FAQ
From WWR
Wow! Everything's changed. What's going on?
Listening
I can't hear the music on my computer. What can I do?
- See the Tune In guide for listening to the WWR stream. If you are still having problems, ask for help in the chat. Often other listeners can help you get the stream up and running.
notebars
How many people can listen to Whole Wheat Radio?
- Currently, Whole Wheat Radio can accommodate up to 90 concurrent listeners (20 on the low speed line and 70 on the high speed line). More accurately, WWR sends out a maximum of 90 streams. So, if two people are listening to each of those streams, that works out to 180 listeners. And if 1,000 people are listening to each stream, that works out to...
How do I make requests?
- To find out how to request songs see Request songs.
How do I mark a song as a favorite?
- Any time you see a song title that displays five stars, you can click on one of the stars to rate the song. If you really like the song, click the 5th star. Your User/Details page displays an automatically-generated list of your favorite artists. Your ratings are stored in a WWR database, and these ratings help determine which music is played.
Chatting
What is chatting?
- Chatting is one way that Wheatheads communciate with each other. Visit the Main Chat Room and see what it's all about.
In the chat I show up as "Anon". How do I get my username to show up there?
- If you have a WWR User account Log in by clicking the log in link usually found at the top of your browser window. If you do not have a website account, create one by clicking the Create an account link in the upper right corner of the window. After you have created an account, log in.
How come there's a (?) next to my name in the chat?
- You aren't logged in yet but the system took at guess at who you are based on your IP address and which registered user has used that same IP in the past. The question mark is there because until you actually log in, the system can't assure with 100% accuracy it's really the person named who is doing the chatting; we don't want to accidentally attribute chat comments to the wrong person.
- Keep in mind that on the login page, there is a checkbox that says "Remember me". If you click it, you won't have to go through the login procedure each time you come to the site. "Remember me" works great on your personal home computer but never do it on a public terminal. If you did, then whoever used that computer after you, even days or week later, and happened to come to this site could be automatically logged on as you.
Why are all the links with my username in red?
- The red link means you haven't yet put anything on your User page. To get started click on the red link with your name. When the next window opens, in the big edit box type "Hello world", then click the "Save page" button.
Website
What is a User page?
- Each person who creates an account has a User page. Most people put information about themselves and their interests on their User page. The title of User pages always begins with "User:" followed by the user's name.
How are these different from other pages?
- User pages are more personal. They are your personal space on the website. Unless you ask them to, other users do not modify your User page. Instead people can leave messages and comments for you on your Talk page.
What the heck is a Talk page?
- Every page on the site has a Talk (or Discussion) page attached to it. The Talk page attached to your User page is where other users leave messages for you. After they have left you a message, the next time you login you will see a yellow banner announcing that you have messages. (You can tell if you are on a Talk page when the title begins "Name talk:".)
- There are Discussion pages for each article page, too. These pages are used to discuss the article — questions about the page, compliments about the page, and so forth.
I did a search for an artist I know is here and they weren't found. What's up with that?
- Most of the artists heard on WWR do not yet have saved website pages, so the website's search feature (the search box in the navigation bar) doesn't yet know they exist. The red links you see on your user page or on the chat page to these artists is created on-the-fly by extensions to the website software, and at this time such pages are not automatically saved.
- Here are some options:
- Search for artists using the form on this page.
- List of artists with saved website pages.
- On pages where you find red-linked artists, click on the link. When the page opens that says "Editing Artists:Artist's Name" at the top, scroll to the "Save" button and click "Save." By saving the page, future simple searches will find the artist. (BTW, all the information you see already on the page is created programically, and you are welcome to add information about the artist before clicking the "Save" button. Or at any time, actually.)
- See Searching for details about searching the website.
Why are the links to so many artists in red?
- See the question and answer above.
Whole Wheat Radio
Is this station really from Alaska?
- No, it's from Siberia. Actually, it really is from Alaska. Talkeetna, to be exact. The broadcast originates from the small cabin where Jim and Esther live.
How big is Talkeetna?
- Bigger than you might think. Go here, and you'll see a population figure of 772. But that's just a myth. Talkeetna's population varies with the time of year.
What's the time zone for Talkeetna?
- Talkeetna is in the Alaska Time Zone which is one hour behind the Pacific Time Zone in the U.S. So when it's noon in California, it's only 11:00 am in Talkeetna. It's also four hours behind the Eastern Time Zone. So when it's noon in New York, Whole What Radio time is only 8:00 am. If you live in a state that doesn't use Daylight Saving Time, then things get a bit more complicated.
- If you think in terms of Greenwich time, Talkeetna is -9:00. If you're confused about time zones (and you should be), try this link.
Is Alaska part of Canada?
- Yes it is. Most people don't realize it, but Alaska is actually a province of Canada (we even have colored money). You can find more useful Alaska facts here.
What's the deal with those wheatberries?
- Nobody knows, really. Listeners are awarded wheatberries for making requests and answering trivia questions in the chat room. They just collect 'em, and sometimes they even give them away to others.
- Nobody knows what they are good for. A rumor has circulated that wheatberries will become the official currency of Alaska. But our sources in Juneau will neither confirm nor deny that rumor.
What's a Wheathead?
- A Wheathead is a person who discovers Whole Wheat Radio, and then gets obsessed with it. It's an elite group. Probably about 2.5% of all people who listen to Whole Wheat radio go on to become Wheat Heads.
Who mans the station when Jim is sleeping? Or does Jim sleep?
