WMSV
Encyclopedia
WMSV FM
91.1 is a radio station in Starkville, Mississippi
located on the campus of Mississippi State University
.
. WMSB was started the Fall Semester 1971 in a freshman dorm room on the third floor of Critz Hall utilizing a FM stereo transmitter that was designed and built as a high school science fair project by one of the station's founders. The station's original call letters were RHOM. It was on air from 8:00-12:00 pm each evening. Later, funding was solicited from the Student Association. Funding was approved, the low-power RCA FM transmitter was ordered and the call letters WMSB were issued by the FCC. The station was moved to studios on the top floor of Lee Hall that were formerly occupied by a student-run AM station.
and album oriented rock (AOR). In addition, the station also broadcast many specialty shows such as blues, jazz, new age, urban and a number of public affairs programs.
In the beginning, the station was run by more than 75 student volunteers with a paid general manager, Steve Ellis, on staff with the University. The first student staff included:
WMSV quickly garnered two first place awards from the National Association of College Broadcasters
in its first year of operations as well as numerous Gold Awards from the Mississippi Association of College Broadcasters. It was also recognized as one of the College Music Journal
's most influential college stations in the country.
By 1996, an assistant station manager, Scott Wilson, had been hired, but volunteers still worked in the capacity of DJ's, music staffers, news reporters, anchors, specialty program hosts, public affairs program hosts, and office staff.
blend.
Image:Wmsv_radio_vision.jpg|Radio With a Vision logo (1994–1999)
Image:Wmsv_world_class_radio.gif|World Class Radio logo (1999-2004)
Image:Wmsv_tower_logo.jpg|Current World Class Radio Since 1994 logo (2004-present)
The station had 30-minute news broadcasts that aired at 7:30am and 5:00pm with an additional 5-minute news update at noon. Utilizing local student reporters, combined with the nationally known Associated Press Wire Service, the station produced coverage of national, regional and local events as well as sport reports. In addition, the station offered the Geosciences Department at MSU the opportunity to appoint student meteorologists within the Broadcast Meteorology Program to deliver weather updates.
In January of 2001, the evening news broadcast was discontinued in favor of three 6-minute news updates at 5, 6 and 7 pm. This move was made to make room for a sports news program that aired from 5-8pm that focused on the Southeastern Conference
.
. Hosted by Steve Ellis and Anthony Craven, it is also broadcast on radio affiliates in Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas and Georgia.
Another important facet of WMSV's public affairs programming is the airing of public service announcements. The station airs three live PSA's per hour, or seventy-two per day for local organizations, charities and events.
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
91.1 is a radio station in Starkville, Mississippi
Starkville, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 21,869 people, 9,462 households, and 4,721 families residing in the city. The population density was 851.4 people per square mile . There were 10,191 housing units at an average density of 396.7 per square mile...
located on the campus of Mississippi State University
Mississippi State University
The Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science commonly known as Mississippi State University is a land-grant university located in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States, partially in the town of Starkville and partially in an unincorporated area...
.
History
Prior to WMSV, Mississippi State had a student-run radio station, WMSB which went off the air permanently at the end of the spring semester of 1986. WMSB was a low-power FM station with studios on the top floor of Lee HallLee Hall
Lee Hall may refer to:People:* Lee Hall , US lawyer and animal rights activist* Lee Hall , English playwright and screenwriter* Lee Hall , news anchor for WEEK-TV in Peoria, Illinois...
. WMSB was started the Fall Semester 1971 in a freshman dorm room on the third floor of Critz Hall utilizing a FM stereo transmitter that was designed and built as a high school science fair project by one of the station's founders. The station's original call letters were RHOM. It was on air from 8:00-12:00 pm each evening. Later, funding was solicited from the Student Association. Funding was approved, the low-power RCA FM transmitter was ordered and the call letters WMSB were issued by the FCC. The station was moved to studios on the top floor of Lee Hall that were formerly occupied by a student-run AM station.
WMSV - Radio With a Vision
On March 21, 1994, the campus radio station went back on the air after a 8-year absence. This time with the call letters WMSV. The 14,000 watt station broadcasted across a 50-60 mile radius around the campus and went by the slogan "Radio With a Vision" (playing off the V in the station call letters, but also alluding to its format). When it began operations, it was a blend of alternative rockAlternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
and album oriented rock (AOR). In addition, the station also broadcast many specialty shows such as blues, jazz, new age, urban and a number of public affairs programs.
