WMUA

WMUA (91.1 FM) is a student-run college radio station. Licensed to serve Amherst, Massachusetts, United States, 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 celebrated its 70th Anniversary of continuous on-air broadcasting during the 2017-2018 school year. The station debuted a second, online only stream called WMUAx in September 2017.

This article is about the radio station. For the organization, see Wikimedia Ukraine.
WMUA
CityAmherst, Massachusetts
Broadcast areaPioneer Valley
Frequency91.1 MHz
SloganThe Radio Voice of UMass
Programming
FormatCollege radio
Ownership
OwnerUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst
(University of Massachusetts)
History
First air date
1949 (carrier current AM)
1952 (FM)
Call sign meaning
Massachusetts University - Amherst[1]
Technical information
Facility ID69184
ClassA
ERP450 watts
HAAT39.0 meters
Transmitter coordinates
42°23′37.97″N 72°31′17.90″W
Links
WebcastListen live
Websitewmua.org

WMUA was established in 1948 originally as an AM station. Though it is run by 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 and Sylvan Residential living areas. This facility, activated at midnight on January 1, 2004, is WMUA's third transmission site; it originally transmitted from atop 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 licensed as a backup facility, and rebuilding the backup was completed on June 30, 2014. The station is a licensed "class A" broadcast facility. WMUA is tentatively slated to move to a new facility in Fall 2020, as part of the UMass Student Union Renovation Project.

Programming

WMUA's programming philosophy is to provide listeners with an eclectic experience unique to the UMass and Pioneer Valley region the station serves. In addition to music programming, there are talk shows, sports shows, and student-produced newscasts every weekday at 5:30 p.m. WMUA broadcasts 24/7/365, and is available online on WMUA's website, as well as through their app on Radio FX. The station has a second, online only stream called WMUAx that can be accessed on the stations website. WMUAx is non-FCC regulated, and plays additional WMUA content as well as select sports games.

WMUA provides an outlet for multiple opinions to be expressed through music, political and advocacy talk, and public service announcements.

Sports

WMUA is the flagship radio station of UMass Minutewomen basketball as well as both UMass Minutemen lacrosse and UMass Minutewomen lacrosse. They also broadcast other UMass Minutemen sports including ice hockey, men's basketball, baseball, and football throughout the year. Since 2018 all WMUA Sports productions have been broadcast from the Dave Strader Memorial Sports Studio, named to honor the WMUA alum following his passing.

WMUA Sports produces online podcasts covering a wide range of topics around sports. Podcasts include Chatting 300 (baseball), Intentionally Foul (NBA and fantasy basketball), Bracketville (bracket-style game show on the bests and worsts in the world of sports), From the Peanut Gallery (WMUA's own version of "First Take"), Cover Four (college football), Four-Point Play (college basketball) and Goal Line Stand (NFL).

Members of WMUA Sports host shows Monday-Friday from 11:00-11:30am during the station's sports block. The department's signature show, "Sportsline" can be heard Wednesday's from 4:30-5:30pm.

News

WMUA News is one of the nation's last remaining daily student run news broadcasts. Broadcasting weekdays from 5:30-6:00pm during the academic year, it focuses on international, national, and local news. All on-air content is hosted, produced, and scripted by students.

Department Directors

WMUA is run by a group of students who make up the Department Directors. The Executive Committee, consisting of the General Manager and Programmer, is elected through a popular vote of the WMUA General Body each April. The Executive Committee hires the remaining Department Directors, holding interviews for interested candidates to find the most qualified individuals. These paid positions are responsible for running their departments with the assistance of committees composed of WMUA General Body members who have an interest in that field.

2019-2020 Department Directors
Name Position
Toby CashookGeneral Manager
Taylor CassidyProgrammer
Alex MacLeanCommunications Music Director
Jaime DaitchArchival Music Director
John MatraiaFinance Director
Judge RussellEvents Director
Ariya SonethavyPublic Relations Director
Ayelet EhrenkranzNews Editor
Phillip BishopNews Operations
Elizabeth ParsekProduction and Training
Colin CroninSports Production
Justin MccagnanSports Operator
Colette BasiliereTechnical Director
Adam ViolaWeb Development
Carson CorneliusFaculty Advisor
Dan FerreiraChief Operating Engineer

General Managers

WMUA is led by a General Manager, who is elected by popular vote of the General Body near the end of the spring semester. The elected term runs from the day after the end of Spring Semester to the end of Spring Semester the following academic year. There is no term limit on the position, and WMUA has had multiple two term General Managers throughout its history, most recently Andrew DesRochers, who served from Fall 2014 through Spring 2016.

WMUA General Managers
Name Years in Office
Brad DavidsonFall 1998- Spring 1999
Richard ZekariaFall 1999-Spring 2000
Dan BarowyFall 2000-Spring 2001
Aubrey ValleyFall 2001-Spring 2003
Jen MoskalFall 2003-Spring 2005
Marc BertrandFall 2005- Spring 2006
Andrew KesslerFall 2006- Spring 2007
Zach ClaudioFall 2007-Spring 2008
Matthew PerryFall 2012-Spring 2013
Andrew DesRochersFall 2014- Spring 2016
Annie DooleyFall 2016- Spring 2017
Josh McCawleyFall 2017- Spring 2018
Andrew CunninghamFall 2018- Spring 2019

Notable alumni
  • Marc Bertrand - radio talk show host on WBZ-FM, 98.5 "The Sports Hub" in Boston
  • Dylan Brewer - Epic Records Senior Director, Marketing
  • Mike Corey - Play-by-play Sportscaster for ESPN and NBC for College Football, Basketball, Lacrosse and NBC's Olympics Coverage.
  • Audie Cornish - NPR correspondent[2]
  • Lisa Creamer - WBUR Digital Managing Editor
  • Annie Dooley - On-Air Personality in Salisbury, Maryland.
  • Bennett Karoll - Associate Producer for Sirius XM Fantasy in Washington, D.C.
  • Charlie Pellett - Bloomberg radio personality and "stand clear of the closing doors" voice on New York City Subway[3]
  • Matt Perrault - Host of "Game Night with Matt Perrault," SB Nation Radio
  • Mike Reiss - ESPN NFL Nation reporter covering the New England Patriots, Reporter and analyst for ESPNBoston.com.
  • Dave Strader - Former NHL play-by-play announcer for NHL on NBC and NHL on NBC Sports Network[4]
  • J. Kyle White-Sullivan - WBEZ Audio Product

References
  1. "Call Letter Origins". Radio History on the Web.
  2. 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
  3. "http://boards.radio-info.com/smf/index.php?topic=102896.15;wap2"
  4. http://umasshoops.com/news/alumni/dave_strader01252000.htm
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