Allen Ruff Archives - WORT 89.9 FM

WORT Music Playlists

What was that song I heard? Who was the artist, what is the album title, where can I get it? Where can I find the entire playlist for a show?

Click on the Playlists button to bring up a calendar where you can choose any date to find the playlists for that day. If you can’t find the right playlist or the song you’re looking for, your best bet is to call the station the next time that program’s on and ask the host yourself. If that’s not possible we may be able to help you, but please have as much information as possible at hand when you contact us, such as: approximate day and time the music was played, what type or genre of music it was, who hosted the show and any other information you remember about the selection and we’ll do our best to track it down.

Once you figure it out, there’s a “Buy It!” link next to each track in online playlists that leads you to a place where you can buy songs and albums, and by doing it that way a small portion of each purchase goes to support WORT.

Contact Information

Music Director: Sybil Augustine – musicdirector@wortfm.org (for music submissions, charts and tracking, promotional exchanges for music events and following up on volunteer applications or other requests. Please include specifics in your subject line, such as “Hiphop Music Submission” etc, )

Music Assistant: Aaron Scholz – musicass@wortfm.org (for record donations and sales, promos recording volunteers, etc.)

Music Calendars: Submit your events online here or send by email to calendar@wortfm.org

How do I get my music played on WORT?

We accept submissions in most genres and styles of music, focusing on noncommercial, out-of-the-mainstream, independent releases (check out our playlists and music charts for more information.) It may take up to a few weeks for us to review and process your submission so we appreciate your patience, and feel free to contact us to follow up. Please send your music, indicating any tracks with language that needs to be aired after 10 pm and including a one-sheet description and any biographical and tour information, to WORT Music Director, 118 S. Bedford St, Madison, WI 53703 and/or to musicdirector@wortfm.org.

We do accept digital files on .wav or mp3, but currently we still prefer CDs to digital submissions because it’s the quickest way to get it into the hands of our programmers and onto the airwaves, though we have a growing digital library. Digital submissions should be .wav or other lossless files, or high quality mp3s [128-320 kbps.]

You can follow up or “track” your submissions by email, or call 608-256-2001 on Wednesdays between 1-4 pm CST to ask if we received it, has it been reviewed, has it been added to our library, and what kind of airplay it’s getting—e.g. light, medium, heavy or charting. Thanks and we look forward to hearing your music!

The Future of Trumpism

January 14, 2021 by A Public Affair

Trump will be out of office in a week, but the phenomenon of “Trumpism” is likely not going away anytime soon. How do we understand what occurred in DC last week and what does it suggest about where we might be headed? For today’s show, we invite back social and cultural critic Henry Giroux to […]

An Anti-Fascist Responds to Yesterday’s Riot at the U.S. Capitol...

January 7, 2021 by A Public Affair

The events that took place in Washington, DC yesterday will go down in history. Pro-Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol building to disrupt Congress’s certification of president-elect Biden’s victory, leaving four dead and many injured. Anti-fascist groups have been warning about Trump’s unprecedented attempt to overturn the election. Today, we talk to Sunsara Taylor of […]

New Year’s Eve Reflections on Our Pandemic Year

December 31, 2020 by A Public Affair

For today’s New Year’s Eve show, Allen looks back on 2020 and lessons from the pandemic with Marc Rosenthal, a practicing nurse and activist in social justice, environmental, and anti-fascist movements who has been working as a volunteer street medic in Madison.

U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East, 2020 Edition

December 17, 2020 by A Public Affair

As the Trump presidency draws to a close, the administration has moved to solidify a number of initiatives on the international diplomatic front, especially in regard to Israel and Palestine and the broader Middle East. Today on the show, we’ll be discussing U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, politics and concerns in the region, […]

The Sinking Middle Class

December 10, 2020 by A Public Affair

The concept of the middle class has a unique hold on the American imagination—for years, it’s been the central talking point of both dominant political parties. But what is this middle class and what does it really mean to “save” it? Save it from what? From whom? Today on the show, Allen explores these questions […]

Paul Robeson’s Art and Politics

December 3, 2020 by A Public Affair

Paul Robeson was an acclaimed singer, actor, and athlete best known for films like The Emperor Jones (1933) and Show Boat (1936). He was also a political activist with communist sympathies, leading to his being blacklisted during the McCarthy era. Today on the show, we learn more about Paul Robeson’s amazing story with comic artist […]

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