In the beginning, the station was run by more than 75 student volunteers with a paid general manager, Steve Ellis, on staff with the University. The first student staff included:
- Mike Bianco - Program Director
- April Smith - Promotions Director
- James Martin - Music Director
- Robby Stanley - Public Affairs Director
- Jay Houts - News Director
WMSV quickly garnered two first place awards from the National Association of College Broadcasters
National Association of College Broadcasters
The National Association of College Broadcasters , was founded in 1988 by students at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Jumpstarted by a $300,000 grant from the now-defunct CBS Foundation, thanks to connections through the father of co-founder Doug Liman, NACB became the first trade...
in its first year of operations as well as numerous Gold Awards from the Mississippi Association of College Broadcasters. It was also recognized as one of 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...
's most influential college stations in the country.
By 1996, an assistant station manager, Scott Wilson, had been hired, but volunteers still worked in the capacity of DJ's, music staffers, news reporters, anchors, specialty program hosts, public affairs program hosts, and office staff.
WMSV - World Class Radio
In January 1999, WMSV changed their slogan to "World Class Radio". The decision to change the identifying logo/slogan of the station was due to the change in the music format to more of a Adult album alternativeAdult album alternative
Adult album alternative is a radio format. A spinoff from the album-oriented rock format, its roots trace to the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier freeform and progressive formats....
blend.
Logos
Image:Wmsv_radio_vision.jpg|Radio With a Vision logo (1994–1999)
Image:Wmsv_world_class_radio.gif|World Class Radio logo (1999-2004)
Image:Wmsv_tower_logo.jpg|Current World Class Radio Since 1994 logo (2004-present)
News department
WMSV ran a dedicated news department from 1994-2007. In 1994, Student News Director Jay Houts, was named the top news reporter in the country by the National Association of College Broadcasters. The next year another News Director, Norris Agnew, earned the runner-up spot in news reporting at the 1995 NACB convention. In 1996 News Director, Suehyla El-Attar, was a finalist for the country's top news reporting award, and in 1997 News Director Brian McCann received several awards for journalism from the Mississippi Associated Press.The station had 30-minute news broadcasts that aired at 7:30am and 5:00pm with an additional 5-minute news update at noon. Utilizing local student reporters, combined with the nationally known Associated Press Wire Service, the station produced coverage of national, regional and local events as well as sport reports. In addition, the station offered the Geosciences Department at MSU the opportunity to appoint student meteorologists within the Broadcast Meteorology Program to deliver weather updates.
In January of 2001, the evening news broadcast was discontinued in favor of three 6-minute news updates at 5, 6 and 7 pm. This move was made to make room for a sports news program that aired from 5-8pm that focused on the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
.
Sports department
In 2001, the station decided to put more emphasis on sports news in the afternoon/evening. The evening newscast was canceled and three short news updates were put in its place at the top of the 5, 6 and 7 pm hours. The former 5pm news slot made room for the creation of "Bulldog Drive Time", which discussed Mississippi State sports and news. In 2006, this show was re-imagined, and "Southeastern Drive Time" officially debuted. a one hour sports program broadcast from 5-6pm that hosts discussion on current news in the Southeastern ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
. Hosted by Steve Ellis and Anthony Craven, it is also broadcast on radio affiliates in Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas and Georgia.
Public affairs department
As part of its non-commercial radio distinction, the station started a Public Affairs Department in 1994. The station aired a number of National Public Affairs shows following the 5pm newscast. These originally included "The Health Show", "Special Assignment", Fifty-one Percent", "The Environment Show" and "The Best of Our Knowledge". In addition, the station produced local shows such as "Focus on Faculty" hosted by Meredith Geuder of MSU's University Relations Department, which featured interviews with faculty and staff in the news at MSU; as well as "On Campus", a student-produced program that featured interviews and news relevant to the MSU campus.Another important facet of WMSV's public affairs programming is the airing of public service announcements. The station airs three live PSA's per hour, or seventy-two per day for local organizations, charities and events.