WFHB radio station seeks local talent

Local bands with dreams of being heard on the radio may see those dreams realized sooner than expected.

WFHB Community Radio will make a greater effort to collect local music and give airplay to local artists by sponsoring the Local Music Collection Drive.
The collection will transform supporting local businesses into drop-off zones for musicians to submit their music for review and airtime consideration.

“Outside of live performance, local radio is such a great way to get new releases heard and create good buzz in the community about new music,” WFHB Assistant Music Director Nicole O’Neal said.

O’Neal, who came up with the idea for the project, said she hopes it will encourage more musicians to consider community and local radio as an option to promote and share their art.

This is not the first time WFHB has played local music on its airwaves.
The station runs the Local Music Show on Wednesdays from 9 to 11 p.m. in addition to normal play times.

“I always wondered why so many musicians did not recognize the opportunity of local radio for airplay, especially in such a community-oriented town,” O’Neal said.
The Pharos, a local band, realized the opportunity when the members were able to hear their music played on WFHB’s airwaves last summer.

“We were very excited when we heard our music on the radio,” Pharos drummer Nick Huster said. “It was an awesome experience and helped us reach out to a larger
audience.”

Jim Mansion, WFHB’s music director, said it’s hard to convince local artists to submit their music to the station.

He said he hopes the drive will change this.

“What it’s about is the ongoing difficulty to get Bloomington bands to send in their music,” Mansion said. “We don’t want the local music scene to lose touch with us.”

Music must be submitted in physical form using compact disc, cassette or vinyl record.
To be considered for airtime, musicians must make sure their music is not considered offensive or inappropriate for the radio.

Drop-off zones are located at the Bishop, Landlocked Music, Max’s Place, Melody Music Shop, Rewind Records & Recording Studio, Rhino’s Youth Center, TD’s Cds and LPs and the Vance Music Center.

“We definitely want to hear from everybody,” Mansion said. “WFHB is open to everything.”