Alphabetically Listing of Staff & Volunteers
A-I  J-R  S-Z

A-I

Mark B
Host, "Saturday Night with Mark B", Sat 9-11pm 
(Dance)
Mark Buzzitta, also known as Mark B, is the volunteer producer and host of Saturday Night with Mark B, airing Saturday nights 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm on WLNZ. Mark began broadcasting on the radio when he was a student studying Media Technology at Lansing Community College in 1993. A year later when WLNZ officially hit the airwaves, Mark was one of the first DJs to broadcast over 89.7 FM. Mark then transferred to Michigan State University and received his Bachelor's Degree in Telecommunications while continuing to volunteer at WLNZ.

Each week, Mark counts down a variety of retro favorites from the 70s, 80s & 90s on a particular theme, like 70s Dance Hits or 80s Movie Music.

During the week, Mark works for the Capital Area District Library in Lansing and is the voice of "BookMark," the automated telephone notification system, and he has a small DJ and Video Production business on the side.
 

Ken Campbell
Host, JazzWorks, Sun 6-8am
(Mainstream Jazz)
Ken Campbell has a true love of jazz. A native of Bloomington, Indiana, and the son of a classical music devotee, Ken didn't hear a lot of jazz growing up. He began to discover the music when he picked up the saxophone during his days at Denison University, in Granville, OH. His growing passion for jazz led to him hosting a show on the college radio station. He graduated in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts in Music, and has been involved in radio since then, having spent a year with WHCU/Lite 97 in Ithaca, NY, followed by WSKG, starting in 1991. In 1995, WSKG added a jazz radio service, WSQX 91.5, and Ken was assigned almost exclusively to the new station. In addition to joining JazzWorks heard on WLNZ he also remains Music Director for WSQX. When his schedule permits, Ken, continues to pursue his saxophone playing since graduation. He's played with the Harpur Jazz Ensemble (Binghamton University) and the Cornell University Lab Ensembles, as a "community member". In his times with those bands he's had the thrill of sharing the stage with the likes of Donald Byrd, Dr. Billy Taylor, Toshiko Akiyoshi and McCoy Tyner.

Dave Downing
General Manager; Co-Host of "Coffee Break" , Mon-Fr i 9-10am Contact
(Variety)
By Ann Kammerer
Dave Downing discovered the magic of the airwaves in the hallways of Lansing public schools. “My friends and I started a station when I was in junior high,” says the now station manager of LCC’s WLNZ 89.7 FM. “We were about 12 or 13, and we would read announcements that were broadcast to the school. At that point, I just got hooked.” Today, Downing manages another type of station associated with public airspace. As the station manager for WLNZ, Downing is following his life-long quest of community service by offering unique radio programming not available on the local dial. “It all goes back to the community college philosophy,” Downing says. “I see us as airing community programming and playing music that people wouldn’t hear otherwise. Plus, we offer exceptional opportunity for students to receive the training and on-air experience they’ll need to be successful in a commercial radio setting.” Almost born with a dedication to community radio, Downing’s commitment matured through hard work, professional experience, and education. In high school, Downing went directly from class to operate controls for public affairs programming at a local radio station. “WILS was right down the street from Lansing Everett,” Downing said. “I’d just pack up and go right to work.” Building on those early radio days, Downing earned Associate, Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Telecommunications from LCC and Michigan State University. At that time, WLNZ was WLCC—a station broadcasting on FM cable and to the campus via a low-powered AM transmitter. Ever committed to radio, Downing got involved in programming, teaching broadcast courses, and applying his skills as an on-air personality for area stations like WILS, WJIM and WFMK. In 1980, Downing left commercial radio to become WLCC’s station advisor; six years later, he became the full-time station manager. WLNZ—the station known today—came on air in 1994, broadcasting 17 hours a day, five and sometimes six days a week. “Now we’re on 24/7,” Downing said. “Just like a commercial station. That ability to be on around the clock is because of our membership. We couldn’t do it without their support.” Although 24-hour broadcasting keeps Downing in demand, he does manage to devote time to his other passions: his family and Civil War history. “My big hobby is Civil War re-enactments,” Downing said, describing the activities of the 7th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Company B. “We portray life during the Civil War by doing re-enactments for schools, colleges, and public festivals and events. Our intent is to give a three-dimensional look at what the average person went through back then.” Downing’s interest stems from his own ancestry. Walter Mundall, a relative on his mother’s side, fought for the 3rd Michigan Infantry and was wounded three times, taken and exchanged as a prisoner of war, and won a congressional medal of honor. “It’s a way I can get as close to the experience as he had,” says Downing. “Once you pull on the wool uniform and do the marching and drills in 95-degree heat, you get an idea of what it was like. Once you see a re-enactment, you’ll never read history the same again.”

