Breakfast of Champions

It was 8am on Thursday, June 28, 1984, and Jon Bernhardt took the mic. He’d just finished his sophomore year at MIT and had been volunteering at WMBR 88.1FM, since the previous September. He’d already hosted several different shows, most notably co-producing Flame Session, a Saturday evening call-in show that had developed a cult following. But this? This was the Big Time! Although a relatively new show, the Breakfast of Champions (along with its older sibling the Late Risers’ Club) anchored weekday mornings. He was nervous at first, but soon fell at ease, fueled by the music he’d picked out and the frequent phone calls from listeners offering support and making requests. He got through the two hour show, and then did it again the next week, and the week after that, and the week after that, and HOLY COW, IT’S BEEN FORTY YEARS!!! Yep, June 28, 2024 marks 40 years since Jon’s debut, and he’s celebrating by hosting an expanded 4 hour anniversary edition of his Breakfast of Champions show, playing a song or two from each year he’s been on the air. Tune in, won't you?

One week away! Get yer tickets now.

NEXT SAT 6/29 @ Crystal Ballroom, Somerville, MA. It's a killer lineup, it's benefit for WMBR, it's a celebration of Breakfast of Champions! Hills ready to thrill the senses with melodies both new and quite familiare. Get yr tickets: https://bit.ly/3R5GzGm

Jon's Fourtieth Anniversary party is coming up at the end of the month and we'd love for you to join us. Check out this line-up! Tickets available from Ticketmaster at the link below, or at the Somerville Theater box office.

https://www.ticketmaster.com/versus-hallelujah-the-hills-and-more-somerville-massachusetts-06-29-2024/event/0100608B132CA2AA

Holy Crap! Jon is going live!

For the first time since March, 2020, Jon's Breakfast of Champions radio program will NOT be pre-recorded, but will instead be curated LIVE as it is HAPPENING!

THRILL! at the imperfect segues that haven't been carefully constructed in advance on Jon's laptop.

MARVEL! at CD players and turntables that start, stop, and skip at inopportune moments!

BE AMAZED at all the "Umm"s and "Yeah"s (more than usual) that are emitted from Jon's piehole!

IT all happens TODAY from 8-10am EST on WMBR 88.1FM or listen later (even if that ruins the whole "live" thing) at wmbr.org.

WMBR 88.1FM is in the middle of its Funderaising Week and the BoC turned 40 years old this year, so what better time to show your support for this middle-aged radio show? Best of all, every pledge of at least $100 can get this ace beach towel! Give Now at https://wmbr.org/fr/pledge2023.php

(Beach towel design by Frank Eyeformation)

It was September 1, 1995. Friday BoC host Jon B. had just received a parcel full of records he'd ordered weeks earlier from Germany, featuring a slew of bands from whom he'd never heard a note -- just brief written descriptions in a mailorder catalog. The bands, centered in a couple of small towns outside Munich and released mostly by the Hausmusik and Kollaps labels, shared members but considerably varied their styles. Most only released a few songs and were never heard from again, but a couple, most notably The Notwist, broke out.

On this morning's BoC, from 9-10am, Jon recreates the second hour of his radio show from 28 years earlier, when he featured that motherload of music.

From 8-9am, you'll hear a bunch a new releases from other countries that are pretty cool too.

Tune in now to WMBR 88.1FM, or listen online anytime at wmbr.org.

Hey, there! It's been awhile. On this morning's BoC, starting at around 9am, Jon will present a recorded interview with Scott Creney & Brigette Herron (Jet Adair) , authors of the new book, "The Story of the B-52s". Learn about how Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson are exactly like Paul McCartney and John Lennon! Discover how the B-52s kept crossing paths with Paul Simon! All this, plus an hour of the usual Bernhardt-approved BoC music from 8-9am. Tune in, won't you?

