WIDR World

WIDR World is heard each Sunday afternoon from 3 until 6 on 89.1 WIDR-FM, the student-run voice of Western Michigan University. The show features traditional and contemporary music from every continent — except Antarctica.

Your host, Jason J Hall, began working at WIDR FM back in 1990, and has been hosting WIDR World since 1995. In addition to hosting this show, Jason has served as Music Director for the station, President of the WIDR Alumni Society, and a general WIDR enthusiast.

The program shies away from music with English vocals, and instead focuses on the variety of cultures and sounds from around the world. During any given week, one might hear the latest sounds out of Brazil, field recordings from Zambia, chamber music from Mongolia, and live folk music from Italy. An effort is made to expand the musical palette of the WIDR listening audience, with an appreciation for the fact that international music might be an acquired taste for some. A new CD might get heavy airplay over a 3 month period so that the listeners can hear the spectrum of sounds on the CD. But efforts are always made to introduce new music to the mixture so that the program does evolve as the weeks go by.

If you have any questions or comments about the music you hear each week, please feel free to share them with the host.

Also…

You will find to your right a variety of links to a variety of resources that may be of interest to you, the WIDR World listener. You’ll find resources within the WMU community, links to venues that embrace a diversity of sounds, and international music record labels and performing artists. If there is a link that you think should be posted here, please feel free to share it with me.