As the U-46 School District's senior communications specialist, Alec Barlow is doing his part to breathe fresh air into WEPS, which at 75 years old is the oldest operating school district-owned non-profit FM radio station in Illinois and one of the first school radio stations in the United States.
“It's an exciting medium. It's more accessible than television. You don't have to look good, put on makeup or have a big studio,” Barlow said. “All you really need these days is a microphone and a good personality. There's something special about that.”
Barlow grew up in Bartlett and graduated in 2018 from the area's Beacon Academy for Media and Digital Arts at South Elgin High School. After earning a degree in film and television from DePaul University in Chicago, he landed a job with U-46.
Barlow's responsibilities include being the chief operator of the low-frequency radio station, launched on January 13, 1950. The call letters WEPS stand for Elgin Public Schools, the name of the district before U-46, and its antenna and studio are located at 335 Chicago St., where Elgin High School was once located.
On 88.9 FM's first day on air, its broadcast schedule included a live broadcast of the varsity basketball game between Elgin High School and Joliet High School.
The WEPS brochure spoke of the “tremendous influence” that radio had on the American people. It said: “A forward-thinking educational program must… not only adapt to the constant changes in the world outside the classroom, but must also incorporate into its curriculum the best teaching aids developed by invention and research.”
Those efforts continue, with Barlow leading the latest adaptation of how the station operates post-COVID.
The district's participation in WEPS was suspended in 2020 due to the pandemic. However, it remained on the air thanks to an agreement with Wisconsin Public Radio, and since 2005 the station has carried WPR content to fill airtime it does not produce locally.
During the 2024-25 academic year, Barlow oversaw the soft launch of the resumption of radio shows produced by U-46 students and staff.
From newspaper articles in the station's archives, Barlow learned about the station's rise and fall.
For a time, WEPS offered hands-on training, and the district offered radio classes that could be used as electives in high school, he said. Sports competitions, lectures by teachers, musical performances, student radio plays and news were part of the programs at various times.
In past decades, especially the 1970s, students hosted their own shows, spinning tunes on turntables from the station's extensive music library.
According to an article in The Courier-News, budget cuts in 1988 across the school district “hit the station hard, wiping out the funds that paid for the bus for the teachers and 50 students who came to operate the station.” Barlow noted that the district abandoned radio classes in the 1980s in favor of radio clubs for high school students.
Old articles also show that for several years WEPS produced programs produced by adults outside the area that included shows featuring jazz and big band music, gardening and an hour-long program in Spanish.
Barlow currently works with students at clubs at Washington Elementary School and Larkin Middle School in Elgin. About a dozen students from the two companies create content at their schools that is sent electronically to Barlow.
It is included in programs heard from 7am to 8am, 4pm to 5pm and 7pm to 8pm Monday to Thursday; and 7 to 9 a.m., 4 to 5 p.m., and 7 to 9 p.m. on Fridays during the school year.
In October, WEPS presented “Spark/Chispa,” a short show in English and Spanish about the area hosted by Barlow. The first guests were District Superintendent Suzanne Johnson and Athletics and Activities Coordinator Mark Spacone.
The outreach staff also produces the “Books, Blankets and Bedtime” program, in which chapters from a children's book are read aloud and broadcast Monday through Thursday evenings.
All three are also available to listen to as podcasts on Spotify. In fact, in addition to working to get more schools to have radio clubs, Barlow said he hopes his efforts might lead to student-produced podcasts.
“That’s what they listen to,” Barlow said.
Additionally, he would like to get students involved in the station again and show that what they are learning and doing has real-world applications.
“Working with the radio club helped me gain confidence and was an amazing experience,” said Diana Absalon, a Larkin junior and second-year radio club member.
Washington fifth-grader Matteo Fausto made a video about club membership with his principal, Ryan Corcoran.
“Being on the air is the best thing about the radio club,” Fausto said in the clip. “During this time you will be able to express yourself… Once you get the hang of it, you will feel a little more confident.”
Mike Dunahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