Nick and Helen Forster
Hosts, eTown, Contact
Thursday at 12 noon and various Over-night hours
(AAA/Blues)
About Nick
eTown host and co-executive producer Nick Forster is has been a professional musician for 25 years During that time he has been a member of the world renowned bluegrass band Hot Rize, and a worked with popular artists like David Wilcox and Michelle Shocked. Born in Beirut in 1955, Nick was raised in upstate New York. He started playing drums at age ten, but abandoned them in favor of his first guitar a year later. As a teen, he played in folk and folk-rock bands. His desire to pursue music as a career in the mid-seventies led him to Colorado, where he met up with the three young men who would join him in forming the contemporary bluegrass band Hot Rize in 1978. For the band, Nick supplied bass, vocals and guitar and was also well known for his exceptional ease and grace as the M.C. and host. He won recognition as a writer as well, earning praise from Rolling Stone Magazine as "an exceptional songwriter." Hot Rize established an acclaimed international reputation, releasing ten albums and touring worldwide for over 12 years. The band appeared on countless radio and television programs, including Austin City Limits, The Grand Old Opry and Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion". Hot Rize earned both a Grammy nomination and the International Bluegrass Music Association's Entertainer of the Year Award in 1991. Since 1991, Nick has worked as co host and executive producer of eTown that airs regularly on WLNZ, Lansing Public Radio. He also remains an active player in the music world, performing at major festivals and playing recording sessions for various artists like Big Head Todd and the Monsters and Kathy Mattea. He also is an accomplished record producer whose most recent project was nominated for a Grammy.

About Helen
eTown co-host and co-executive producer Helen Forster is a Minnesota native and has extensive experience both on stage and behind the scenes. After studying and performing theatre in Minneapolis, she moved to Telluride, Colorado and became a primary player as an actress, writer and producer with two professional theater companies: SRO, an improvisational comedy troupe modeled on Chicago's Second City and Plunge Players, a formal theater company led by L.A. director Paul Fagan. During this period, Helen also performed in radio theater productions, co-authored three children's musicals and honed her skills as a vocalist. In addition to her extensive resume as a performer, Helen has broad production experience. For several years, she was co-owner and co-producer of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, an annual music festival with international acclaim. During this time, she also produced and directed numerous stage productions and live "on-the-air" radio theater pieces. Since 1991, Helen has co-hosted and co-produced the popular program eTown along with her husband, Nick Forster. Outside of eTown, she has performed as a vocalist on Prairie Home Companion and in concert across the country. She is also a nationally established commercial voice-over talent.

Jeff Fox
Host, JazzWorks, Mon-Fri 3-6pm Contact
(Mainstream Jazz)
Jeff Fox is an Associate Professor of English and Japanese at the College of Southern Idaho, and he is also a working musician who plays guitar, bass, and saxophone. He has played in the CSI Jazz Orchestra, which played at Montreux, Switzerland Jazz Festival which has appeared in New York City at the International Association of Jazz Educators conference in 2001. He has fronted several jazz groups over the years ranging from an eight-piece little big band to a duo featuring sax and guitar. Jeff has also performed on and produced several CDs for local jazz artists. Jeff has been involved off and on in jazz radio for over twenty years. In addition to being a producer and host of the nationally broadcast JazzWorks, he also hosts a local show which airs on public radio stations in Idaho.
Jeff's goal in his musical performance has always been attracting young players to jazz, and through JazzWorks, he hopes more people will come to know jazz as an accessible and enjoyable art.

Elizabeth Garcia
On Air host Contact
Various Shows
Elizabeth has been a student employee at WLNZ since the end of June of 2006 and says on a constant basis: “I love my job!” Elizabeth is currently a student at LCC majoring in Audio through the MTEC program. She spent the last two years of her educational career attending Columbia College in Chicago. She grew up just south of Lansing in Holt and is a huge music lover. If you were to look in her collection you would find an eclectic mix ranging from Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin and Bob Marley to Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, Common, Erika Badu, Bjork, Radiohead and many, many more. Not only does she love to listen to music, but also loves making it on her guitar and piano. Ultimately Elizabeth hopes to one day become a recording
engineer and producer. She also hopes to open a record store and share her passion for music. Working in
radio has opened a new door for her and she hopes to continue in the business into the future

