WUIS Going All News in July

From Brian M. in Illinois.  I moved this from the comments to a post because I thought it would be of general interest.

I am not sure how to contact Marty directly so I will write here as this is news you will want to report. I got an email about an hour ago from WUIS 91.9 my local NPR station in Springfield, IL saying that that they going all news on weekdays starting July 1, 2012. They already aired no Classical music on the weekends and that does not change. I was given a link to their new program schedule here http://www.wuis.org/programs/20120701.pdf. I do not care for jazz but WUIS used to air Jazz from 2000-2200 weekdays. The announcement is also on wuis.org including an interview that can be listened to.

The Classical music continues on WUIS HD-3 as it has been. This move does not surprise me. I filed out a WUIS survey and went to their the station where a consultant met with groups of people asking us what we liked about WUIS but gave no hint of the change. I told people in the meeting that I thought WUIS would go all news. I got the feeling no one was listening to me in the focus group when I said that.

Anyway it does not effect me since I was already listening to their HD-3 station for classical music with all my radios being HD except my shower radio and I use an FM modulator to get classical music on it or listen to WILL-FM 90.9 on it. The only classical music WUIS aired anyway was 9-15 weekdays and I did not listen much to the radio in the morning since I am night person.

Many people in the area including me can also pick up WILL-FM 90.9 Urbana, IL which still airs classical music on their analog signal weekdays except for Morning Edition and All Things Considered. WILL-FM also has an HD2 channel that is all classical music but that does not come in in Springfield, IL. WILL-FM 90.9 comes with a few pops and a little static in the car in Springfield so that is why WUIS HD-3 is a much better choice for Classical music if people have HD radios in their car. Most do not but it can be done if someone wants to bad enough.

WUIS’s simulcasting station to the west WIPA 89.3 Pittsfield, IL does not have HD however.