Converge Radio 99.9

Converge Radio is the home of local and independent music and art in western Wisconsin. Our Story: Blugold Radio 99.9 FM is a radio station that serves a 110-mile broadcast region covering Chippewa, Eau Claire, Dunn, Rusk, Barron, Polk, Pepin and Pierce counties. We are the only station in the region that plays music produced by artists in those counties alongside national music played by independent artists not heard on any other radio station in the region. The UW-Eau Claire Foundation received the radio license and transmitter equipment as a gift, which allows us to offer students and community volunteers direct experience in programming and operating a non-commercial radio station. The gift was accepted under the condition that there would be no university funds directed to the station and that the station would become financially self-sufficient. Our source of financial support is solely through on-air sponsorships and community donations. No other community radio station in the country operates under this model. Our unique ownership and programming mission allows 99.9 to focus on providing access to regional musicians and programming as well as hands on experience in a professional setting. A key aspect of our mission is to ensure local visibility, access and support. Blugold Radio LLC is a subsidiary of the UW-Eau Claire Foundation and owns and operates the station. We work to maximize benefits from key partnerships with UW-Eau Claire, Blugold Athletics, and various other key partnerships in both the media and music landscape of the greater Chippewa Valley region. The programming of 99.9 FM will be unique in the broadcast region with a mixture of unique culturally relevant content enhanced with local and regional indie music. Partnerships: UW-Eau Claire – Partnerships to benefit students and the greater UW-Eau Claire campus community are integral to our mission. We are fiscally independent from UW-Eau Claire and operate through mutually beneficial agreements. At the core, this enables us to share the vibrant campus landscape with the radio community and provide vital opportunities to get student voices on the air. (See On-Campus Partnerships for more information) Blugold Athletics – We are proud to be the official broadcaster of Blugold Athletics. Working with them presents a unique opportunity to develop student sports broadcasters and showcase student athletics. Chippewa Valley Arts & Music Groups – The Eau Claire and greater Chippewa Valley have a wealth of local talent both in creation of local music and art. Due to the international success of Justin Vernon and Bon Iver, Eau Claire has become widely known in the indie rock community. Building upon that, the creation of two festivals bringing local and national talent together has built the vitality of the area. Our partnerships with these groups will focus on sharing both the music and events for this community and hopefully spur increased attendance and involvement. Programming: Music – Blugold Radio 99.9 FM and blugoldradio.org will be the home for Eau Claire indie music and great touring bands coming to this community. This sets us apart in this media market and, based on community conversations, has the potential to be a huge driver of listenership. Shorts – We are currently working with groups throughout UWEC to develop five-minute vignettes to air throughout our programming day. These will range from readings by student and faculty writers, to student produced news packages, to local stand-up comics and beyond. These pieces are envisioned as high quality content which will round out the programming day and have “hooks” which will drive listeners to expanded web content. Sports – Our partnership with Blugold Athletics creates an opportunity to create a professional quality student-produced sportscast. Blugold Radio and Blugold Athletics are working together to ensure that this programming mutually meets the branding and broadcast needs of both organizations.