Bonnie Grice
Host, JazzWorks  Mon-Fri 6am-8am Contact
(Jazz)

Written by Lyn Peraino

Bonnie Grice thoroughly enjoys her life both on the air and off. From her first live talk show in Oxford, Ohio during her college days to programming some of the most listened-to-music on public radio stations across the states, Bonnie's professional pursuits have led her to Miami, New York, Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Over the past 20 years, she has worked for both commercial and public radio stations including National Public Radio (NPR). On a more personal level, Bonnie has always had a love affair with music. In 1993 she expanded her talents to include writing the libretto for a two-act chamber opera, Mrs. Dalloway, based on the novel by Virginia Woolf. The following year, she wrote a book titled, From Z to A, A Classical Lover's Alternative, a guide to the great composers, from Frank Zappa to John Adams. In addition she is an avid fan of football and fast cars. We feel very fortunate to have such a wonderfully creative talent join our airwaves as a music host at WLNZ. Her cheerful tone and delivery adds a bright spot to the day's programming. Tune in for Bonnie Grice for JazzWorks weekdays from 6am-8am

Laney Goodman
Host, Women In Music,  Saturday 1pm Contact
(Specialty)
With more than 19 years' experience in radio, host Laney Goodman is a seasoned broadcasting professional. On National Public Radio with WXPN-FM in Philadelphia for over eight years, she hosted shows as diverse as "The Women's Music Hour" and "Roots of Jazz" specialty shows, to the "After Dark" and "Sleepy Hollow" eclectic mixes. With an abundance of knowledge of a variety of musical genres, as well as personal friendships with many musicians, Laney creates a distinctive environment on the airwaves, with a style all her own.
Laney has made her mark in the commercial arena as well. As host, engineer and Interim Program Director at KRSH-FM in Santa Rosa, California, she played an active part in one of the first AAA radio stations in Northern California.
Creative, intelligent programming are Laney's hallmark, and with her engaging style, she helped North Bay Public Radio, KRCB-FM in Rohnert Park, California, get off the ground at a running start. From acting as Assistant Music Director, to helping define the station's music library, her wealth of experience and dedication to excellent programming helped make the dream of KRCB-FM a reality.
Now she puts that same experience and dedication into bringing Women In Music to life -- a realization of her own dreams, and those of countless female musicians and fans of excellent programming around the world.

J-R

Adrian Lopez
Host, Latin Rhythms,  Sunday 3-6pm Contact
(Latin)
Sunday afternoons at WLNZ begin once sway to a Latin beat with Adrian Lopez, volunteer producer and host of the program, Latin Rhythms, which airs from 3 to 6 p.m. Broadcasting in both Spanish and English, Lopez brings unique programming to the Lansing area.  An optician by day and a free-lance disc jockey by night, Lopez is a busy, high-energy person. Originally from New York City, with roots in the Dominican Republic, Lopez moved to Michigan in part “because of the friendly people here.” The following is an excerpt from a conversation with Lopez and printed in the WLNZ Program Guide

What kinds of music do you play for your audience? It’s a nice variety. There is salsa with Cuban and African influences. And merengue from the Dominican Republic. Then there is Latin jazz, a mix of all Latin music. We do different things each week. Request Sunday is the last Sunday of each month. On other Sundays I introduce new music at the beginning of the show.

Why have you volunteered to do this each week? My goal is to share with the Lansing community something different as well as introduce them to something that’s big and popular in both the West Coast and East Coast music scenes. In the two year that Latin Rhythms has been on for its three hour time slot, it has gotten a lot of attention. Every Sunday I get calls from people-and not only the Latin community-saying how much they like this music and how glad they are to have it available. It’s a great opportunity I’ve been given-there’s really no one else around here playing a salsa, merengue mix.

Why do you broadcast your show in two languages? I say everything in Spanish and English. Along with introducing the music, I broadcast many public service announcements for organizations, like the Red Cross or Cristo Rey, they want to communicate important information to the Spanish-speaking audience. Plus, it’s great for anyone who is trying to learn English or Spanish to hear it in both forms. Many people have expressed their appreciation for it.

What’s it like for you? Those three hours in the studio go fast. I enclose myself in there and it’s my getaway zone. Once I go off the air, such a hot, spicy, upbeat program can’t be followed up with something quiet and slow. Luckily, Rootsmon Bird follows me with the Natty Dreadlock Rock Show.

