Two years since it nearly went off the FM dial due to financial struggles, Chicago Public Media’s Vocalo 91.1 (WBEZ-HD2) is expanding its programming with The Vocalo Hotline, a new live weekly show hosted by Nudia Hernandez that will also air on WBEZ 91.5.
The show is built around listener requests, shout-outs, and conversation, spanning Pop, Hip-Hop, R&B, House, dance, and independent music alongside artist interviews, emerging local talent, and Chicago cultural event coverage. Chicago Public Media says the format is also designed to extend across digital platforms through video, social clips, and real-time audience interaction.
The launch is a victory lap of sorts for Vocalo. Chicago Public Media announced plans in April 2024 to discontinue the station’s broadcast signal amid financial losses, ultimately reversing that decision but reducing its staff from five to two. A John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation grant is helping fund the new programming.
The Vocalo Hotline debuts May 29.
Hernandez, who has hosted afternoons at Vocalo for four years, said, “It was a dream of mine to finally bring this show to life. This show is powered by our listeners. Their calls, their stories, their songs. We’re turning Chicago into a living mixtape.”
Chicago Public Media CEO Melissa Bell said, “We know the way people are interacting with radio shows is changing, and so we want to make sure we’re setting ourselves up to continue to remind people that we have streaming options and a newsletter and vertical videos as well as the radio signal.”
