© 2024 WNIJ and WNIU
Northern Public Radio
801 N 1st St.
DeKalb, IL 60115
815-753-9000
Northern Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Classical WNIU is Northern Illinois' home for the best in Classical Music and the Arts. Listen at 90.5fm in Northern Illinois, and also 105.7fm in Rockford, IL.

Tim Emmons, 1958 - 2012

Northern Public Radio is sad to report the passing of Tim Emmons, who died February 18th after a nearly four-year battle with cancer.Tim arrived in 1988 as WNIU's Program Director, and was instrumental in the creation of WNIJ in 1991.  Shortly thereafter, he left to become Program Director at KWMU in St. Louis, but returned to Northern Public Radio in 1995 as our Station Manager.  Fifteen months later, Tim became Director and General Manager of our organization, a position he held for the past 15 years.  Over that time, the stations experienced unprecedented growth in audience, membership and underwriting revenue.  We were very glad he was able to help celebrate WNIJ's 20th Anniversary last April.

In 2009, Tim was honored by the Public Radio Program Directors Association for his continuing dedication to public radio excellence and public service.  Although the award was given at an industry conference and the presentation includes some "insider" jargon, you might like to hear the presentation and Tim's short acceptance speech; it's the bottom "listen" link at the top of this page.  Read an interview Tim gave to NIU's Northern Today after receiving the award, here.

In this time of sadness, all of us at Northern Public Radio re-dedicate ourselves to the high standards of public service Tim championed.  Thank you for listening, for your continued support, and for remembering our colleague and our friend.

- The WNIJ / WNIU / NIRIS Staff

 

A MESSAGE FROM INTERIM GENERAL MANAGER STACI HOSTE:

As many of our listeners know, our General Manager, Tim Emmons has had a long battle with cancer over the last few years.  It is with sadness that we announce his passing.

Tim left an indelible mark on this community in the form of Northern Public Radio as you now know it.  Twenty years ago, Tim was instrumental in not only launching Northern Public Radio’s second FM radio station – WNIJ – but also in re-shaping WNIU into the 24/7 classical music station we still enjoy today.  Under his leadership we have continued to evolve as a station dedicated to providing quality radio programming to the area.

Tim's relative good health this past year afforded him the opportunity to work with our staff to form a succession plan.  As part of that plan, I will be serving as Interim General Manager.  He and I prepared for this transition and feel strongly that we will preserve Tim's legacy at Northern Public Radio, its mission, and its service to the community.

I welcome your questions and comments as we move forward in this time; please feel free to connect with us online, through phone calls, or email.  Thank you for spending time with us and for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Staci Hoste

Interim General Manager

staci.h@niu.edu

815-753-0080