What other ways do you contribute to the area music scene? When I first moved to Michigan, I saw there was nothing here like the music I was accustomed to in New York. So I started playing it myself, renting halls with a group of students from LCC and MSU. There was a serious demand for this. Then Ernesto Fuentes who owns Ramon’s opened his doors to me and I started DJ-ing there for Latin dancing on Saturday nights and now on Sundays after the radio show at WLNZ.

What is your connection to WLNZ? Well, one night in July, 1997, I was working at Ramon’s, and I see a big, 6’4’’ guy walk in and come straight up to me and say “Are you Adrian Lopez?” I say, “Yes.” And he says, “Do you want to be on radio?” This man turned out to be Rootsmon Bird. WLNZ was interested in expanding their programming, and he had heard about me. He put me in contact with Lyn Peraino [program director] and Dave Downing [station manager] at WLNZ. Rootsmon offered to train me and to help me work the studio equipment. Soon after that I was on the air and after six months, I expanded to a three-hour show. Now I call Rootsmon “my godfather in radio.” He introduced me to something different, something I hadn’t ever planned to do.

What’s your family like?  Wild and crazy. I have three kids that don't allow me to rest much. So I am constantly busy, with a 40-hour work week, then DJ engagements on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday nights. So every time I get an idea, everyone in the family is like, “oh, no, there he goes again.”  

Karen Love (Big Mama Love)
Developmental Director, Coffee Break Host, M-F 9a-10a; Blues Beat Thu 10pm  Contact

Karen's passion for the radio business has held fast and true for nearly 15 years.  In 2002, she joined WLNZ as Development Director and Coffee Break co-host. In 2004, Karen went on to pursue one of her many career goals of working for a number one rated commercial radio station (WFMK). There she continues entertaining the Adult Contemporary Rock fans as midday host. However, we have found her heart still belongs to public radio as she continued playing the blues on WLNZ one night a week, a.k.a. Big Mama Love.
 

As of December 1, 2007 Karen has returned to WLNZ as Development Director and Coffee Break co-host. "We are ecstatic to have Karen return to her position at WLNZ" claims program director, Lyn Peraino, "She adds something special to the atmosphere at WLNZ and loves a variety of music. So it all seems to fit perfectly."

In addition to her on air radio shows on both stations, Karen maintains her own voice-over business providing commercial announcement services. She can be heard on countless radio and television stations and in movie theaters across the nation.

Karen lives in an old Victorian-style home with her husband, Ed and the pets left behind by their children, Hank and Emily when they left for college. She is an avid gardener, a great lover of books and "can really get into a mystery novel from time to time".  Karen also serves on the board of directors for Jazzfest and Bluesfest which both take place annually in Lansing's Old Town. Additionally, she volunteers for several community organizations.

Byron Lyles
Crystal Jazz host, Mon 7-9pm Contact
(Jazz)

Written by Byron Lyles
Music has always been a major part of my life. I was raised with a heavy dose of blues and gospel.

As a teen in Detroit, I discovered the Paradise Theater located on Woodward Avenue and Orchestra Place. It was there that I saw Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Jimmie Lunceford, Cab Calloway, Earl Hines, Andy Kirk, Billy Eckstein and His All-Stars and Buddy Johnson and that's just the tip of the iceberg. I had the pleasure of seeing them all perform numerous times over the years.

In 1950, I enlisted in the Army and became a member of the 82nd Airborne Division Provisional Band, which was the black band since the military was still segregated at that time. My instruments of choice at that time were french horn and trumpet. In 1953, I received an honorable discharge and began working with the Charlie Young American Legion Drum Corp upon returning home. I played with them through 1955.  Since then, I have continued playing with a variety of bands, doing mostly free lance gigs around the country as a member of the American Federation of Musicians, Local 5 in Detroit and Local 802 in Los Angeles. In 1995, I began teaching myself songs on the piano and developed a sufficient amount of finger control. All I wanted to do was learn enough to write music. I knew basic theory and harmony and how to transpose music. Though I really don't think of myself as a piano player, that's all I've been playing for the past few years. 

I have also been fortunate enough to see many of the most influential jazz players in small intimate settings over the years too. The greatest of the great performers like John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Waddell Gray, Dexter Gordon, Max Roach, Clifford Brown, Miles Davis, Sarah Vaughn and Billie Holiday. In short, I have been truly blessed with a well-rounded jazz education that continues to grow. I believe that " Love is music and music is love" and I hope to convey that to my Crystal Jazz audience on Monday evenings. 

