WSIM: Simsbury’s Community Radio Station

WSIM GM Chris Wahl was diagnosed with thymus cancer in 2023. His "brothers and sisters in the fire service," along with his friends and family, have been steadfast in their support. "It changed me fundamentally as a person - to be more empathetic, more engaged, more present," he says. "I appreciate every little thing now." Photo by Carl Wiser

By Carl Wiser

Staff Writer

On the second floor of the Simsbury fire station on Hopmeadow Street (Main Station), you’ll find the studio for WSIM, which has been broadcasting at 103.5 FM since 2015. Most of the time you’ll hear a very eclectic rotation of music, but there are also six live shows, and in an emergency it’s where you’ll listen for news and updates. When microbursts tore up parts of town in August 2024, it was a crucial link.

“We got on the air live and gave updates every 15 minutes because a lot of people didn’t have power,” says Chris Wahl, the station’s general manager. “If you have a transistor radio that takes batteries or even a hand-crank emergency one, you can tune into 103.5 FM for updates. We let people know they could go to the library to charge their devices, where to shower if needed. The town really comes together in times of disaster, and we share resources with one another.”

Main Station, one of the town’s six firehouses, is Simsbury’s communications hub. The components needed to broadcast WSIM are housed in the same server room with the equipment used to coordinate police, fire, town management, town highway and Eversource, so you’ll be getting firsthand information when you tune in during an emergency. The rest of the time you’ll be entertained with a mix of music you certainly won’t hear anywhere else. On my drive to the station I heard a song from Peter Gabriel-era Genesis, an extended dance mix of the Huey Lewis & the News hit “The Power of Love,” and what I think was something from the Jesus Christ Superstar soundtrack. It sounds like the personal collection from someone who spent a lifetime curating interesting music, because it is.

Joe Barrett - “Rockin’ Reverend Joe” on the air - was a Simsbury volunteer firefighter with an extensive record collection (on vinyl and CD) that he painstakingly transferred and cataloged into WSIM’s system. It ended up being about 5,000 songs, which have been playing since the station went on the air. They’re set to random, so the listening experience is truly unpredictable, a nice break from the algorithmic playlists of commercial radio stations and streaming services. Barrett was the station’s first general manager; when he died in 2023, Wahl took over.

“He was a music aficionado,” Wahl says of Barrett. “He’d know who played guitar on some live performance from 1967. He was an encyclopedia of music.”

Kingsley Dougherty, the training coordinator at WSIM. His show is on Sundays from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Submitted Photo

Station History

The need for emergency broadcasts was apparent in the aftermath of the 2011 storm that left much of Simsbury without power for up to 14 days. “It was a freakish October snowstorm,” says Wahl. “Temperatures plummeted, trees were down everywhere. We had trucks getting stuck on the road. Gas stations were closed. Everything was shut down. It was kind of Mad Max out there. That spawned the idea.”

Kevin Kowalski, the Simsbury deputy fire chief, led the charge to create the station. “He decided we needed something in place to communicate to residents: this road is closed, don’t go outside unless it’s a dire emergency, we can get to you with saws and emergency tools,” says Wahl. “Joe and Kevin were the two spearheads who got the whole thing going.”

Getting a license for a new radio station - even a low-power FM like WSIM - is a long and highly bureaucratic process that involves showing how the station will benefit the community and making sure the owner will properly manage it. The Simsbury Fire District applied for the license in 2013, and it was granted less than two years later - light speed in FCC time.

WSIM was on the air a short time later thanks to the efforts of Jeff Hugabonne, the station’s engineer. A former chief engineer for CBS Radio in Hartford, Hugabonne got stations to donate equipment they were no longer using, and he installed it at Main Station.

A fire station turns out to be the perfect vessel for a low-power FM radio station. They have towers and transmitters, emergency power, and a building staffed 24/7. They also serve the community, fulfilling a requirement of the license. And firefighters tend to be careful stewards of their equipment, so they’re less likely to spill coffee on the console, a common hazard in radio.

