May 19, 2008
MADISON STUDENT RADIO ALUM RETURNS FOR ON-AIR MARATHON;
ASHLEY WATKINS WINS THE BRUCE RAVID AWARD;
MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT SCHEDULED
A music business veteran will return to the halls of WSUM (91.7) on Thursday, May 22, to host a 7-hour marathon broadcast and preside over the announcement of a major financial donation to the student station. Bruce Ravid, '74, will be joined by several student staff members, a number of independent bands including The Redwalls, Switches and Skybombers, and outgoing Chancellor John D. Wiley, who is stepping down in September.
In addition to reflecting on his tenure as Chancellor, Wiley is expected to announce a major financial gift to WSUM to help fund construction of the station's new facilities in the University Square project. The WSUM offices, on the 4th floor of the new building, will include seven separate studios and listening rooms as well as a large news area and a new music library.
Ravid's "Raveathon" will be broadcast from 1-8pm on Thursday. Chancellor Wiley's interview is scheduled at 2pm. (Complete schedule is posted below) WSUM can be heard on FM in Madison at 91.7 and worldwide on the Internet at www.wsum.org
WSUM remains on the air even though the Spring semester is over and the Summer session doesn't start for a few more weeks. To make up for being short-handed during this period, WSUM General Manager Dave Black invited Ravid to fill a day's worth of programming as he did in January of 2007 and again this past January.
Ravid began his music industry career at what was then a closed circuit station on the UW campus. He went on to be a Promotions Executive with Capitol Records, and moved over to the talent side in the A&R Dept. where, among other things, he signed The Knack to their Capitol Records contract. (Yes, we have Bruce Ravid to thank for "My Sharona.") He also helped guide the recording careers of Iron Maiden, Duran Duran, Missing Persons, The Motels, Thomas Dolby and Weird Al Yankovic.
Ravid now runs an executive search firm in Los Angeles specializing in the IT industry, but he has kept his ties to the music industry and to the UW...endowing a chair in the trumpet section of the UW Marching Band and supporting WSUM, which gives an annual award to an outstanding student staff member in his name. His monthly indie rock webcast, Go Deep, can be heard at
http:www.ravesraves.com
Among the WSUM student staff members expected to participate on Thursday is Ashley Watkins AKA Boss Lady DJ. She is the 2008 recipient of the Bruce Ravid Music Industry Award, given for the greatest contributions to the station's music direction over the past year. A former WSUM Music Director, she will sit in at
4:20pm as part of a Punk Trio with current WSUM MD Amanda Bruno and Ben Spies.
The Redwalls, based in Chicago, made their Madison debut at the World's Largest Brat Fest in 2005 and are coming off recent appearances on both the Jay Leno and David Letterman shows. They're scheduled to appear on the Raveathon at 1:45.
Switches, from the UK, recently appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live and will be on WSUM at 4pm
Skybombers keep the spirit of garage bands alive. After seeing them at Musexpo in LA a few weeks ago, one music business icon said he hadn't been this excited about a new band since seeing the Ramones in the late 70's. They'll be on at 5:30.
COMPLETE RAVEATHON SCHEDULE (All times tenative...it's a college radio station, after all)
1:30 Derek Eby (blues/rock)
1:45 The Redwalls
2:00 Chancellor Wiley (Major announcement)
3:40 Josh Tyack
4:00 Switches
4:20 Punk trio (Ashley Watkins AKA Boss Lady DJ, Amanda Bruno and Ben Spies)
5:30 Skybombers
5:45 Y Mae Sussman (WSUM Station Manager)
6:45 or 7 Matt Hunziker (Britrock)
7 or 7:15 Danno (80's specialist)
MADISON STUDENT RADIO ALUM RETURNS FOR ON-AIR MARATHON;
ASHLEY WATKINS WINS THE BRUCE RAVID AWARD;
MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT SCHEDULED
A music business veteran will return to the halls of WSUM (91.7) on Thursday, May 22, to host a 7-hour marathon broadcast and preside over the announcement of a major financial donation to the student station. Bruce Ravid, '74, will be joined by several student staff members, a number of independent bands including The Redwalls, Switches and Skybombers, and outgoing Chancellor John D. Wiley, who is stepping down in September.
In addition to reflecting on his tenure as Chancellor, Wiley is expected to announce a major financial gift to WSUM to help fund construction of the station's new facilities in the University Square project. The WSUM offices, on the 4th floor of the new building, will include seven separate studios and listening rooms as well as a large news area and a new music library.
Ravid's "Raveathon" will be broadcast from 1-8pm on Thursday. Chancellor Wiley's interview is scheduled at 2pm. (Complete schedule is posted below) WSUM can be heard on FM in Madison at 91.7 and worldwide on the Internet at www.wsum.org
WSUM remains on the air even though the Spring semester is over and the Summer session doesn't start for a few more weeks. To make up for being short-handed during this period, WSUM General Manager Dave Black invited Ravid to fill a day's worth of programming as he did in January of 2007 and again this past January.
Ravid began his music industry career at what was then a closed circuit station on the UW campus. He went on to be a Promotions Executive with Capitol Records, and moved over to the talent side in the A&R Dept. where, among other things, he signed The Knack to their Capitol Records contract. (Yes, we have Bruce Ravid to thank for "My Sharona.") He also helped guide the recording careers of Iron Maiden, Duran Duran, Missing Persons, The Motels, Thomas Dolby and Weird Al Yankovic.
Ravid now runs an executive search firm in Los Angeles specializing in the IT industry, but he has kept his ties to the music industry and to the UW...endowing a chair in the trumpet section of the UW Marching Band and supporting WSUM, which gives an annual award to an outstanding student staff member in his name. His monthly indie rock webcast, Go Deep, can be heard at
http:www.ravesraves.com
Among the WSUM student staff members expected to participate on Thursday is Ashley Watkins AKA Boss Lady DJ. She is the 2008 recipient of the Bruce Ravid Music Industry Award, given for the greatest contributions to the station's music direction over the past year. A former WSUM Music Director, she will sit in at
4:20pm as part of a Punk Trio with current WSUM MD Amanda Bruno and Ben Spies.
The Redwalls, based in Chicago, made their Madison debut at the World's Largest Brat Fest in 2005 and are coming off recent appearances on both the Jay Leno and David Letterman shows. They're scheduled to appear on the Raveathon at 1:45.
Switches, from the UK, recently appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live and will be on WSUM at 4pm
Skybombers keep the spirit of garage bands alive. After seeing them at Musexpo in LA a few weeks ago, one music business icon said he hadn't been this excited about a new band since seeing the Ramones in the late 70's. They'll be on at 5:30.
COMPLETE RAVEATHON SCHEDULE (All times tenative...it's a college radio station, after all)
1:30 Derek Eby (blues/rock)
1:45 The Redwalls
2:00 Chancellor Wiley (Major announcement)
3:40 Josh Tyack
4:00 Switches
4:20 Punk trio (Ashley Watkins AKA Boss Lady DJ, Amanda Bruno and Ben Spies)
5:30 Skybombers
5:45 Y Mae Sussman (WSUM Station Manager)
6:45 or 7 Matt Hunziker (Britrock)
7 or 7:15 Danno (80's specialist)