When WSUM, Madison Student Radio, began broadcasting over the Internet in 1997, it had a limited following, according to WSUM Communications Director Ethan Cowen.
\It's hard to market something only on the Internet,"" he said.
The station's past listening body has consisted mainly of other students, especially those in dorms with high-speed Internet connections, and family members of those involved in production.
But now with a signal that reaches all of Dane County, WSUM 91.7 is hoping to attract diverse interests. As a noncommercial station, it will avoid playing Top 40 hits like larger radio stations.
""We don't dictate to the DJs,"" said WSUM Program Director Jacob Felix Heule. ""[There are] a lot of people waiting for us to fill holes left open by other programmers, especially in areas like electronic music and hip hop.""
With a schedule that includes jazz in the morning and talk in the afternoon, WSUM is expecting to be a competitor for local stations.
But Michael Keck, vice president market manager for 105.5 Triple M, 105.1 The Buzz and 94.9 WOLX said he doesn't see WSUM as direct competition.
All his stations ""do well because they serve various niches,"" he said. ""All attract students too, even the oldies station, [which] has a significant number of younger listeners.""
If this is true, then some people may wonder whether students will, in fact, listen to WSUM.
Kristen Moss, a UW-Madison junior, walks by the Towers every day and said she has noticed a new energy about the station, whose office is on the second floor.
Although she did not listen to it when broadcast over the Internet, she said she will ""definitely check it out"" now.
UW-Madison junior Crystal DeGrote said she has followed articles over the past year on the fight between the town of Montrose and WSUM over building the broadcasting tower and is curious about what WSUM has to offer.
""I'm really pretty open to music,"" she said.
And although suspicious of the typically ""alternative"" college radio station, DeGrote said that ""Green Day used to be considered alternative before they made the Top 40.""
Some students, however, have not heard of the station and know little of Friday's launch.
""I don't even know what that is,"" said UW-Madison law student Jen Peltz.
The station is working hard to change this lack of information, mainly with a ""grassroots promotional campaign,"" such as chalking the sidewalks, according to WSUM Promotions Director Josh Ferguson.
""We're doing something different from everyone else,"" Ferguson said.
Besides trying to attract students, WSUM will try reach out to the rest of the community as well, Ferguson said.
""Our ultimate goal is to have 20 hours of promoting a week that is centered around community issues,"" he said.
According to Ferguson, WSUM is currently trying to use the radio station itself as a promotional tool and, with someone in charge of community service, is trying to be involved in as many community events as possible.
He cited WORT 89.9, another community supported radio station as ""very eclectic,"" and said he sees WSUM as meeting it in the middle with a ""listener-friendly sound for a general audience. We're working to create an open relationship with WORT.""
