WMSE’s Rockabilly Chili will take place Sunday, April 16 at 11 a.m. at the MSOE Kern Center, 1245 N. Broadway. Join thousands of chili lovers as they taste over 50 different chilis from restaurants, cafes, and caterers from all over Milwaukee.
WMSE-FM (91.7) celebrates its 40th anniversary Wednesday, a milestone that may have seemed unattainable at times especially last year.
Suddenly hit, like the rest of the world, with a devastating crisis last March, we were really starting to question how we were going to stay on the air, said Tom Crawford, WMSE s station manager for the past 26 years. Because of COVID-19, fundraising events were canceled, and support dropped from underwriters, largely businesses in the service industry. By the time of the spring membership drive, the station was facing about a $150,000 shortfall, Crawford said.
As the pandemic continues, WMSE is still budgeting operations by the week to get by, Crawford said. But thanks to community support, by the end of the fiscal year last June, WMSE managed to get a few thousand dollars ahead of breaking even.