- Whole Wheat Radio was programmed in a manner that makes it completely automated. Jim can sleep whenever he wants to sleep. The EJs (Electronic DJs) keep things running smoothly most of the time, and they even participate in the chat. Occasionally, the EJs exhibit traces of actual artificial intelligence.
Why haven't I heard of any of these artists?
- Probably because, like most people, you've been brainwashed into believing that the only good music comes from well-known artists who are under contract with one of the big conglomerate music companies. Fact is, there are thousands of independent artists who make music that is just as good (if not better) than the big name artists. Whole Wheat Radio focuses on these independent artists.
- Stick around here a while, and you'll soon begin to recognize some of these artists. And, chances are, they will become favorites and you'll even buy their CDs.
Can I download the songs played on Whole Wheat Radio?
- No. If you like the music that you hear, click on the artist's link and buy a CD. Chances are the CD will be much cheaper than you're used to paying. Even better, the artist will actually make some money from the sale.
- Most of the artists played by Whole Wheat Radio have their own websites. In many cases, these sites offer MP3 downloads. Check 'em out.
Who is this Esther chick?
- Esther Golton is Jim's better half. She has an incredible voice, and you can even request her music on Whole Wheat Radio. And if you have three $5 bills that you don't really need, you can buy her CD.
Can I buy Whole Wheat Radio merchandise?
- You betcha. One of the listeners has created an online shop called Sol's Stand.
If you don't make any money from this site, why do you do it?
- No one really knows the answer to this question. A team of leading behavior therapists is currently working on this one.
Was the town in the TV series Northern Exposure modeled after Talkeetna?
- That's what some people believe. Others think that Talkeetna is modeled after Northern Exposure's fictional Cicely, Alaska. But the TV show was actually filmed in Roslyn, Washington — which has nothing to do with Roswell, New Mexico.
Do you ever have any live music?
- Yes. Occasionally real live musicians gather in the WWR studio and play music, which is broadcast live. And we have house concerts where we do live music.
Can I add a link to Whole Wheat Radio from my web site?
- Certainly. Please follow this simple steps:
- Contact the WWR Legal Team and describe exactly why you want to include a link. Make sure you include all relevant documents, such as income tax returns, credit history, and bank account records.
- Within 2-3 months, our attorneys will send a 45-page legal document, which must be reviewed by your attorneys.
- Send five copies of the signed agreement to Whole Wheat Radio. This document must be notarized, and sent via Registered Mail.
- Upon receipt of your application, we will conduct a site review to determine if your web site is link-worthy.
- Within 4-8 months, you will receive notification about the status of your application. In most cases, applicants will need to make some changes before a link can be approved.
Are you serious?
- No. Just put up a link to http://www.wholewheatradio.org. If you want to use a graphic image, snag one from here.
Who designed the original Whole Wheat Radio web site?
- The original site was designed and written by Myrtle McNeedle, of course.
Whole Wheat Radio (WWR) is an all volunteer, grassroots, labor-of-love webcasting radio station. WWR broadcasts on the Internet 24 hours/day, 365 days/year from a log building on Birch Creek Boulevard just outside of Talkeetna, Alaska. WWR has been "on-air" for more than six years, and "live" webcasting began in August 2002. There is not a terrestrial transmitter. In other words, you can't hear WWR on your car radio.
Unlike most other webcasts, WWR is interactive. Listeners are invited to interact with each other in a chat room, choose the music, and even create the website.
WWR currently supports a maximum of 90 concurrent listeners (20 on the low-speed line and 70 on the high speed line).
What type of music do we play?
We focus on independent musicians in the following genres: acoustic, folk, jazz, classical, bluegrass, singer-songwriter, swing, big-band, new-age, instrumental, blues, black-gospel, Alaskana, spoken word, and humor. We rarely air Christian, hip-hop, punk, techo, experimental-electronica, and hard rock.
To get a better feel for the types of music played on Whole Wheat Radio, you can:
- View a list of the last 25 songs played. This will give you an idea of the type of music we play. Or...
- Search our music library to see who is already represented. Search on a genre or term such as blues or jazz or female or singles to get a broad idea of what's there.
Is this a real radio station?
Well this certainly isn't a "professional" radio station. It is down-home, creative, flawed, human, and real. We don't take ourselves too seriously and we hope listeners don't either. We try to be humorous and laugh at ourselves. We support things like organic gardening, worldwide peace and tolerance, free-speech without fear, and simple living with minimal focus on consumerism.
The bizarre little clips you hear between songs is a reflection of that. Our motto is, Changing Radio - One Listener At A Time.
If you're looking for slick, conservative, big-city radio station, we're not it. As one person put it, "you're a small, unimportant webcast." We hope to keep it that way.
Who listens to this?
Our listeners tend to be adult music aficionados and music buyers. Those who tune-in regularly are transformed into "addicted" Wheatheads and become part of the Whole Wheat Radio family.
Listeners contribute to the experience in many ways: drawing in the Drawing Room, sending their own music, selling merchandise to help increase our bandwidth, writing artists for permission to air their music, and keeping us honest in the chat room.
How can you make money doing this?
We don't make a dime in profit for anything we do related to the webcast.
Some devoted listeners make contributions, and all of these contributions are used to increase our available bandwidth so more listeners can tune in.
Whole Wheat Radio exists simply because we love doing it. We don't pay royalties of any kind to anyone. Nor do we accept payola, bribes, or first-born children in exchange for airplay.
See also
