WUML
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
WUML is the call sign for the non-commercial college radio station in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Previous call letters
- WLTI
- WJUL
Contents |
[edit] History
Radio at UMass Lowell was started in 1952 by a student named Ed Bonacci. Bonacci built a receiver for his dorm room stereo system that actually turned out to be a transmitter. The station eventually moved to a carrier current in the dorms of the Lowell Textile Institute (now UMass Lowell), and then to AM before moving to its current frequency at 91.5 FM.
In 1975-1976, an Ad-Hoc community of the university nearly changed the face of radio. Then under the call letters WLTI, it was proposed that the radio station be overseen by a committee including administrators, faculty, community members, and an at-large student elected by the general student body. The committee would aid in determining policy and programming. The idea was dismissed, and WLTI remained student-run. The most significant changes from around this time, however, were the change of the call letters to WJUL, reflecting the newly merged University of Lowell, and a new transmitter on the top of the under-construction 18-story dormitory tower that would come to be called Fox Hall.
In October of 2005, the radio station began broadcasting as WUML, finally reflecting the new name for the university.
Since its formation in 1952, WUML has grown into a large, self-sufficient organization that continues to be entirely student run. The station's active membership is over 50 students as well as 100 additional alumni and community members.
[edit] Programming
The policy of the undergraduate student organization that runs the station is to play music in a variety of genres that is not on anybody's top 40 list, including artists who are just getting a start and local musicians. Live music can be heard every week on "Live from the Fallout Shelter" at 8:00 p.m. Mondays.
One of the longest-running shows on air is "Blues Deluxe", on-air for about 26 years.
The broadcast week includes programming produced by UMass Lowell students and by community hosts who represent the ethnically and linguistically diverse community that is Lowell. Among the languages that can be heard are Khmer (the language of Cambodia), Spanish, Portuguese, Laotian, Armenian and French. Non-English-language programming is clustered on weekends and in the hour from 11:00 a.m. to noon Mondays through Fridays. For example, the celebrated South Asian music program "Gunjan" airs from 9:00 to noon on Saturday, and "Cafe Latino" airs from midnight to nine Sunday morning. Labor, Community and Environmental news and views in English can be heard Monday through Friday from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Monday through Friday on "Thinking Out Loud". Comedy music is featured on "Coffee and Cartoons", Fridays at 8:00 p.m. A more updated schedule is found on the station's web site, linked below.
WUML programming is also available online via streaming audio through links provided on its webpage (wuml.org). The streaming audio is conveniently available at various bit rates (for slow and high speed connections) in MP3 and Ogg formats.
[edit] Recent Controversy
Recently, there was a controversial addition to the programming schedule: a morning show "Lowell Sunrise" produced by paid professional staff and under the control of the university itself, rather than the undergraduate student organization. Historically, all programming was overseen by students, not university officials. The show itself was meant to have a format somewhere between that of National Public Radio and AM commercial morning drive-time talk shows. The original goal was to provide listeners with local news stories with a focus on activities and events at the university - and possibly prompt better funding opportunities.
With the support of the WUML Alumni and Community Broadcasters, the hours for the show were limited. However, following the failure of a local newspaper, which worked on the show to try and generate interest from local listeners, the university administration took over programming of "Sunrise." The broadcast window was cut even further due to personnel/budgeting constraints.
Much of the controversy surrounded the lack of student input in making the change, prompting open meetings to be held where students, alumni and staff of UMass Lowell could discuss the changes.
A secondary plan to boost community interest was launched by the university in late May of 2005. Professional radio host Christopher Lydon was hired to create a new show called Open Source, to air on WUML and be syndicated to some 700 radio stations through Public Radio International. As part of the deal with Mr. Lydon, the The University of Massachusetts at Lowell was also expected to build a new radio broadcasting facility so his Open Source program could broadcast from Lowell, MA and it was anticipated that a communications program would be added to the curriculum of the U Mass Lowell, in which Lydon would have been an instructor. Massachusetts State Senator Steven Panagiotakos, a Lowell Democrat, recently noted in an October 16, 2006 Lowell Sun article entitled UML drops Lydonthat "I don't think we accomplished either one of those. Without those, the benefit on campus is very limited." Failure of the show to capture an audience with the proper size and demographics necessary for it to be considered successful, resulted in pre-recorded Open Source shows being aired on WUML the day after their original broadcast on PRI so that the more popular student and community broadcast offerings could remain on schedule. On October 16, 2006, it was announced that Chris Lydon's contract would not be renewed in December of 2006 and the show would permanently be taken off the airwaves of WUML.
General Manager Nate Osit was also quoted in the October 16, 2006 Lowell Sun article entitled UML drops Lydon as saying "No tears will be shed by students or the community for Chris Lydon."
