WMHB
Encyclopedia
WMHB, 89.7 FM Waterville, is the non-commercial
College radio station of Colby College
in Waterville, Maine
, USA. WMHB is directed, managed, and staffed entirely by students. WMHB has been on air in one form or another since 1949. WMHB can be heard in Waterville
, Winslow
, Oakland
, Fairfield
and surrounding communities as well as on the Internet via its webcast.
Given Radio Colby's popularity, students wished to further develop campus broadcasting. In the Spring of 1955, Radio Colby went on air as 600 MHz K.C. AM, a carrier current
station. Being a carrier current station, the call letters were arbitrary, and KCAM referred to 'K Colby AM'. Students could listen in by attaching a cable from their radio to radiator pipes or ground wire of the electrical system. The station broadacst originated in the veteran's apartments (temporary housing created for the returning World War II veterans) and could be heard on the eastern side of campus including the residences which were at the time fraternity houses. The veterans apartments were demolished in 1957, and Radio Colby went silent.
Radio Colby came back in 1964 on 610 kHz carrier current. Broadcasting from Roberts Union, the new station could be heard almost all around campus. Radio Colby began to develop from a novelty into more of a full featured radio station, featuring both news and music. This increase in development led the station to apply for a 10 watt Class D Nonommercial FM license in 1973. Radio Colby incorporated as the Mayflower Hill Broadcasting Corporation, a separate entity from Colby College and governed completely by students.
In 1984, WMHB upgraded to 110 watts effective radiated power
, increasing its radius from the immediate Waterville area to the surrounding communities and continued as a mainly on-campus feature, although community support began to grow over time.
In the mid 1990s WMHB began a new chapter in its existence. The station began to structure itself more like a public radio station rather than a campus club. These developments increased as time went on, and in January 2001, WMHB first began to stream its content on the Internet. Due to royalty battles, WMHB had to pull its webstream down shortly after, but WMHB re-instated webstreaming in 2002.
Over time the web became a major aspect of WMHB's listenership base, attracting listeners from all over the world as well as an increased number of Colby students. Beginning in the fall of 2007, station staff led a dramatic digital renovation. Previously, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act
had prohibited WMHB from broadcasting online unless there was a live DJ in the studio to update playlist information, but the incorporation of a digital music library allowed WMHB's webcast to run twenty-four hours a day when no DJ was in the studio. In March 2007, WMHB was added to the iTunes radio tuner, as well as the radio tuners of Windows Media and TiVo.
s of effective radiated power
via an omnidirectional antenna
with the support of nearly 20 staff and over 100 volunteer DJs from the Colby and Waterville communities. WMHB is funded from student allocated activity money and from the support of local businesses who underwrite WMHB programming. WMHB is currently a member of the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce, the Maine Association of Broadcasters, REMnet and the College Music Journal
.
Every year, WMHB hosts an annual food drive to support the Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter, providing the single largest donation the shelter receives each year. In December of 2008, for the first time WMHB expanded the food drive to include a free holiday dinner for residents of the Waterville community .
In the spring of 2009, WMHB debuted a new website, which features WMHB news, the schedule of station programming and a live DJ chat .
. During the summer, members of the Waterville community fill in for student show times.
In addition to music programming, WMHB also features some talk
programming, including a weekly on-air debate program that originated in the spring of 2009 as an extension of the Civil Discourse, a popular email forum utilized by Colby students to discuss current events. WMHB also broadcasts major Colby athletic events, including games from the football, basketball, hockey, baseball, and softball teams.
, Norah Jones
, Gnarls Barkley
and even Avril Lavigne
began their career on the college circuit before breaking into the mainstream.
WMHB receives hundreds of requests for airplay every week, and music directors in each genre (alternative, roots, hip-hop, techno, world, jazz, and loud rock) sift through and review every CD and digital submission. Volunteer DJs then choose their playlists based on their own interests and the reviews of the music directors. WMHB has no specific on-air format but is a new music station, and DJs are required to play at least 50 percent new music, meaning that about half of their show must feature songs released in recent months.
