WMUA

WMUA
City of license Amherst, Massachusetts
Broadcast area Pioneer Valley
Slogan Radio you don't hear on the radio
Frequency 91.1 MHz
First air date 1949 (carrier current AM)
1952 (FM)
Format College radio
ERP 450 watts, Stereo
HAAT 39.0 meters
Class A
Facility ID 69184
Transmitter coordinates 42°23′37.97″N 72°31′17.90″W / 42.3938806°N 72.5216389°W
Callsign meaning Massachusetts University - Amherst[1]
Affiliations None
Owner University of Massachusetts Amherst
(University of Massachusetts)
Webcast Listen Live
Website wmua.org

WMUA (91.1 FM) is a student-run college radio station. Licensed to serve Amherst, Massachusetts, USA, the station is based on the campus of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The station's broadcast license is held by the University of Massachusetts.

WMUA was established in 1949 originally as an AM station. Though it is run by full-time, fee-paying undergraduates, other faculty, staff, assorted members of the community, and graduate students contribute to the station. WMUA is broadcast to the Connecticut River Valley, including western Massachusetts, northern Connecticut, and southern Vermont. The station is federally licensed (authorized by the FCC) and non-commercial, and is under the supervision of the UMass Board of Trustees.

WMUA's studio is located in the basement of the Lincoln Campus Center building. The actual transmitter and antenna are located on Observatory Way, between the Orchard Hill & Sylvan Residential living areas. This facility, activated on January 1, 2004, is WMUA's third transmission site; it originally transmitted from the top Marston Hall, and then on Emily Dickinson Dormitory. The Dickinson Dormitory tower in Orchard Hill served as a backup until a re-roofing project took it down in 2011; it is still licensed as a backup facility and will be rebuilt. The station is a licensed "class A" broadcast facility.

Programming

WMUA's programming philosophy outlines the intent of the station to feature programming that is not typically found anywhere else on the dial. WMUA features a variety of programs that follow a "block" format. There are themed blocks daily, such as jazz, world, rock, and experimental music, but programs within these blocks vary from each other as well. There are also talk shows, sports updates, and newscasts every weekday at 5:30pm. WMUA broadcasts 24/7/365, and is available as a stream online from the home page of the WMUA website.

WMUA provides an outlet for multiple opinions to be expressed through music, political and advocacy talk, and public service announcements. The variety of programing allows advocacy for political outlets during Democracy Now! which airs daily from 8:00am-9:00am, as well as a music movement toward local bands and smaller labels on all music based programs.

Sports

WMUA is the official radio station of the UMass Women's Basketball team and the UMass Men's Lacrosse team. They also broadcast other UMass Minutemen sports including Ice Hockey, Men's Basketball, Baseball and Football throughout the year.

Notable Alumni

Marc Bertrand - Sportscaster for 98.5 The Sports Hub WBZ-FM & Comcast SportsNet New England[2]

Audie Cornish - NPR correspondent [3]

Charlie Pellett - Bloomberg Radio Personality and "Stand Clear of the Closing Doors" voice on New York City Subway. [4]

Dave Strader - NHL play-by-play announcer for NHL on NBC and NHL on NBC Sports Network.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Call Letter Origins". Radio History on the Web.
  2. ↑ "http://www.umass.edu/newsoffice/article/wmua-wins-three-associated-press-awards"
  3. ↑ Parnass, Larry. UMass grad Audie Cornish, NPR veteran, lands Sunday anchor slot . GazetteNet.com, 2011. http://www.gazettenet.com/blog/gazetteer/umass-grad-audie-cornish-npr-veteran-lands-sunday-anchor-slot-0
  4. ↑ "http://boards.radio-info.com/smf/index.php?topic=102896.15;wap2"
  5. ↑ http://umasshoops.com/news/alumni/dave_strader01252000.htm

External links