Tune in this Tuesday morning from 8-10am as Breakfast of Champions DJ Ted plays two hours of music from the country of Ukraine on WMBR 88.1FM. We'll hear punk, shoegaze, coldwave, electropop and indie rock, all from the past ten years from bands who call Ukraine their home. 🇺🇦 📻 🎸 🎵

Tomorrow morning, Jon and guest co-host Santa bring you two hours of music to wrap presents by. It will make you laugh. It will make you cry. It will make you crumple up your wrapping paper and throw it at your radio. With guest-host Santa! Although, since Christmas Eve is Santa's busiest day of the year, and since Jon doesn't buy the argument that Santa is immune from the virus (don't people remember The Year Without A Santa Claus?!), Santa visited Jon and recorded this program via Zoom earlier in the week. Tune into WMBR 88.1FM from 8-10am EST, or listen online at

WMBR 88.1 FM at MIT WMBR is the awesome little radio station broadcasting from deep within the basements of MIT in Cambridge, Mass.

Fundraising Week on WMBR 88.1FM has been happening since Sunday, don’t-cha-know, and this morning is Jon's turn. If you haven’t pledged yet, now is the time! The first 50 pledges of $40 or more are being matched by an anonymous donor dollar for dollar, up to $40 each, for an additional donation of up to $2000! And pledges of at least $100 will receive a download featuring tons of songs recorded by bands he's brought to the WMBR studios over the years. But no pledge is too small, so please give whatever you can afford.

WMBR 2021 Fundraiser >Welcome WMBR is noncommercial radio, offering many hours of programming that cannot be found on any other radio station anywhere. We are 100% volunteer, with no paid staff. This is rare ‐ even among other local college and public stations. Our volunteers are MIT students, alumnus, staff and members of....

Flyin’ the colors as I listen to myself on the ray-dee-oh.

Yurij proved how "everything is different now" during this morning's BOC. The show featured new tracks by Death From Above 1979, ELSA HEWITT, Water From Your Eyes, Matilda Mann, Jane Weaver, as well as some classics by the likes of Eastern Youth and Bright Calm Blue.

Re-listen & full tracklist: https://track-blaster.com/wmbr/playlist.php?id=44429

Another Thursday, another live BOC broadcasted from the lobster cave, featuring Main(e) Man and the Helping Hand (or is it Bonus Man??).

Started with a tribute to Elliott Smith, who passed away this day back in 2003. Continuing with new music by Sour Widows, Lily Konigsberg, TONSTARTSSBANDHT, Bnny, Wet Leg, Niamh, as well as some classics!

Text your requests to 617-253-8810 - requests will be played from 10-11am.

Keep up with the playlist: https://track-blaster.com/wmbr/playlist.php?id=44435

Hark! Main(e) Man & Bonus Man, the Dandiest of Duos, are broadcasting BOC live from the Lobster-cave in Boothbay Harbor yet again this morning from 8-10am.

Follow the playlist: https://track-blaster.com/wmbr/playlist.php?id=43915
Listen live: https://wmbr.org/listen.html

On the first hour of this morning's BoC, Jon is in search of the perfect equation. For what, exactly? He is not sure. Does it make any sense? Probably not. But that won't stop him from his pursuit! In the second hour, he'll feature not one, not two, not three, but FOUR new songs from the new Bevis Frond album out officially next week, as well as new ones from Jessica's Brother, Tibetan Miracle Seeds, Boyracer, and others. Tune in 8-10am EDT on WMBR 88.1FM, or listen online anytime at wmbr.org.

It was 35 years ago this morning that WMBR DJs David Greene and Jon Bernhardt, having just returned from a vacation in Sweden where they spent most of their time in record shops, teamed up to share the spoils of their trip by co-hosting the Breakfast of Champions and Late Risers' Club in a four hour Swedish Spectacular.

This morning, still-a-DJ Jon revisits that event by playing some of that rare and obscure Swedish music in the first hour of his Breakfast of Champions program. Expect lots of loud punk rock with impossible to pronounce song titles.

In the second hour, it's all new releases by such non-Swedes as Damon & Naomi, Supermilk, Bill Baird, MONO (Japan) , and lots more. Tune in 8-10am EDT at WMBR 88.1FM or listen online anytime at wmbr.org.

Jon celebrates the 30th Anniversary of the Lollipopsandbooze festival on this morning’s BoC. Tune in NOW, or listen. To the archives anytime at WMBR 88.1FM.

