new studio facility in March 2013. It includes four recording studios, among other amenities. The move was completed in August 2013, with the station's first music awards ceremony held in the winter of 2013.

History

Initially, WYMS ran

mainstream jazz Mainstream jazz is a term coined in the 1950s by music journalist Stanley Dance, who considered anything within the popular jazz of the Swing Era "mainstream",McRae, Barry. 2005. "Sound Investment: Mainstream." ''Jazz Journal International'', Au ...

as "Jazz 89" with various ethnic programming (particularly

Polka Polka is a dance and genre of dance music originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though associated with Czech culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the Americas. History Etymology The term ...

music) on the weekends, along with the standard

high school radio High school radio are radio stations located at high schools and usually operated by its students with faculty supervision. The oldest extant high school AM radio station is AM 1450 KBPS in Portland, Oregon. Portland radio station KBPS, first li ...

programming and training intended by the operation of a school district radio station. In the spring of 2002, Milwaukee Public Schools had a budget shortfall and the station's operations were handed over to

WUWM WUWM (89.7 FM, "Milwaukee's NPR") is the flagship National Public Radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is owned and operated by the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and licensed to the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin Syste ...

at the

University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a public urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and a member of the University of Wiscons ...

. For a short period, WYMS simulcasted WUWM's programming before switching over to syndicated mainstream jazz music after listener criticism of the duplicative programming. MPS soon offered the rights to an interest non-profit to take over WYMS's operations, with Radio Milwaukee eventually being approved by the MPS board to operate and program the station. Under management of Radio Milwaukee, the station planned to introduce an

eclectic Eclectic may refer to: Music * ''Eclectic'' (Eric Johnson and Mike Stern album), 2014 * ''Eclectic'' (Big Country album), 1996 * Eclectic Method, name of an audio-visual remix act * Eclecticism in music, the conscious use of styles alien to th ...

contemporary music format. After many delays and target sign-on dates, the station dropped the automated jazz programming and began stunting on February 23, 2007. The new format officially debuted on February 26, with on-air personalities first appearing on March 5. In May 2010 the station picked up '' World Cafe'' from WUWM after that station considered the program's music direction out of format. In May 2016 88Nine Radio Milwaukee welcomed Glenn Kleiman as executive director. January 2019 saw WYMS officially join NPR as a member station. On August 11, 2022, WYMS partnered with Super Hi Fi to launch an online radio station called "Rhythm Lab Radio".

References

External links

88Nine Radio Milwaukee (WYMS)"WYMS-FM deal nearly complete""The struggle for Radio Station WYMS"
* {{coord, 43.091, N, 87.897, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title YMS Adult album alternative radio stations in the United States Public broadcasting in Wisconsin NPR member stations Radio stations established in 1973 1973 establishments in Wisconsin