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 WOJB - 88.9 FM
13386 W. Trepandia Road
Hayward, WI 54843
Phone: 715-634-2100
wojb.org 
Listen to WOJB
WOJB Program Schedule (PDF)
WOJB
 The Lac Courte Oreilles (lak coot o-ray) Indian Reservation, in
Northwestern Wisconsin, where the "big pine" used to run dark
to the horizon, is the home of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of the Lake Superioir
Ojibwe, and the home of WOJB, a 1000,000 watt community radio station licensed
to the tribe.
WOJB FM 88.9 is owned and operated by the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Tribe.
Out of all the Native Radio stations in the United States, WOJB is the only
one east of the Mississippi River.
Successfully operating since 1982, the station serves the Lac Courte Oreilles
Reservation and an 80-mile radius around Hayward, Wisconsin, throughout Northern
Wisconsin, Eastern Minnesota, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is also
on the Internet.
WOJB is also affiliated with Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, American
Indian Radio on Satellite, and Natioanl Public Radio.
The mission of WOJB is to reflect credit on the Anishinabeg, by offering information
and entertainment on behalf of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of the Lake Superior
Chippewa.
A staunch supporter of Indigenous peoples, environmental issues, and peace
and justice issues, WOJB is participating in the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe
Oral History Project to document, preserve and protect important cultural sites
on the Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation.
Description by former Program Director Dave Kellar:
Those humongous stands of big pine are long gone, but the indigenous people
of the area are alive and well and playing pow-wow songs at 88.9 FM. The station
came on the air in April 1982, born of a perceived need to open up new lines
of communication between the Indian and non-Indian communities of Northern Wisconsin.
Racial tensions had sprung up in the wake of the new Indian activism that was
blooming on reservations nationwide, with tribes demanding their rights as sovereign
governments, and state and local governments saying "what?!"
On the Lac Courte Oreilles reservation, tribal leaders and educators felt the
increased polarization of the WHite and Indian communities was unhealthy for
all involved and could lead to decreased tribal rights in the end. Communication
between the cultures was considered essential to maintain a peaceful environment
in northern Wisconsin.
A basic problem perceived by the tribes was that Whites in the community knew
little about their Native neighbors. Out of these concerns came WOJB. A community
radio station that would ideally help bridge the gap between the ideas and opinions
to be aired. And a means for educating the people of the region on everything
they ever wanted to know about American Indians but were afraid to ask.
But while presenting the history of the region and its indigenous population
is an important part of the station's mission, the founders, in their infinite
wisdom, decided the station could also educate by presenting to the people out
in the woods of Wisconsin the best national programming available. We strive
to present the widest variety of programming that our low budget can stand.
All in all, I suppose WOJB is a lot like other community radio stations-- broke.
The money thing. Bummer. There's never enough -- not for programming, not for
equipment, and not for personnel. We are among the working poor. So why are
we smiling? Maybe because sometimes we actually do something here that makes
a difference, for the good. And if you grew up wanting to be a caped-crusader,
a catcher in the rye, it aint a bad start.
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