Built with reclaimed wood and secondhand treasures, the home base of Riverwest Radio is every bit as eclectic as the station’s programming.
Dozens of local shows broadcast each month from studios in two storefront windows, and they range in topics from activism to French culture to local businesses. Whoever wants a show typically gets one. This low barrier to entry gives the community radio station a ragtag charm that it’s held since its founding in 2012.
“Up until now, we’ve played this like everything’s held together by chewing gum and duct tape,” says founder and station manager Xav Leplae. “But it doesn’t have to be that way forever.”
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
Over FM 104.1, Riverwest Radio’s audience is limited by its low-power signal. But Leplae thinks the station has room for growth beyond the dial in the digital world – more specifically, podcasting.
Ahead of a river cruise gala in May, Riverwest Radio announced plans to establish a podcast network of its shows. Every broadcast is already uploaded automatically to Soundcloud, but the new network would allow each show to have its own podcast feed available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other popular platforms. It will potentially expand their audience.
“Right now, we don’t have that functionality because it’s too costly and, to be honest, there’s only so many things we can do in a day,” Leplae says. The gala raised over $7,600, which Leplae says is the most in the station’s history. The money will go toward purchasing feeds, outfitting the studios with cameras for video podcasts and more operating costs throughout next year.
In a time when anyone can record a podcast on their phone, Leplae says it’s not only this access to high-quality equipment at no cost that brings people to Riverwest Radio, but its role as a third space. “People need a place that’s not home and not work … where they can do something creative,” he says. “We are a place that people can be a part of, and they know each other’s names.”
Even though Leplae is casting a global net, the station is maintaining its local focus. For starters, Riverwest Radio relies on its producers – in exchange for that free equipment – helping with fundraising and other small tasks that keep the ship afloat. And when the station went fully remote during the pandemic, it lost its luster, Leplae says. “You [started] to wonder why you even have this organization at all.” Keeping the doors open keeps Riverwest Radio vibrant and local in character, he says, and that’s what makes the station special.
The podcast initiative calls back to the station’s goal to give the public access to equipment and a safe space to be heard. And any listener who just wants to stick to FM can. “That will never go away,” Leplae says. “Just like vinyl, I think it will always be around.”
