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SignalAn Online Newsletter

WSIU Public Radio

Love is On the Airat WSIU Public Broadcasting

A little love goes a long way...

Supplies are limited, order today!1-800-745-9748wsiu.org/love

Order by February 12 at 1pm

1/2 lb box $45 1 lb box $60 2 lb box $100

Comfort Heart Pillow™

& 1 lb box $120

Send a sweet treat to someone special this Valentine’s Day with a little help from WSIU’s annual Love is On the Air fundraiser. Send delicious hand-made gourmet chocolates, regular or sugar-free, made by The Chocolate Factory in Golconda, Ill. to anywhere in the continental U.S., courtesy of The UPS Store in Carbondale, Ill., formerly Mail Boxes Etc.

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

Morning Conversation

Morning Conversation is hosted by WSIU Radio’s Jennifer Fuller. The show airs at 8:30am on Tuesdays and other weekdays, as scheduled, and repeats at 5:30pm. For updates & to hear past broadcasts, check our calendar atwsiu.org/programs morning-conversation.

February 4 The Stage Company’s “Last of the Red Hot Lovers”. Enjoy a preview of the upcoming show and future productions

February 11SIU Carbondale Chancellor Rita Cheng

February 18Boys and Girls Club “A Night At The Oscars”. We preview their annual fundraiser and discuss available programs.

February 24 SIU President Glenn Poshard

February 25Science Cafe - The Science Center of Southern Illinois presents “Science Cafes” each month. In February, we’ll talk with Ron Naverson and his session, “Masks of Culture.”

Have questions or suggestions for topics to be featured? Contact Jennifer Fuller at jennifer.fuller@wsiu.org or call (618) 453-6101.

This MonTh on

Black History Month 2014

Martin Luther King Jr. is jostled in Memphis as the march he’s leading on March 28, 1968 turns violent.

Photo: University of Memphis Libraries.

February 5 • 8-9pmSay It Plain: A Century of African

American Oratory

February 12 • 8-9pmAn Imperfect Revolution: Voices

from the Desegregation Era

February 19 • 8-9pmThurgood Marshall: Before the Court

February 26 • 8-9pmKing's Last March

american radioWorks presents “King’s Last March”

american radioWorks looks at one of the most difficult and fascinating years of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life – his last year. For many people, the enduring image of King is when he stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963 to give his “I Have A Dream” speech. He was at the height of his political and social power at that time.

By 1967, King’s message to the nation had become more challenging and more radical than many people remember. He condemned America’s war in Vietnam, and he castigated the government for failing to help America’s poor. King was convinced that the nation’s struggles with racism, poverty and war were inextricably linked. While his critics said he was sacrificing the domestic aims of the civil rights movement by speaking out against the Vietnam War, King believed he could not do otherwise.

SOURCES: “King’s Last March” producers Stephen Smith and Kate Ellis of American RadioWorks are available for interviews. Please contact Brad Robideau at American Public Media at (651) 290-1113 or brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org to arrange.

Welcome To SIRISWelcome to siris, sarah elizabeth Maher! As the new SIRIS Operations Manager, Maher is responsible for the broadcast schedule and organizing the local newspapers read by volunteers. She also updates the broadcast schedule and database, and makes sure radios are delivered to users.

Originally from Brimfield, a small farming town just outside of Peoria, Ill., Maher is a junior at SIU Carbondale studying Radio-Television-Digital Media (RTD), with a specialization in Radio/Audio Production. She heard about the SIRIS job through SIU RTD professor Todd Herreman's Audio Engineering class, but was familiar with SIRIS because her grandfather used a similar service back home.

Maher has only been on the job about a month, but enjoys her new position, especially working with volunteers.“They have been amazing,” she says.

“I have a crazy schedule this semester, and they’ve been really flexible about working around my class schedule. They are just a great bunch of people.”

Maher believes that organizations like SIRIS provide a much-needed service. “SIRIS includes people who may feel left out of community life,” she says. “Volunteers become like good friends having a conversation in the listener’s living room. I think that means a lot.”

In addition to working at SIRIS, Maher has volunteered for the St. Jude Run, her local 4-H chapter, and the church

her parents attend in Brimfield. She also loves public radio, and explains, “I usually listen to my favorite programs online, because I don't have a radio here in Carbondale, other than in my car. My favorite program is NPR's All Music Considered, but I do follow a few of their other blogs and postings to keep up to date.”

Maher is also involved with WIDB.net, a student-run radio station on the SIU Carbondale campus, where she’s volunteered since she was a freshman.

“I love music,” says Maher, “and after graduation I hope to put my SIU degree to good use in a programming or production position at a radio station.”

