WMNR Fine Arts Radio may have its station neighboring Newtown, over in Monroe on Route 25, but its frequency at 88.1 FM has clearly captivated local listeners.

Out of its seven-member staff and two dozen-plus volunteers, many folks at the station just so happen to be music-loving residents of Newtown.

Founded in 1971 by John and Carol Babina, WMNR was originally housed in Masuk High School and had its Federal Communications Commission issued license through the Monroe Board of Education.

“It became a community project, and all the equipment was paid for with donations from local individuals and businesses,” the WMNR website states. “In early 1974, regular broadcasts were begun with a volunteer staff made up of local students and adults.”

The station played everything from rock, Big Band, and classical music as well as talk shows, children’s programming, town meetings, sports events, and church services.

In the early 1980s, Stewart Nazzaro’s nonprofit group, Monroe Public Radio Inc, began operating WMNR and updated its format to focus on broadcasting classical and jazz music and NPR news. However, according to the WMNR website, “Monroe Public Radio Inc ran out of funds, and operation of the station was again handled by its founders, John and Carol Babina.”

Not to be deterred, WMNR focused on broadcasting classical and fine arts music with its all-volunteer staff in 1982. By the fall of that year, Kurt Anderson became general manager, and the station broadcasted NPR news — the first station to do so at the time in Fairfield County.

While WMNR would later forgo the NPR programming, it did add other elements to increase their listenership, including in 1987 starting an eight-year tradition of annual concerts in Newtown with Karl Haas from Adventures in Good Music (a program that ran for 21 years).

“In 1997, WMNR changed the way that we broadcast. Since 1984, there had always been someone at the station during broadcasts, but in 1997, we began operating 24 hours a day using a satellite-delivered service during the overnight hours,” the station reported.

When the station outgrew the space available for it at Masuk High School, it was able to move its offices and studios to a new building, thanks to the $200,000 of contributions from listeners to support the station.

It was not until 2009, though, that WMNR’s licenses transferred from the Monroe Board of Education to the Town of Monroe.

Today, WMNR has approximately 60,000 listeners and 6,000 contributing members.

The station remains an independent station, free of news and commercial interruption, because of the financial support of its listeners.

WMNR’s mission “is to provide our listeners with a variety of music on air and online, that entertains, enriches, and adds to their enjoyment of life.”

Station Tour

Located inside WMNR’s South Main Street building is a treasure trove of gems for classical music lovers.

More than 20,000 CDs sit organized on the upstairs shelving, waiting to be played, while downstairs, boxes upon boxes of CDs and LPs are set aside to be evaluated.

Cindy Carlson, communications director and major giving officer at WMNR, says any duplicate items in the boxes downstairs are donated to the Friends of the C.H. Booth Library in Newtown for their annual book sale.

If the bounty of stored music was not enough, broadcasters can also use music from their personal collection, whether it be a physical disc or digital.

Nestled past the stockpile of musical content and staff offices is the station’s Master Control Room, where broadcasters go live on air; Studio A, where fundraising initiatives happen for listeners to call in and make pledges; and the Production Studio, where members go in to record programs.

Meet some of the Newtown WMNR members that make the classical music magic happen:

Cindy Carlson

How long have you lived in Newtown? In Sandy Hook since 2000.

What is your job title at WMNR? Communications director and major giving officer.

What are some of your duties in this position? Writing web content, our newsletter, managing social media, [and] maintaining our major donors recognition program, the Founders Society.

How long have you worked at WMNR? Freelance since 2009. Joined staff in 2017.

What inspired you to join? As George Gershwin wrote, “nice work if you can get it.” [There is an] interesting roster of broadcasters to spend time with, thoughtful staff committed to music and non-commercial radio, [and] WMNR is a hub for cultural info about the region.

What has been the most rewarding part of your experience at WMNR? Being part of a 37-year Fairfield County success story [and] learning more about the variety of music we call “classical.”

What is something people may be surprised to learn about WMNR? You can listen on 88.1 FM in Newtown — we are underexposed, but once people learn about us, they become regular listeners.

What would you like people to know about WMNR and the work you do? We are an independent, nonprofit gem: no news, no traffic, no weather. Just great classical, jazz, Broadway, and more. We’re here thanks to our members, who support the station financially.

Roger Post

How long have you lived in Newtown: 26 years.

What is your job title at WMNR? Board operator.

What are some of your duties in this position? Play prerecorded programs for the listening audience. Ensure that announcements are played in a timely manner.

How long have you worked at WMNR? Since August 2019.

What inspired you to join? Looking for employment.

What has been the most rewarding part of your experience at WMNR? Meeting folks who make [the] station happen on a daily basis.

What is something people may be surprised to learn about WMNR? The musical talents of the various broadcasters and other folks who work here.

What would you like people to know about WMNR and the work you do? That it is extremely important to keep the fine music playing for decades to come.

Peter Andrew

How long have you lived in Newtown: 19 years.

What is your job title at WMNR? Membership coordinator.

What are some of your duties in this position? Keep track of donations, first point of contact for members.

How long have you worked at WMNR? Ten months.

What has been the most rewarding part of your experience at WMNR? Working with a great group of people.

What is something people may be surprised to learn about WMNR? The HUGE music collection.

What would you like people to know about WMNR and the work you do? Our programming depends almost totally on the donations of members.

Jane Stadler

How long have you lived in Newtown: 19 years [in the] Hawleyville/Taunton area.

What is your job title at WMNR? Operations [director].

What are some of your duties in this position? Assuring a smoothly run station.

How long have you worked at WMNR? [Since] 1995.

What inspired you to join? I lived in Monroe, listened to the station, and had kids at Masuk, so it was a natural [choice].

What has been the most rewarding part of your experience at WMNR? Interacting with listeners who love our music. Some of the stories — they relay melt my heart.

What is something people may be surprised to learn about WMNR? Broadcasting on WMNR is not for sissies. It requires a special type of person who has a love and knowledge of all kinds of music, a willingness to learn more through research, a sense of humor, plus has the stamina and commitment that our audience deserves. It’s a lot of work, but it’s also a barrel of fun and extremely rewarding.

What would you like people to know about WMNR and the work you do? It’s a delight to work with professionals who share their love of music with our listeners. We continue to thrive because members enjoy and support WMNR.

Any additional comments? To get involved with broadcasting, working in our library, helping during our membership drives, or giving financial support, call 203-268-9667.

Don Wismann

How long have you lived in Newtown: Seven years in Sandy Hook.

What is your job title at WMNR? Broadcaster.

What are some of your duties in this position? Compiling music to play on air, playing music on air, [and] operating the audio board.

How long have you worked at WMNR? Two months!

What inspired you to join? Strong passion for classical music, fine arts, and radio.

What has been the most rewarding part of your experience at WMNR? Working with the amazing people here and sharing music with the listeners.

What is something people may be surprised to learn about WMNR? Every program is custom-made by our broadcasters.

What would you like people to know about WMNR and the work you do? We provide great music 24 hours a day with no news or commercials. Just music.

To learn more about WMNR Fine Arts Radio, visit wmnr.org and facebook.com/wmnrfineartsradio or call 203-268-9667.