Thanks for listening, 
Byron

Tony Mowod
Host, JazzWorks, Contact
Mon 6pm, Wed-Thu at 6-8pm
(Mainstream Jazz)
Tony Mowod can be heard on WLNZ as a host of JazzWorks . He is  also the president and founder of the Pittsburgh Jazz Society, and has been one of the  most enduring champions of jazz for over four decades. Even as a teenager, Tony dazzled by the tremendous number of jazz greats from his native Pittsburgh, responded to them not only as a fan does, but as a young musician himself. (The vibraphone was his instrument of choice after studying classical piano as a youngster.)
While attending Duquesne University, Tony embarked on a broadcasting career and became involved in theater. Appearing off-Broadway and on TV, as well as local pursuits in professional summer stock, the Pittsburgh Playhouse, Pittsburgh Children's Theater, and Duquesne University's Red Masquers, among others.
Tony also serves on the board of the American Federation of Jazz Societies. His ongoing love affair with jazz music is rekindled each night as he reminds listeners to "...keep a bit of love in your heart, and a taste of jazz in your soul." More than words to Tony Mowod, they are the man's philosophy.

Rob Reinhart
Host, Acoustic Cafe, Contact
Wednesday 12 noon- 2pm & various overnight hours
(Acoustic/AAA)
Rob started his professional broadcasting career while still in college, pursuing his degree in Psychology. Feeling the future of the human psyche to be limited, he threw himself into the infinitely expanding universe of radio and vinyl discs containing music. This was the early-mid 80s.

Over the last 20 years, Reinhart has also owned a small ad agency and radio production company, written and produced syndicated comedy for radio, voiced thousands of radio and TV commercials, consulted movie, television and internet media projects, created and hosted both Acoustic Café and The No Depression Alt-Country Radio Hour (produced with No Depression Magazine), and even been the voice of Radio Bonnaroo !

He lives with his wife, two very interesting children and one slightly defective golden retriever named Fibber. Although radio’s universe has not continued its planned infinite expansion, Reinhart still believes in its unique power. “Good radio is now one of the only media that isn’t designed to simply reflect the taste of the user. It’s still a community that brings together lots of different people. Neat, huh.”

John began his media and his musical career in 1966 as bassist for local rock band. From there he moved on to radio and has spent years on-air at various Lansing radio stations WFMK, WVIC, Q-106, WJIM, WIBM, WMMQ, K-92, WVGO; and Cleveland's WTAM from 1995-1997. In 1995, John produced Cleveland's first radio special on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In addition, he produced Morton Downey Jr.'s final radio programs in the early part of 1997.

John's extensive knowledge of rock trivia is highlighted in the book, "Johnny's Jukebox Trivia" published in 2002. The book is currently available on Amazon.com

Today, John works as an on-air radio personality at WFMK. He hosts two local TV programs, writes a weekly oldies Q&A newspaper column and has a few other things in the works that he says he can't mention quite yet! More details coming soon.
 

Rootsmon Bird
Host, Natty Dreadlock Rock Show
Sun, 6-9pm
(Reggae)

Excerpts from an interview with Elizabeth Moss

The host of the Natty Dreadlock Rock Show, Rootsmon Bird has been with WLNZ since the beginning in 1995. In 1998 he was voted one of the top three in radio announcing in reggae music by Reggae Sun Splash United States. His prize was a trip to Marley Fest in Jamaica to introduce some of the musical groups. He describes himself as “a spiritual man first, a "roots mon" second, and a musician third.”  The following is a conversation with Bird and appeared in the WLNZ Program Guide.

What is unique about your show compared to other reggae shows in the area?
The Natty Dreadlock Rock Show means I focus on reggae, but I play anything I can put my hands on to really rock you. There are components from the whole African Diaspora. It’s all about connecting the music. This is considered a specialty show-it’s basically about 90 percent knowing the music. People around here all consider me “the elder”. One of the biggest compliments I get from my listener family is they like the wide range of musical treats I cover. Everything from DLG (Latin music) to Barry White (R&B) to reggae artists like Third World.

What’s it like being a volunteer producer and DJ at WLNZ?
Being a producer allows me to be the program and music director and be accountable for everything that happens (on my show). I have chosen to stay on a volunteer basis because it is a community college radio. I can express the culture and music from an educational point of view, not a commercial one.

Who has been a big influence on you at WLNZ?
I miss the most a radio personality who did a jazz show at WLNZ, Cal Rice, a good friend and mentor to me. He passed away this year (1999). There are some songs I’ll play on my show and say to myself, ‘I wish he were here to hear this one.’ He’ll always be with me in spirit.