If you’d like to sign up as a SIRIS volunteer, you can reach Maher at sarah.maher@wsiu.org or by stopping by the SIRIS office at 1003 South Oakland in Carbondale on Monday or Thursday from 1-5pm, Tuesday from 11am-2pm, and Friday from 12-5pm.

sarah Maher. Photo: Kate West.

Meet siris volunteer bradley Klein. A native of Rolling

Meadows, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, he earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Architecture from the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana.

Klein moved to southern Illinois in 1994 and works as an architect at White & borgognoni architects in Carbondale. The firm specializes in Higher Education and Special Preservation Architecture, but also residential work, among other projects.

Klein first heard a promo spot for the southern illinois radio information service (siris) years ago, when his free time was more limited. “It planted a seed in the back of my mind,” he says. “I thought SIRIS sounded like the kind of organization I would like to volunteer for in the future.”

Klein started as a volunteer reader for SIRIS and is now a Board Member and Secretary. Board members are responsible for several SIRIS fundraising events each year, including the annual Classic Vinyl & Media sale in the fall, which is the biggest fundraiser, and a Trivia Contest, coming up in March. SIRIS also hosts a potluck each semester so members and volunteers get a chance to know each other.

Says Klein,“The volunteer process is kind of isolated. You come in and read a newspaper into a microphone, and you’re often by yourself. There’s not the sense of camaraderie that you get with other types of volunteer work. So it’s important that board members and volunteers get together at the end of

each semester to interact with each other, discuss SIRIS operations, and share ideas.”

When asked what he enjoyed most about his work with siris, Klein said, “Feeling like I’m helping people who really need a hand. I like knowing

that I’m able to reach out to a population that has to face some tough challenges.” He notes that the gift of sight is often taken for granted by those who can see and feels that not having, or losing, the ability to see can be a real struggle.

“Certainly people get used to being blind or visually impaired,” he says. “Like anyone else, people without sight can be competent and motivated to achieve, and don’t let their visual disability prevent them from accomplishing tremendous things. But, it can be difficult to get

around in world that’s primarily set up for the sighted.”

Klein believes that SIRIS is an important service with the power to make a difference. “We are part of a fabric in the community,” he says. “We are all connected. Being willing

to reach out and help others in need is part of who we need to be as a society. SIRIS provides a vital link to the outside world for so many people. It’s a unique service offering assistance no other group can give.”

In addition to SIRIS, Klein serves as a State Board Member with the American Institute of Architects (AIA), a professional advocacy group for architects. He has also volunteered with the Women’s Center and the Southern Illinois Toastmasters Club, which helps members develop their public speaking and leadership skills.

Klein is engaged to be married, and in his personal time he enjoys hiking and kayaking, activities he points out are perfect for this area. “Both are

good exercise, too,” he says, “but when you get out there in nature, just feeling that connection and all that fresh air and sunshine – it’s just terrific.”

A public radio fan, Klein enjoys listening to a Prairie home companion, Whad’ya Know?, car talk, and his favorite program, this american Life.

If you’d like to volunteer for SIRIS as a reader, assist with events, or to serve on the board, please call the siris office at (618) 453-2808.

SIRIS VOlUnTEER Brad Klein

SIRIS volunteer Brad Klein. Photo: Kate West.

WSIU Public RadioCommunications Building 1003Mail Code 6602Southern Illinois University1100 Lincoln DriveCarbondale IL 62901

(618) 453-6101 wsiuradio@wsiu.org

THANK YOU! please join us in tHanking tHe underWriters!

For a complete list of Wsiu sponsors and information about sponsoring Wsiu’s programs

and services, visit us online at wsiu.org or call (618) 453-4344.

Saturday 7pm • Sunday 6pm

February 1 • New ReleasesCheck in with us this week to hear some of the best songs and tunes from new and recent releases from both sides of the Atlantic.

February 8 • 23rd Anniversary ShowWe celebrate our 23rd anniversary this week with music fit for the celebration. Celtic Connections started as a local program on WSIU in Carbondale, Illinois on February 3, 1991. We are glad to be still going strong!

February 15 • American BandsThis week we’ll be seeking out some of the top Celtic bands in the U.S., including Solas and Cherish the Ladies but also some lesser-known bands.

February 22 • Old FavoritesWe dust off the record shelf this week for some favorite tracks from the past several decades of Irish, Scottish, and English traditional music.

Forbes Financial group of carbondale

Women for health and Wellness of carterville

Big Muddy Film Festival, Dept. of cinema & Photography

at siU carbondale

Budslick counseling & Psychotherapy of carbondale

Design gallery of carbondale

Fat Patties of carbondale

Intuitive Massage & Bodywork of carbondale

southern real Estate group of carbondale

touch of nature Environmental center at siU carbondale

Voss Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. of Murphysboro