WBOM Admin

Lori Beach-Grass and Lit Up Featured on VERSEd

Bringing performance poetry to radio every week. This is VERSEd.

Host James Hamilton puts the spotlight on Midwest poets, and explores the creative process, the inspiration, and so much more.

On this week’s episode, we wrap up our Lit Up segment featuring Lori Beach-Grass. Also joining us are students of the program, Alisha, Safiya, and Lemon. The students share their poems and memories with Lori and the Lit Up program.

You can catch this week’s episode on Saturday night at 6pm with a rebroadcast Tuesday at 7am.

Shortly after broadcast, copies of the show will be available to download here for a limited time.

Next Episode – Judy Genandt

In Print Radio is a talk show about writing by writers.

Judy Genandt was a member of the Schaumburg Scribes writing group and the author of several books. She sat down with fellow scribe Eddie Resner to discuss her book A Port in the Storm at the Gail Borden Library in Elgin.

In Print Radio airs on WBOM Sunday mornings at 7:00 am with a rebroadcast Monday mornings at 7:00 am.

Miles Davis – Kind of Blue – to be Featured on The Inner Groove

Miles Davis was a trumpet player who defined (then re-defined) jazz across multiple decades. In 1958, he recorded the seminal album “Kind of Blue”. Paul Gutowski came in to discuss the album for an upcoming episode of The Inner Groove. In his discussion with Bob Francis, they talked about the then-new modal jazz model that Miles Davis created for “Kind of Blue”, and were amazed constantly by the level of musicianship that allowed each track of the album to be recorded in two takes or less.

Their discussion along with the complete album will air Saturday night at 7 pm on The Inner Groove program.

If you would like to share a special album with our listeners, please contact us at radio.wbom@gmail.com. Let us know what artist and album you would like to talk about and a little bit about what it means to you.

How Do You Know If You’ve Got the Blues?

Recently, the ever-helpful staff of volunteers at WBOM decided to tackle that very question.

We kick off the blues show every evening with some simple questions. Questions that can determine whether or not you have the blues. For example:

Maybe you’ve been waiting for your woman all evening and she shows up with her husband.
Maybe your dog has been sneaking around with other owners.
Maybe the “L” in your luck has been replaced by “F”.

Of course, WBOM plays the best (or is it the worst?) blues every night during the midnight hour. If you’re tuned in, that’s how you know you have the blues.

New Show – Isolation Disorder

If you find this world a little too peppy and upbeat, Isolation Disorder may be for you. Host Ron Owens presents the best goth music every week on Friday night at 8 pm. It’s a good soundtrack to the end of the world (or at least the end of the week). And it provides a good lead-in for the Cafe Zed punk show that follows immediately afterward.

New Show – VERSEd

What happens when you mix performance poetry with radio?

You get “VERSEd“.

Join host James Hamilton every week as he sits down with a pair of midwestern poets to talk about their views on the creative process, their inspiration, the common thread that brings them together. And readings from the poets themselves.

VERSEd airs every Saturday evening at 6:00 pm with a rebroadcast Tuesday morning at 7:00 am.

Shortly after broadcast, copies of the show will be available to listen and download here for a limited time.

WBOM Playlists

Interested in what WBOM plays? Looking for a song?

WBOM Streaming Radio generates reports of what was played on the station on a monthly basis. They can be found here and accessed using Google Sheets.

The reports are not automatic. Reports for the previous month will be generated in the first week of the following month and posted on the site shortly thereafter.

The reports may not be completely accurate due to technical issues between the server and the streaming service.

If you have any questions, you can e-mail radio.wbom@gmail.com.

New Show – Cinephonic

Some of the most memorable music in the last century has been written to accompany film and television. Composers like Bernard Hermann, Henry Mancini, Johnny (later John) Williams all created unforgettable scores.

Every Sunday night at 9:00, WBOM presents “Cinephonic” – two hours of the best music from film and television soundtracks. Tune in to hear those sweeping majestic symphonies created especially for the big screen, but also catch the incidental music from your favorite television shows; those small stabs that instantly bring you back to your favorite characters in love, or in peril (or often in both) right before the commercial break.

Not every movie has an official soundtrack album. Most television music never gets past underlying re-runs. However, with the Internet, we have been able to locate a lot of music that might have otherwise been forgotten. If you have a favorite movie or television show that is under-represented, email us at radio.wbom@gmail.com. Let us know the name of the movie or the series then tune in next week… same full-service-time, same full-service-channel.

New Show – Bits and Bytes

When Bell Labs first taught an IBM computer how to “sing”, they had no idea what they were unleashing on the world. While the first video games only had a smattering of beeps or buzzing to accompany the graphic action, it wasn’t long before you could hear arcades before you could see them. At home, the earliest consoles and home computers features ways to get sound and make music.

As the technology advanced, the sound got better. Simple one-voice melodies were replaced by lush soundtracks rivaling anything from a Hollywood production. At the same time, the computer became an instrument in and of itself. It can emulate real instruments, but also create new and interesting sounds unlike anything made before.

Tune in to “Bits and Bytes” on Thursday nights at 11:00. We play the best music exclusive to video games, and also treat you to music that was never released on any media other than computer code.

New Show – Akasha

New Age music is designed to promote relaxation, mindfulness, and emotional well-being. It often blends acoustic instruments like piano, flute, and guitar with electronic textures such as ambient synth pads and sequencer-based rhythms. The music is typically slow-paced and atmospheric, making it popular for meditation, yoga, massage, and stress relief.

Ambient music is a genre that emphasizes atmosphere and tone over traditional structure or rhythm. It often features slow-moving textures, minimal melodies, and subtle sound design. It’s like sonic wallpaper: meant to evoke a mood, a place, or a feeling, rather than tell a story.

“Akasha” is a Sanskrit word meaning “space” or “atmosphere”. It’s associated with the fifth element in various spiritual and philosophical traditions. It represents a subtle, all-encompassing energy or substance that pervades all things and is considered to be the source from which all other elements arise.

And when coming up with a name for our new show featuring the best in ambient and new age music, “Akasha” was the perfect choice. Tune in (or tune out) on Sunday nights at 11pm to our latest addition to Full Service Radio.