Besides volunteering at WLNZ, what other ways do you contribute to the area music scene?
I helped launch Mike Stern who has a show at MSU’s radio station. He called and asked for help. I gave it to him. I don’t look at it as competition, just another one of my reggae family.

I am also on the executive board of Reggae Ambassador Worldwide (RAW). It has 1,800 members from 59 different countries. Every two years we DJs, fans and industry professionals meet at a conference. It is designed for networking about reggae. Also, now that WLNZ is broadcasting on the Web, I don’t just play for Lansing, I get to play worldwide!

What’s your family like?
I was raised in Grand Rapids and moved to Lansing in 1975. I had been in the community doing reggae for 10 or 11 years before I came to WLNZ. My family is good – a close one, ranging from brothers, cousins and sisters. They’re proud of me because I’ve been through a whole lot of eras. I went to the "University of Hard Knocks".

My spiritual and cultural uplift came through reggae music. I went to Jamaica not as a tourist, but to study music, culture and the spirituality of Rastafar. Lansing can only provide you so much. You have to go and find it. When I was in Jamaica, an elder came over to me and said, “you live from the ground up. You’re a roots moon.” I have to give credit to all my mentors and coming from a down to earth background and this type of music, the African Diaspora – wailing and some love. If I can play music and make Jamaicans feel like they’re back home, I’m doing my job. But I just want to make everybody feel good, no matter where they come from. Music is the universal communicator.

S-Z

Jamie-Sue Seal has loved music since she could remember and always knew she would be some type of performer. She has four albums to her credit and is also the host of the Jammin' Round With Jamie-Sue Songwriters Series where she has played with several regional and national artists including showcases at The Americana Music Association Conference.  She founded the indie record label, Smokin' Sleddog Records & Promotions and manages artists such as fingerstyle guitarist, Tim Thompson, celtic duo, Stonecross, and singer/songwriter John Latini.

Jamie-Sue Seal & the Radiotown Flyers have been playing American Roots Rock and Country since 2002.  They have toured in the Midwest, West, Southwest, Northeast and Southern regions of the United States.  Their albums, Fly Away and Free have received airplay on over one hundred  Americana and Roots programs across the nation, as well as medium and heavy rotation on Small Market Commercial Country stations.  Fly Away also placed #17 on the Joshua Tree Chart.

The Radiotown Flyers were the proud recipients of Review Magazine Music Awards, 2005 Country Band Deserving Wider Recognition, Seal received 2005 Country Musician Deserving Wider Recognition, and guitarist Greg Jenkinson received the award for 2006 Country Instrumentalist Of The Year.  Bassist John "Jonesy" Latini also has garnered several nominations and awards including First Place in The Metro Detroit
Songwriting Contest, and as a finalist in The Hank Williams Songwriting  Contest in North Carolina.

Jamie-Sue lives with her husband, Kirk and their two dog-children, Chloe and Levi in the greater Lansing area.
 

Jennifer Schwartz
Host, Midday, Contact
Mon-Wed 10a-12 noon;  various evening and overnight hours

Jennifer is the newest addition to WLNZ’s student staff. Having completed her course work for an AA in Theatre Performance at Lansing Community College, Jennifer is pleased to be utilizing her acting ability and vocal skill on 89.7 FM. She can be heard frequently on WLNZ in commercial voice-overs, as well as hosting the Horizons show on Mondays and Wednesdays. Jennifer hopes to continue her education in Operatic Performance at Michigan State University . She dreams of a career on stage – or behind the microphone - expressing herself and entertaining others!
 

Mike Stratton
Host, Vinyl Side of Midnight, Contact
Sun 9pm-Midnight

By Ann Kammerer
One thing you can say about Mike Stratton is he's listening.
"Being a good listener helps me in both areas," says Stratton of his volunteer on-air gig with WLNZ and of his practice as an East Lansing psychotherapist. "People tell me all the time that I hear things that they wouldn't notice. I'll hear an alternate line in music or a harmony, or a theme in what someone's talking about that they wouldn't pick up on. I guess I do that very naturally." 
That ability to listen is what's propelled Stratton down a lover's lane of jazz-a love, he says, that inspired him to start The Vinyl Side of Midnight at WLNZ.

Pulling from an album and CD collection amassed over 20 years, Stratton spins what he calls the "finest jazz ever recorded" each Sunday evening from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. He says 99 percent of his show draws from his own jazz menagerie, but that he's recently drawn from the stacks of Larry Cosentino-another avid listener and manager of East Lansing's Warehouse Records.

