Information Radio students record service-oriented PSAs for 98.7 FM WVMO

The City of Monona uses numerous channels to remain in touch with its 8,000 citizens, with one of the most popular being Monona Community Media (MCM). MCM provides highly-curated content to local residents thanks to its television cable channel and radio station. The radio station—98.7 FM WVMO, the Voice of Monona—successfully engages with residents thanks to round the clock educational and entertainment broadcasting. 

To help increase resident engagement with local services and programs, the City of Monona sought to create numerous public service announcements (PSAs) to increase city-to-citizen informational pathways. 

The UniverCity Year program of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an EPIC-Network member, was created to help community partners with identified sustainability and livability projects. University faculty incorporate identified projects into classes, and provide students with on-the-ground experience in support of a more sustainable and livable future for the partnered community. 

During the 2016 to 2017 academic year, the City of Monona was chosen to partner with the UniverCity Year program due to its proximity to the university and for strong support from Mayor Bob Miller. 

Larry Meiller’s Information Radio course gets to work

The UniverCity Year program partnered UW-Madison’s Life Science Communication 360: Information Radio course and its professor, Larry Meiller, with the City of Monona to produce PSAs for WVMO.

Students created PSAs which would inform radio listeners about the variety of services available in Monona, which include:

• Highlight services available to Monona’s senior residents
• Focus on sustainability and active transportation
• Emphasize programs and attractions of Monona’s central library
• Provide tips for exploring the outdoors and improving sustainability

UW-Madison students filled the airwaves with over 30 informative PSAs

Students created over 30 PSAs for WVMO, which played on air to inform listeners about the services and goings-on within the City of Monona. An example of one of thePSAs shared the services available at Monona’s central library was written and recorded as follows:

New life to the Monona Library

“The Monona Library gives you more than books. It gives you services and materials for your work, school and for fun. And what really stands out is our volunteers. They add enthusiasm and energy and help make our library a great place to visit. We’re always looking for friendly faces to join our volunteer team. By contributing your time and your talents, you can help thousands of Monona citizens and neighbors. Go to MyMonona.com and click on the career opportunities tab to find current volunteer positions and learn more. At WVMO, we care.”

Recycling for the future 

“You can join Winnequah Elementary in making the world a greener, better palace. They’ve partnered with TerraCycle to help recycle items you can’t normally recycle with the city—things like potato chip bags, granola bar wrappers and toothpaste tubes. To learn more, you can visit MyMonona.com and search for TerraCycle, where you’ll find accepted items, drop-off locations and frequently asked questions. And don’t forget, WVMO cares about the environment.”

All other recorded and aired PSAs can be heard at https://univercity.wisc.edu/psas/.

With these completed PSAs, WVMO and the City of Monona have a direct means of remaining in touch with residents, all while informing them of the innumerable, useful services available to them. All it takes is changing the channel to WVMO.

Read the full story of the partnership.

Read the final student report delivered to the local gov/community partner.