WOJB Press Release
Starting Aug. 9 Karl Habeck took over duties as the new General Manager for WOJB radio.
Karl Habeck is a familiar face, and voice, for the WOJB community. He began volunteering at the station in 2008 and later became a full-time employee in 2010.
At the station, he worked both on the technical side, as an engineer and chief operator, and also hosted or filled in for a number of programming slots, such as the Honky Tonk, Drum Song, Blue Monday, and Spice of Life.
Karl, who has an associate’s degree in liberal arts, left radio to pursue a career as a librarian. He worked for several years as one of the staff at the Sherman & Ruth Weiss Community Library in Hayward and later became head librarian at the Lac Courte Oreilles (LCO) Ojibwe College.
Habeck, who is an LCO tribal member, said he had been encouraged to apply for General Manager before but when previously asked he was happy with his career as a librarian. He arrives just as the station has made some major technical improvements with its tower and studio equipment.
“It’s a good time to join,” he said. “I have a lot of support from everyone who works here and from the community, and I know the ins and outs.”
Habeck said he has some ideas for the station but does not plan any immediate changes. One of his goals is to bring back volunteers who have had less involvement since the COVID pandemic began.
And he will continue the station’s effort for more outreach. This summer the station had a booth at the Blue Ox music festival in Eau Claire and is exploring a presence at Big Top Chautauqua events in Bayfield.
Also on Sept. 11 at the Sawmill in Seeley, the station is sponsoring a live performance of Actual Wolf by singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Eric Pollard.
One of Habeck’s primary missions will be to reach out to grant funders and also to interact with the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) and the Corporation of Public Broadcasting.
Future station improvements include two additions to the building, one of which would house a new recording studio and a new on-air studio and mixing booth. The other addition would be a new garage with storage space. He noted there have also been discussions about creating a small outdoor stage for live performances.
On the personal side, Habeck is an active fisherman who can be found at least one day week out pursuing a catch — walleyes during the early spring and panfish later in the year.