Non-commercial
Non-commercial refers to an activity or entity that does not in some sense involve commerce, at least relative to similar activities that do have a commercial objective or emphasis...
College radio station of Colby College
Colby College
Colby College is a private liberal arts college located on Mayflower Hill in Waterville, Maine. Founded in 1813, it is the 12th-oldest independent liberal arts college in the United States...
in Waterville, Maine
Waterville, Maine
Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. The population was 15,722 at the 2010 census. Home to Colby College and Thomas College, Waterville is the regional commercial, medical and cultural center....
, USA. WMHB is directed, managed, and staffed entirely by students. WMHB has been on air in one form or another since 1949. WMHB can be heard in Waterville
Waterville, Maine
Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. The population was 15,722 at the 2010 census. Home to Colby College and Thomas College, Waterville is the regional commercial, medical and cultural center....
, Winslow
Winslow, Maine
Winslow is a town and census-designated place in Kennebec County, Maine, United States, along the Kennebec River. The population was 7,743 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, Oakland
Oakland, Maine
Oakland is a town in Kennebec County in the U.S. state of Maine. The population was 6,240 at the 2010 census. . Gateway to the Belgrade Lakes region, Oakland is 4 miles west of Waterville and approximately 18 miles north of Augusta, the state capital.-History:It was first settled about 1780 by...
, Fairfield
Fairfield, Maine
Fairfield is a town in Somerset County, Maine, United States. The population was 6,735 at the 2010 census. The town includes Fairfield Center, Fairfield village and Hinckley...
and surrounding communities as well as on the Internet via its webcast.
History of WMHB
WMHB's beginnings originate to Radio Colby, a weekly radio show aired on WTVL, a Waterville AM radio station. Beginning in 1949, Radio Colby featured Colby news, trivia, and favorite new music. Much of the same type of material that was broadcast on the radio show is now available on the "Inside Colby" podcast, a production by the Colby College communications office. Radio Colby on WTVL would be discontinued in December 1957.Given Radio Colby's popularity, students wished to further develop campus broadcasting. In the Spring of 1955, Radio Colby went on air as 600 MHz K.C. AM, a carrier current
Carrier current
Carrier current is a method of low power AM radio transmission that uses the AC electrical system of a building to propagate a medium frequency, AM signal to a relatively small area, such as a building or a group of buildings...
station. Being a carrier current station, the call letters were arbitrary, and KCAM referred to 'K Colby AM'. Students could listen in by attaching a cable from their radio to radiator pipes or ground wire of the electrical system. The station broadacst originated in the veteran's apartments (temporary housing created for the returning World War II veterans) and could be heard on the eastern side of campus including the residences which were at the time fraternity houses. The veterans apartments were demolished in 1957, and Radio Colby went silent.
Radio Colby came back in 1964 on 610 kHz carrier current. Broadcasting from Roberts Union, the new station could be heard almost all around campus. Radio Colby began to develop from a novelty into more of a full featured radio station, featuring both news and music. This increase in development led the station to apply for a 10 watt Class D Nonommercial FM license in 1973. Radio Colby incorporated as the Mayflower Hill Broadcasting Corporation, a separate entity from Colby College and governed completely by students.
In 1984, WMHB upgraded to 110 watts effective radiated power
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
, increasing its radius from the immediate Waterville area to the surrounding communities and continued as a mainly on-campus feature, although community support began to grow over time.
In the mid 1990s WMHB began a new chapter in its existence. The station began to structure itself more like a public radio station rather than a campus club. These developments increased as time went on, and in January 2001, WMHB first began to stream its content on the Internet. Due to royalty battles, WMHB had to pull its webstream down shortly after, but WMHB re-instated webstreaming in 2002.
