We want to stay as low to the ground and as close to the audience as possible.

Milwaukee is ready for something new, Mikel Ellcessor says. And that something new is RadioMilwaukee, a new, non-commercial radio station.

RadioMilwaukee 88.9 hit the air and cyber waves on Feb. 26. The station boasts an innovative approach to radio programming. Unlike a lot of things that promise to be innovative, RadioMilwaukee appears to have the goods to back it up.

The music at RadioMilwaukee is much more a mirror of where individuals are in their musical lives, says Ellcessor, the station“s executive director and former top executive at WNYC.

Unlike most radio stations, which function on a narrow, linear spectrum, RadioMilwaukee thinks more horizontally, playing music across a wider range.

Ellcessor says that the station reflects the diverse population of Milwaukee, and attempts to include more of them in its process. For RadioMilwaukee this means making community voices a big part of the station. Before the station“s launch, staff members went out into the city collecting sound bites that the station plays during breaks between songs.

RadioMilwaukee employees asked Milwaukee residents a variety of questions, from what they want to hear on the radio to what they think about the city. The station also plays call-in comments from listeners, both positive and not-so-positive. Ellcessor equates the station“s operation with a Web blog, complete with the comments section.

As unique as its interest in community input is, its grassroots approach to programming also departs from the standard radio stereotype. Ellcessor says that they tried to design multi-ethnic radio for multi-ethnic city.

There is no formula for creating the musical programs; Ellcessor says that they do not go by artist or genre relationships but by what music plays well with others. There are no numbers involved, only ears.

Some of the music played on RadioMilwaukee is well known, but others may be foreign to most listeners, Ellcessor warns, but that that should not discourage people from listening.

Don“t overvalue something because it is popular, and don“t be afraid of something because it is obscure, he says.

Radio For Milwaukee, the non-profit organization that runs RadioMilwaukee, built the station from the ground up, tailoring it specifically to Milwaukee.

We want to stay as low to the ground and as close to the audience as possible, Ellcessor says when asked about the effect independent ownership has on his station.

Their tactics appear to be working. Ellcessor says he has noticed a positive response from the Milwaukee, even though the station has only been up for two weeks.

The most exciting part is that people seem to be saying, “We“ve been waiting for something this complex and sophisticated,“ says Ellcessor.

Ellcessor hopes that the success of RadioMilwaukee will eventually inspire other cities around the country to start up similar stations.

Audiences have a strong appetite to have a major voice in shaping the media in their lives, he says. And non-commercial radio is the natural place for it to happen.

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