By Mike Rhodes, Editor-in-Chief—
MUNCIE, IN— A new radio station in Muncie and Delaware County aims to highlight what residents are talking about. And need to know.
Radio station WMUN, broadcasting on 92.5FM and 1340AM has slowly been launching new, original talk programming. The station, once known as WXFN, now broadcasts FOX branded sports and news programming as well as local news and talk. The station can primarily be heard on 92.5FM and 1340AM around the Delaware County area.
The station can also be heard via streaming and on Alexa devices. Say, “Alexa, play WMUN.” Your device will respond with “Welcome to WMUN” and play the stream. A mobile application is also available. Search for “WMUN” on your phone’s app store. The mobile application allows you to stream the station live, or replay any hour of the last 24 hours of broadcasting.
Three new local radio shows have debuted recently on WMUN: Delaware County Today, a one-hour program airing from 8am to 9am Monday through Friday; The 765BusinessJournal.com radio show, a half-hour program focusing on economic development activity in Delaware County in partnership with the new website of the same name Woof Boom Radio launched on November 1, 2022.
That program airs every Monday from 9am to 9:30am. Finally, All Kinds of People is a program highlighting the lives of various people throughout the Delaware County area focusing on their childhoods and beyond along with hobbies and other interests/pursuits interviewees may have. The program is hosted by Dr. Joe Misiewicz and airs from 9:30am to 10am every Monday.
Dr. Joe Misiewicz is pictured interviewing Muncie Mayor Dan Ridenour during the WMUN show titled “All Kinds of People.” Photo by Steve Lindell
Delaware County Today
Delaware County Today is hosted by Steve Lindell, 28 year Muncie Radio veteran radio personality, and long-time host of WLBC’s Wake Up Crew. Jared Boomer has now taken over host duties, with Lindell continuing to anchor the WLBC Morning Report. Some of the personalities Lindell has interviewed for the show include: Al Holdren, Dr. Petra Zimmerman, George Foley, Rick Spangler, Bob Ball, Greg Pence, Dan Ridenour, Dr. Chad Kinsella, BSU President Geoffrey Mearns, Frank Baldwin, Mick Tidrow, Jeannine Lee Lake, Lathay Pegues, Dorica Watson, Bruce Qualls, and Marwin Strong among many others.
Producer Emily Guffey is pictured in the WMUN Axia Command Center studio. Steve Lindell, host of WMUN’s original programming is pictured through the studio window. Photo by Mike Rhodes
Why this new station? What is WMUN 92.5FM and 1340AM?
As I sat down to discuss this story with station owner J Chapman, President and CEO of Woof Boom Radio, it became obvious to me that Chapman had a clear vision and purpose for WMUN. I’ve been through a few new station introductions with Woof Boom, but this new WMUN station was clearly rolling out in a different manner.
If you think about how we in Muncie and Delaware County found out and learned about things 15 years ago, it was very different than how we do today. Back then, we would open up the StarPress and see a story, or read a column to find out what was going on around us. Or we might turn on and watch Indianapolis television news every evening. Things are very different now.
As the local newspaper’s readership has eroded and Indianapolis media isn’t as focused, people have moved to other forms of media consumption. Today many people get their news from social media such as Facebook and Twitter and other online sources—stories that are instantaneous that give no background or context in many cases.
“We’ve lost context from what have traditionally been reliable sources. The fourth estate, which has traditionally been newspapers, used to include media organizations that had the time to research stories and learn about things. Things are very different today.”—J Chapman
“Every strong community has a strong press. That’s what we’re trying to do with WMUN. It’s a place for people to understand what’s taking place in the community. It’s a place for leaders in the community to talk about things. It’s a place for different voices in the community to bring up questions or concerns. That is something that’s been missing for some time,” says Chapman.
J Chapman, President and CEO of Woof Boom Radio is pictured in his Muncie, IN office. Photo by Mike Rhodes
Lindell has been enlisted by Chapman to oversee the operation and growth of WMUN. Lindell has been with WLBC for the better part of four decades, so you can see how important Chapman believes WMUN is, to move Lindell into the role of Lead Anchor for the station in addition to acting as News Director for all the Woof Boom radio stations.
“Steve’s role is changing with Woof Boom because he is trusted and familiar within the community,” said Chapman. “Steve will continue to be heard on WLBC, particularly on our morning news, but he’s spending a lot of his time on our new WMUN station.
“Jared Boomer was on the number one station doing mornings in Lafayette. He is now in Muncie doing the same thing. We’ve made two stations that have great potential to impact the community by utilizing the talent that we already had here.”
Jared Boomer is pictured in WLBC’s master command studio. Photo by Mike Rhodes
The WMUN studios are all new and have been in the works since the early days of the pandemic. The studio build-out features all new digital mixing boards, computers, phone systems for listener call-ins, room treatments and more.
Because WMUN is currently building out new programming, Chapman wants to hear and meet anyone in the community who sees a need for a program, OR knows of someone in the community that would be a good radio host. Contact J Chapman, President and CEO of Woof Boom Radio at the following email address: j.chapman@woofboom.com
Also, if you have an idea for an interview topic, please email your idea to: wmun@woofboom.com
Visit the WMUN website for audio and downloads.
Click here to go to WMUN’s Facebook page.
Mike Rhodes is Editor-in-Chief of MuncieJournal.com and the new 765BusinessJournal.com