Super Bowl Update

WNIN-88.3 FM is preparing to make big changes in late August.

Starting Aug. 27, the public radio station will move away from classical music in the daytime hours to add two new talk programs, more local hosting, and news at the top of every hour from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT.

First among the new programs is NPR's Peabody Award-winning program The Diane Rehm Show, a live call-in show featuring newsmakers, journalists and authors.  Newsweek has called it one of the most interesting talk shows in the country.  Rehm's program originated in 1970 when she took over the show formerly known as Kaleidoscope.  It was renamed The Diane Rehm Show in 1984 and has remained so since.  It will air every weekday morning on WNIN-FM from 9 to 11 a.m. CT.

Also coming to WNIN will be On Point with Tom Ashbrook from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CT.  This show, which "covers everything from breaking news to ancient poetry," and features writers, politicians, journalists, artists, scientists and ordinary citizens from around the world.  On Point debuted in September 2001 and now airs on more than 200 public radio stations nationwide.

Classical music programming will continue to be available from 7 p.m. to 4 a.m.

The aim of the changes at WNIN-FM is to enhance the station's service to the community, said Steve Burger, WNIN's VP of programming and operations for radio and web.  "There's a need for more local news and information, and this is a big step in that direction for us," he explained.

You'll hear more about the new radio lineup beginning on Wednesday, Aug. 1, as the station begins promoting its changes on-air.

Burger also said that as part of what they have dubbed the "next-gen WNIN," the station has made a big investment of several hundred thousand dollars to install emergency generators that will keep both the radio and TV stations on the air in the event of an emergency.

The generator at Carpenter House (the stations' studio in downtown Evansville) is already functional, and the installation of the unit at the transmitter in Warrick County will be completed in late August.  The station will go off the air for about four hours on Aug. 23 to allow that work to be done, Burger said.