On this morning’s BoC, Jon celebrates International Women’s Week by playing mostly bands that are entirely women, and entirely bands that are mostly women. Tune in 8-10am EST on WMBR 88.1FM, or listen online at wmbr.org.

This morning we are partying like it's 1999! Jon does the high-concept thing again by recreating his entire show from 22 years ago this morning. Listen to what Jon liked, both old and new, in 1999. It's surprisingly not too embarrassing! Tune in 8-10am EDT at WMBR 88.1FM, or listen online anytime at wmbr.org.

This morning, Jon and guest co-host Santa bring you two hours of music to open presents by. It will make you laugh. It will make you cry. It will make you crumple up your wrapping paper and throw it at your radio. Although, since Jon doesn't buy the argument that Santa is immune from the virus (don't people remember The Year Without A Santa Claus?!), Santa visited Jon remotely and recorded this program via Zoom earlier in the week. Tune into WMBR 88.1FM from 8-10am EST, or listen online at wmbr.org.

Hey, folks. Fundraising week continues over at WMBR, The Pebble Of Cambridge, and this morning is Jon B.'s turn to convince you to donate your hard-earned cash. We know things are tough for a lot of people right now, so no pressure, but if you can afford to help out, please do.

As a special thank you from Jon to his most generous donors, if you pledge at least $100 to his Friday Breakfast of Champions show, in addition to whatever towel, mask, shirt, or hoodie you may choose, he'll throw in a special digital compilation of a couple dozen songs by bands who I've had play live on his show. You'll hear a bunch of them this morning! Tune into WMBR 88.1FM from 8-10am EST, or listen online at wmbr.org. That's also the URL to donate: https://wmbr.org/fr

Thanks!

WMBR 2020 Fundraiser >Welcome WMBR is noncommercial radio, offering many hours of programming that cannot be found on any other radio station anywhere. We are 100% volunteer, with no paid staff. This is rare ‐ even among other local college and public stations. Our volunteers are MIT students, alumnus, staff and members of....

Y'know how Jon sometimes ends his Breakfast of Champions program with music he played for the first time X years ago on that date? This morning, he takes that concept TO THE EXTREME, by recreating his entire show from 33 years ago this morning. Listen to what Jon liked, both old and new, in 1987. It's surprisingly not too embarrassing! Tune in 8-10am EDT at WMBR 88.1FM, or listen online anytime at wmbr.org.

Ted will be bringing the radio this morning on Breakfast of Champions, spinning many new releases, including tunes by Møtrik, Soccer Mommy, and Ian MacKaye's new project, Coriky. Tune in from 8-10 AM on WMBR 88.1FM, or listen anytime online at wmbr.org.

Jon is socially distancing so hard that he’s keeping three miles between himself and himself. Listen to his voice (along with a bunch of tunes) emanating from the WMBR 88.1FM transmitter while he simultaneously stays at home. Listen live right now or online anytime at wmbr.org.

WMBR 88.1 FM at MIT WMBR is the awesome little radio station broadcasting from deep within the basements of MIT in Cambridge, Mass.

WMBR is back on the dial and airing new content. Check out this Tuesday's Breakfast of Champions, 8-10 am as DJ Theodric Young plays two hours of music to help you with your ISOLATION. On WMBR 88.1FM

New episodes return this week, starting with Tim's Monday show airing RIGHT NOW (ahhhh).

Becca is bummed to not be with you this morning 😭 If you want to listen along to some of her recent obsessions/respites, consider Rebel Kind (https://rebelkind.bandcamp.com/album/today) and these maybe-calming instrumentals from Shell (https://ginkgorecords.bandcamp.com/album/shells-in-a-cloud). Know that we all hope to be back with you in some form soon (and are actively working on it)! In the meantime, check out the archives, like all of the great Women’s Week shows from last week

Today, by rebel kind 13 track album

Remember earlier when we said we were unsure what Breakfast of Champions and the rest of the WMBR schedule would look like starting tomorrow? Well, now we’re sure. 🥺

We are unsure what Breakfast of Champions and the rest of the WMBR schedule will look like starting tomorrow. Please be patient with us as we figure things out. Know that we all love what we do and wouldn't forgo doing radio if it didn't seem so prudent.