WYRL’s broadcast (and now streaming) booth.
Rice Lake Community Media’s low-power FM radio station recently began streaming their signal online. RLCM Executive Director James Wyngaard says it’s been a bit of a process to get it going. “After a lot of research and getting advice from other stations who have done this type of set up, it finally came together in June.”
WYRL-LP first got off the ground when the FCC opened the airwaves to more low power radio stations during the last round of licensing in 2015. “We promoted WYRL-LP on the community media website at ricelaketv.com/wyrl by posting the schedule and telling listeners how to tune in,” said Wyngaard. But until June, the station was not online. This proved to be an obstacle. When the chair of the Rice Lake Cable Commission, Al Arnold, started contacting service clubs and other groups around Rice Lake asking if they would be interested in having a show on the station, he found most wanted to know if it was streaming online. When they learned that it was in the works, they all wanted to wait until it was set up so their shows would reach a larger audience than just the on-air coverage range of the station.
To prepare for streaming, WYRL changed its automation software at the beginning of the year and then staff worked with a partner of DJB Software, Cirrus Streaming out of Florida, on the set-up process. Wyngaard said, “Working with Cirrus was a very easy process and as we go on as a customer of theirs, they will be setting us up with mobile apps and Alexa skills in the next couple of months.”
Wyngaard wanted to thank Stoughton’s Derek Westby for technical assistance in getting the new website set up and helping with some other behind the scenes programming.
The radio station stream can be found at wyrlradio.com.