"The biggest irony is I have no background in radio," Stratton says. "But I do have a background in being a huge music fan with a very large music collection. I'd listen to music. And it was good. But it was like, well, how could I share this with more people? The show was a way I could take things to the next level." 

Stratton professes an adoration of the Blue Note Period of the 1950s, filling his show with the likes  of Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Thelonius Monk. He also does special profiles on lesser known players, devoting for instance, an entire show to a tenor player like Joe Henderson. Periodically, Stratton invites local artists to the studio for on-air interviews, including vocalist Sunny Wilkinson and The Professors of Jazz from Michigan State University.

Stratton claims he's been listening to music in one form or another most of his life. But it wasn't until he met and roomed with a drummer during college that he began to appreciate jazz. "He had a ton of jazz records, and at first, the music sounded incomprehensible to me," said Stratton. "It just sounded like random noise, and I couldn't make sense of it. But there was something that enticed me, and I kept listening until I figured out the form. From there, I just got hooked."

Stratton's addiction has manifested itself in a collection of vinyl and CDs that threatens to fill an entire room of his house. It's also resulted in a highly specialized knowledge culled from voracious reading of anything and everything about jazz. That passion, he says, is what drives his show, and his desire to bring jazz radio to Greater Lansing.

"Doing my show is just a blast for me," said Stratton. "It's become a great mutual relationship between me and my listeners. I really love it."

Contact Mike at his website at www.mikestratton.com

Rich Warren
Host, Midnight Special, Contact
Wed 2am-4am, Fri 12 noon-2pm

Rich Warren grew up in Evanston, Illinois, fascinated by radio. He even operated a radio station from his bedroom with a toy transmitter connected to an illegally long antenna, and was ultimately reprimanded by the FCC. The programming? Classical, folk, and show tunes.

Matt Watroba
Host: Sing Out Magazine Radio; Contact
Saturday 11pm

Matt Watroba has a passion for folk music that he feeds both as a singer/songwriter and as host for the popular "Sing Out Radio Magazine" radio program on Lansing's WLNZ. As a solo artist and member of the Yellow Room Gang songwriting collective, Matt has developed a friendly relationship with audiences who respond to his special brand of humor and songs of strength, compassion and every day living. His love of folk music extends to traditional and contemporary sounds that he has had to chance to bring to listeners for two decades in Detroit and now to Lansing. He delights in connecting the audience with the artists, through their music and exclusive interviews.

SHOW DESCRIPTIONS

Acoustic Cafe, Broadcast Schedule    
Host: Rob Reinhart
Acoustic Café started as an attempt to latch on to the burgeoning “unplugged” trend in the 1990's. Rob Reinhart began by featuring David Wilcox, Shawn Colvin, John Gorka and Indigo Girls. By January of 1995 Acoustic Café  became a two hour weekly radio show, and an independent media production of RDR Radio, LLC. The program is still produced and hosted by Rob Reinhart today.

Each week, listeners will hear the latest from today’s great songwriting talents. It’s hard to put a definitive label on Acoustic Café’s music selections. After all, a good song is a good song… any individual set of music could contain a bit of country, rock, blues, folk, pop… and more! In addition to classic songwriters like Dylan, Mitchell, Young, Cash, Browne, Prine just to name a few, Acoustic Café continues to bring as many newer talents to the table as possible.

Blues Beat, Broadcast Schedule 
Hosts: Daedalian Lowry, Big Mamma Love, Becca Spearrow, Mike Peterson
Each week we feature a variety of blues music styles including classic as well as new blues on the air between 10pm and 2am. The simplicity of blues music with its three-chord progressions and simple structures will never undermine the degree of traditionalism and personal expression at its core. Although, the blues has remained the same since its inception most blues are open to endless improvisations, lyrically and musically. You'll get more blues at WLNZ  each week on your FM dial than any where else in town

Blues before Sunrise, Broadcast Schedule
Host: Steve Cushing
Broadcast from 1am to 5 am, Blues Before Sunrise has long served an audience that includes loyal home listeners, musicians lounging on break, lovers in their living rooms, cab drivers and other service workers pulling the graveyard, and even teen airwave surfers discovering an entire musical world peopled by cats who were hip before them.
Blues Before Sunrise showcases blues as part of a cultural landscape that includes jump and jive, rhythm and blues, swing, doo wop, gospel, comedy, and recitation, and never is the music presented as kitsch or retro fashion in the way that some music has been exploited and trivialized. For Cushing the blues is a living African-American tradition with deep roots.
As a musician himself bearing substantial credentials with Magic Slim and The Teardrops, the Lee Jackson band and Smokey Smothers and The Ice Cream Men, Steve Cushing numbers among his friends and closest associates the artists on this recording-fellow musicians to whom this is a vital, thriving music as well as a means of making a living.
 