Mike Grise and Shaun Murphy (Murph) of the Mike and Murph Show, heard on Tuesdays from 6-9pm. That console, which has since been replaced, was donated to the station. It was once used on the Imus In The Morning show. Submitted Photo

DJs and Signal Coverage

The broadcast signal reaches most of Simsbury, Avon and Canton, but many listen online (here's the link to listen) - Wahl says he’s heard from listeners all over the country. Just remember you’ll need an actual radio to hear the station in an emergency. You can get one cheap at Amazon.

“Everybody’s so used to the digital age, where they expect to get everything on their phone, which requires internet,” Wahl says. “103.5 FM is going to transmit over the airwaves regardless of whether you have internet or not.”

The software that plays the music and PSAs is really old and no longer supported, which makes it very hard to ingest new songs, so those same 5,000 tunes have been playing for the last 11 years. But during live shows, DJs can play music from their devices using a Bluetooth connection. They can also put callers on the air, which many do.

You don’t have to be a volunteer firefighter to get a show - anyone in the community is eligible and there’s a training program in place. “We’re always looking for DJs,” says Wahl. “We encourage people from the community - whether you live in Avon, Granby, Farmington, wherever. If you’ve ever been interested in being a DJ, reach out to me.”

Kingsley Dougherty, who runs the “KD In The Morning” show, is the DJ training coordinator. “When a new DJ comes in, we bring them in, get to know them, and have them shadow a DJ,” Wahl says. “Usually it’s Kingsley, because he’s great with it. Then when they feel comfortable, they can go on in an available time slot.”

Funding

The radio station, like the fire department, is staffed by volunteers and funded by the Simsbury Fire District, which relies on taxpayer money and donations. WSIM doesn’t cost much to run (they do pay music licensing fees to BMI and ASCAP), but they need to replace equipment from time to time. Wahl says new software was recently approved, which will let the station add to their library with ease. This means they might be able to play back a concert by an area band or run a show recorded by a resident in a home studio - it will open up lots of possibilities.

Wahl is hoping to play more local music on the station and maybe do some remote broadcasts. He’d also like to attract more listeners, so you might see some WSIM posters around town and a presence at events. Be sure to set 103.5 as a preset on your car radio and spread the word. “The big thing is, we’re all volunteers,” says Wahl. “And it’s our love of music and love of the community that drives it.” VL

Wahl, a former creative director, designed the WSIM logo. "I went with a 1980s vibe," he says.

WSIM Show Schedule

Sundays, 9am-1pm

KD playing the very best of classic rock, jazz, blues, country, crooners and of course your requests.

(“Every Sunday I sit with my dog, Mr. Pickles, have my coffee, and we listen to the KD show,” Wahl says. “Sunday morning, low-key music. You never know what he’s going to play, but it’s always great.”)

Mondays, 6-8pm

The Wall of Sound with Wahlie will take you on a genre-hopping ride where you can hear anything from Johnny Cash to the Cure and everything in-between, including local artists!

Tuesdays, 6-9pm

The Mike and Murph Show play new music, old music, classics and deep cuts, as our aim is to expand our listeners’ musical horizons.

Wednesdays, Noon-3pm

Bobby G. A rock and roll jubilee of stars.

Wednesdays, 6-8pm

Listen at your own risk with your Ol Pal Mouse. Mouse plays two hours of format-free radio, anything goes.

Fridays, 5-8pm

Prime Cuts with The Butcher. One never knows what to expect to hear on Prime Cuts, from the familiar to the new. 

If you’d like your own show on WSIM, contact Chris Wahl at cwahl@simsburyfd.org for more information.

Chris Wahl in the server room at Main Station, where WSIM's encoder shares space with the array of communications equipment used to coordinate town services. Photo by Carl Wiser

WSIM's music is played from a server but controlled using very old software that should get an upgrade this summer. The rest of the equipment, which was mostly donated by radio stations that no longer needed it, is professional grade. Photo by Carl Wiser