In the 1970s, as an ambitious group of Madisonians worked tirelessly to build a community radio station, their final task was to come up with a name. They landed on “WORT,” inspired by the critical component of brewing that gives yeast the ingredients it needs to ferment.
The idea was the radio station would plant seeds of free and unique ideas into the community, letting them grow and ferment in the minds of their listeners, founder Dave Devereaux-Weber explained to The Daily Cardinal. Without wort, beer spoils and without WORT-FM 89.9, Madison loses out on a crucial piece of its community.
Now in its 50th year, WORT continues to embody the name it was founded on. WORT is Madison’s community radio station, delivering non-commercial, listener-sponsored radio to southeastern Wisconsin and beyond. The station boasts 80 different programs, including 59 music shows ranging from innovative jazz to classic country and most genres in between. Built on the dedication of hundreds of volunteers, it is a station for the community, from the community.
“The ability to play what we want — you can’t compare it to any other radio station in Madison,” WORT host “The Real Jaguar” told the Cardinal.
The Real Jaguar — whose actual name is Gabreal — is part of the army of volunteers that make WORT tick. Every Friday afternoon he jockeys “Who Cooks For You?,” a music show featuring an eclectic mix of genres and decades.
The show starts with whatever music Gabreal is feeling at that moment, and as his mood changes, he plays whatever seems fitting. One November show featured everything from Peruvian cumbia to hip-hop and reggae.
“I’ve found that in having that ability and freedom to weave in and out of different styles, genres, decades, then you get these magical moments when music overlaps,” Gabreal said. “To me, that’s what it’s all about.”
Volunteers like Gabreal bring the uniqueness that reverberates through WORT’s airwaves. They give WORT their time and energy, and in turn, WORT gives them an outlet to share their passion for music with the community.
“It’s the passion for the music and the interest in sharing it with people,” WORT’s music director Sybil Augustine said. “That’s what drives [WORT] forward.”
Digital production director Aaron Scholz likens WORT’s volunteer base to a club.
“If you have a lot of time, if you don’t have a lot of time, if you can be at the station, if you can’t be at the station, we can find stuff for you to do,” he said. “It’s a big club, and it’s really easy to join the club. You just gotta show up and hang out.”
By following this model for 50 years, WORT has become an integral piece of Madison’s music scene. Acting as a messenger between local artists and the community, WORT’s programming highlights countless Madison musicians. The radio station differentiates itself from other area stations by giving artists the space needed to thrive and the community the opportunity to discover local music.
And as part of a promotional exchange process, local venues frequently reach out to WORT to promote shows and give out tickets. In exchange, venues hang a WORT banner on stage. Together, these steps add to the sense of community WORT strives to create, while also strengthening its listenership in a trying time for radio.
As WORT adapts to changing media landscape, human spirit remains the station’s base
Radio listenership has been declining nationwide for decades, according to data from Pew Research. Augustine and others around the station recognize that there is no easy fix for the industry’s struggles.
Still, WORT remains an outlier. Gabreal said the station receives 80% of its funding from listeners and is independent from corporate oversight. And by offering vibrant and creative programming 24/7, WORT separates itself from its peers locally and has become a model for similar stations across the country, Augustine said.
With volunteers as the heart of the station, WORT’s lifelong success runs on a cycle of human spirit. Volunteers give WORT the enthusiastic labor that keeps the station running and the human charm that makes it special.
Despite the station’s charming nostalgia — like the CDs and vinyl records that line its cinder-block walls — WORT is embracing the future, even if it means breaking with the media modem that carried it this far.
WORT streams its content through a variety of modern facets, including its app, website and third-party radio apps. On its website, listeners can view both playlists featuring every song played organized by show and fully archived audio content for up to two weeks.
The station has also embraced podcasting and in the future will place an even greater emphasis on reaching listeners in ways that are more convenient for them.
“The idea is that we need to become a media company rather than just a radio station,” Scholz said. “We need to be able to post our stuff forever and post our shows as podcasts specifically and then target people to download those and listen to those rather than just like, ‘here’s our terrestrial radio station, here’s our stream.’”
But even as WORT accepts these media shifts, its knack for running on human flare won’t. WORT continues to provide the essential ingredients that empower the community by independently broadcasting content other stations in Madison can’t. They’ve done it for half a century, and according to their members, they don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.
Editor’s note: “Cardinal Call,” a biweekly radio segment and podcast run by The Daily Cardinal, airs on WORT-FM.
