In celebration of the third annual drive to raise funds for UMFM during Pledge-O-Rama, host Michael Elves provides insight on the origins and insides of his many shows aired on the station:

Technically, I “host” four shows on UMFM.

Turning Pages, Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.,, is a series of feature-length interviews with authors about one of their works. It actually grew out of my Friday night show, Thank God It’s Free Range (TGIFR).

Free Range runs nightly from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and features interviews, live performances, new music, and upcoming shows, with a different host providing a different flavour and focus.

My tastes are pretty expansive, so TGIFR is all over the map, but I was regularly talking to authors coming to town and, thus, spun off the book show.

Speaking of expansive, I also program an overnight show—Friday mornings, 1 to 3 a.m.—called Expansive Prairie Skies. I don’t talk on that one; I just curate a mix of contemporary classical, jazz, noise, avant-garde, and other music I enjoy and don’t get a chance to play on TGIFR – due to either length or content.

Lastly, during the baseball season, our Bison Sports show scales back to 30 minutes and the Bisons’ sports information officer, Chris Zuk, and I use the remaining half-hour—Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to noon—to talk MLB, fantasy baseball, and the Goldeyes on The Bench Jockeys.