WAVERLY - A new sound is hitting the airwaves of KWAR, Wartburg College's radio station.

After changing the station's frequency from 89.1 FM to 89.9 FM, and increasing the organization's wattage from 40 to 100 watts last spring, students decided to retool the station's daytime programming to reach out to listeners in surrounding communities.

Prior to last May, KWAR programs could only be heard within a 5-mile radius of the campus. Today people within 20 miles of the college can pick up the signal.

"With that came the responsibility to better serve the community," said Chris Lambertz, KWAR station manager. "With our new programming, we're trying to reach out to the people working 9-to-5 jobs."

So instead of playing alternative rock selections during the workday, this month KWAR started spinning "adult contemporary" hits in hopes of attracting more listeners. Independent musicians, punk rock and other genres can still be heard on nights and weekends.

"What our new daytime lineup really comes down to is hits from the '80s, '90s and today," said Lambertz, who is pursuing a degree in public relations and electronic media. "We are playing more artists like Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston and a lot of REM and Dave Matthews Band and the new Maroon 5."

Within the next few months, station employees plan to survey the members of the Wartburg campus and surrounding towns about the programming change.

"It's still first and foremost a student-run radio station," said Pam Ohrt, the organization's faculty advisor. "But that doesn't mean the product is still only for students."

Also new to the station are six daily news updates produced by college's journalism students.

"If people want to just listen to music, they are going to listen to their iPods," Ohrt said. "We want to be a step ahead of that."

Samantha Brehm, who works for Wartburg's dining services office, said she listened to KWAR's new daytime programming last week while working a shift in one of the college's dish rooms.

"I like knowing that it's the college station," Brehm said. "A lot of times I'm able to listen and I know who the kids are. People will switch it on just because it is the college station."

To accompany the programming changes, KWAR is putting out a call for volunteer radio hosts this winter. Station workers will train community members to produce their own weekly shows for the station.

"Our new slogan is: '89.9: Your Sound,'" Lambertz said. "And we're really stressing that if you can't find your sound on our station, come in and make it your sound."

Contact Mary Stegmeir at (319) 291-1482 or mary.stegmeir@wcfcourier.com.