Over time the web became a major aspect of WMHB's listenership base, attracting listeners from all over the world as well as an increased number of Colby students. Beginning in the fall of 2007, station staff led a dramatic digital renovation. Previously, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act
Digital Millennium Copyright Act
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act is a United States copyright law that implements two 1996 treaties of the World Intellectual Property Organization . It criminalizes production and dissemination of technology, devices, or services intended to circumvent measures that control access to...
had prohibited WMHB from broadcasting online unless there was a live DJ in the studio to update playlist information, but the incorporation of a digital music library allowed WMHB's webcast to run twenty-four hours a day when no DJ was in the studio. In March 2007, WMHB was added to the iTunes radio tuner, as well as the radio tuners of Windows Media and TiVo.
WMHB Today
Today, WMHB is still broadcasting at 110 wattWatt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s of effective radiated power
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
via an omnidirectional antenna
Omnidirectional antenna
In radio communication, an omnidirectional antenna is an antenna which radiates radio wave power uniformly in all directions in one plane, with the radiated power decreasing with elevation angle above or below the plane, dropping to zero on the antenna's axis. This radiation pattern is often...
with the support of nearly 20 staff and over 100 volunteer DJs from the Colby and Waterville communities. WMHB is funded from student allocated activity money and from the support of local businesses who underwrite WMHB programming. WMHB is currently a member of the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce, the Maine Association of Broadcasters, REMnet and the College Music Journal
College Music Journal
College Music Journal, commonly known as CMJ, is a music events/publishing company which hosts an annual festival in New York City, the CMJ Music Marathon, as well as a weekly magazine of and for the music industry and college radio stations in the United States and Canada. It publishes top 30...
.
Every year, WMHB hosts an annual food drive to support the Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter, providing the single largest donation the shelter receives each year. In December of 2008, for the first time WMHB expanded the food drive to include a free holiday dinner for residents of the Waterville community .
In the spring of 2009, WMHB debuted a new website, which features WMHB news, the schedule of station programming and a live DJ chat .
Station Programming
WMHB broadcasts alternative music of all genres twenty-four hours a day and features live volunteer DJs between the hours of 6am and midnight. Most programming originates at WMHB's broadcast studio in the basement of Roberts Union, but WMHB frequently hosts live broadcasts from other locations on- and off-campus. In the spring of 2009, WMHB hosted a live broadcast from Pulver Pavilion, Colby's student union, every Wednesday. To acquire new music, WMHB works with a number of promotional firms that in turn work with new and emerging artists, and WMHB staff submit weekly charts to College Music JournalCollege Music Journal
College Music Journal, commonly known as CMJ, is a music events/publishing company which hosts an annual festival in New York City, the CMJ Music Marathon, as well as a weekly magazine of and for the music industry and college radio stations in the United States and Canada. It publishes top 30...
. During the summer, members of the Waterville community fill in for student show times.
In addition to music programming, WMHB also features some talk
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
programming, including a weekly on-air debate program that originated in the spring of 2009 as an extension of the Civil Discourse, a popular email forum utilized by Colby students to discuss current events. WMHB also broadcasts major Colby athletic events, including games from the football, basketball, hockey, baseball, and softball teams.
Influence
WMHB, like many other college stations, has a large influence on what music becomes mainstream. Artists like Lupe FiascoLupe Fiasco
Wasalu Muhammad Jaco , better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco , is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, Lupe is the CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food...
, Norah Jones
Norah Jones
Norah Jones is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actress.In 2002, she launched her solo music career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album Come Away With Me, which was certified a diamond album in 2002, selling over 20 million copies...
, Gnarls Barkley
Gnarls Barkley
Gnarls Barkley is an American soul duo comprising Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green. Their first studio album St. Elsewhere was released in 2006; along with its first single "Crazy". Both single and album were a major commercial success and have been noted for their large sales by download...
and even Avril Lavigne
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
began their career on the college circuit before breaking into the mainstream.
WMHB receives hundreds of requests for airplay every week, and music directors in each genre (alternative, roots, hip-hop, techno, world, jazz, and loud rock) sift through and review every CD and digital submission. Volunteer DJs then choose their playlists based on their own interests and the reviews of the music directors. WMHB has no specific on-air format but is a new music station, and DJs are required to play at least 50 percent new music, meaning that about half of their show must feature songs released in recent months.