HooSkow Radio
HooSkow Radio Brings Eclectic Music and More to Skowhegan | June 2018
By Maria Landry
In Skowhegan, turn the dial to 98.1 FM and you never know what you might hear.
According to HooSkow Radio DJ and General Manager Tom Hamilton, that’s part of the station’s charm.
“What we love about it is, you just never know,” he said, sitting beside his wife, Peggy, as the nonprofit HooSkow Radio WXNZ marks its third anniversary on the airwaves this month. “Last night I was listening and there was this set of Caribbean music. Then the next one was Darryll White, who had sacred music because his mom is visiting. Then after that, it was country music. It’s fun.”
Cornville residents since 1974, the Hamiltons have been with HooSkow for about a year. In addition to DJing, Peggy is on the board of the Wesserunsett Arts Council, which is the umbrella organization that oversees HooSkow.
The name HooSkow is derived from hoosegow, slang for prison.
“We have the studio in the old jail,” Peggy explained, noting that Amber Lambke, owner of the former jail building that is now the Somerset Grist Mill, “has so graciously let the radio station operate from there.”
Tom added, “You roll the door and step into what must have been like a little communal area, and then we have three cells. We were interviewed by [a TV station] and that guy was so fixated: ‘What do you think about going into that cell? Do you think it’s haunted?’”
The curious studio space may not be haunted, but it’s certainly packed with history. In addition to being housed in a former Victorian jail, the studio boasts plenty of LPs and CDs from the days of WTOS, a station that used to operate out of Skowhegan in the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s.
Former TOS mainstays Duane Bruce and Annie Stillwater Gray were two of HooSkow’s founders, in addition to Andy Wendell and Tim “Timtron” Smith, who owns the top of Bigelow Hill where the radio towers are located. Smith also donated a lot of the station’s recording equipment.
“They were disgusted with the way FM radio has gone,” Tom said. “The format, being owned by a corporation, plus a lot of commercials. They were able to get an FCC license, but the only way they could get the license was if it was low power.”
“We’ve got a fairly big range for a low power,” said Peggy, who’s done some research on low-power radio stations. “They are sort of the up-and-coming new thing.”
HooSkow broadcasts 24/7, operating on a jukebox format: every 15 minutes from 3 a.m. to about 9 p.m., the disc jockey or the show changes. After 9 p.m., DJs host one-, two-, or three-hour shows, and the music is edgier.
With nearly 20 DJs of varying backgrounds and musical tastes, HooSkow offers an eclectic mix.
It’s not just about the music, though that’s an important piece.
“Our mission is to promote the arts in the area, be a part of the community and promote the arts,” Tom said.
HooSkow airs a community calendar, an arts calendar, and public service announcements.
“We want to promote the community,” Peggy said. “The radio station did a whole thing on haikus, and so every now and then you’ll hear somebody [local] reading their haiku. This spring I had the thought, let’s get some children’s voices on the radio. I went around and recorded kids reading poetry.”
Fundraisers are local affairs too. The station’s Third Anniversary Benefit Celebration is taking place at Bigelow Brewing Co. in Skowhegan on Thursday, June 21, from 5 to 8 p.m. Local caterer Rachel Calder will supply hors d’oeuvres, Bigelow Brewing’s Erik Levine will make pizza with dough donated by downtown landmark The Bankery, and local musical talents Bob Lovelace and Merry-Go-Roundup will entertain.
Tom and Peggy say their work with HooSkow all comes down to making connections.
Peggy mused, “That’s sort of the goal—get the community involved.”