eTown, Broadcast Schedule
Hosts: Nick and Helen Forster
eTown's mission is to produce high quality programs of diverse music and conversation in order to entertain, educate and engage a wide audience in appreciating and protecting our cultural and natural resources. Like old-time radio variety shows, every eTown show is taped in front of a live audience at the Boulder Theater in Colorado or at various locations throughout the country and features performances from many of today's top musical artists. The show includes two musical guests, an interview guest and the presentation of the
e-chievement winner. At the end of every show all musical guests collaborate on a one-of-a-kind exciting finale.

FM Odyssey Broadcast Schedule
Host: Fred Migliore
The show re-creates the lost art of the true freeform, FM format that your baby-boomer listeners knew
and loved (and wouldn't mind hearing again). FM ODYSSEY maintains this format by blending rarely
played cuts from long-standing artists with new and emerging singer/songwriters. The result is
substantially more than a folk show, more expansive and diverse than AAA, and not even closely related
to an oldies or classic rock format. FM ODYSSEY has created a surprising new element that must be
heard to be believed. It is also a chance to experience public radio!

JazzWorks  Broadcast Schedule
Hosts: Bonnie Grice, Jeff Fox, Tony Mowod, Ken Campbell, Bob Studebaker
With music selection informed by listeners, JazzWorks features music by the masters and new artists. The sounds on JazzWorks are chosen to serve your listeners, while also giving an entertaining, engaging tour of an American treasure.

JazzWorks featured artists include: Clifford Brown, Billie Holiday, Max Roach, Herbie Mann, Dianne Reeves, Ray Charles, Art Pepper, Harry Connick, Jr., The Modern Jazz Quartet, Paul Desmond, Shirley Horn, Benny Carter, Horace Silver, Charlie Byrd, Kenny Burrell, Ramsey Lewis, Joe Turner, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Gerry Mulligan, Cannonball Adderley, Billy Taylor, Houston Person, Barry Harris, Nina Simone, Ray Bryant, Vince Guaraldi, Cal Tjader, Etta Jones, Wes Montgomery, Hank Jones, Ray Brown, Stanley Turrentine, Gene Ammons, Ella Fitzgerald, Diana Krall, Abdullah Ibrahim, Red Garland, Scott Hamilton, Ahmad Jamal, Bill Evans, Jack McDuff, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Charles Brown, Kevin Mahogany, Dinah Washington, Karrin Allyson, Count Basie, Carmen McRae, Sonny Stitt, Monty Alexander, Jimmy Smith and many, many more.

The Sing Out! Radio Magazine Broadcast Schedule
Host: Matt Watroba
Sing Out! Radio Magazine is a weekly, hour-long "magazine format" program featuring interviews in addition to "live" and recorded music.

Vinyl Side of Midnight Broadcast Schedule
Host: Mike Stratton
Mike's focus on The Vinyl Side of Midnight is to play 'some of the finest jazz every recorded'. Most shows have a theme or profile a particular artist. Of course, the jazz icons all get a lot of attention: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday and the like. But he enjoys highlighting many artists that are lesser known to newcomers to jazz, including Hank Mobley or Sonny Clark. He also includes current artists, such as Dave Douglas, John Scofield or Dianna Krall. You will also hear avant garde jazz. Special features have included  artists Sun Ra, Eric Dolphy, or Pharoah Sanders. From time to time interviews of artists will take place. In the past, Mike has had the pleasure of conducting interviews with Rodney Whitaker, Jon Faddis, Arturo Sandoval or Diego Rivera.
CLICK HERE For a list of the music featured on his latest show
 

Women in Music Broadcast Schedule
Host: Laney Goodman
Each week, Women In Music gives access to music by some of the best female musicians around. Produced in Boston, they distribute via satellite and the Internet to an international audience. In just 5 years, they have gone from a handful of affiliates to reaching 80+ markets. Online, they receive an average of more than 5,000 visitors to our website each month. The eclectic mix features cutting-edge work by seasoned female performers from around the world who have been honing their craft for years, even decades -- plus, performance debuts by women not otherwise heard. From Morocco to Italy, from Canada to California, listeners contact us with information on their favorite artists -- artists we’ve never heard of -- and some of the best of them find their way into the show.