WMTH
Encyclopedia
WMTH-FM, located in Park Ridge
, Illinois
, was among the first high school radio
stations in the United States when it was licensed in 1959. Established by the Student Council at Maine Township High School, now Maine East High School
, the station went on the air during December 1959
. The station became known as "The Voice of Maine Township".
The radio station
was built by electronics teacher, Theron Whitfield, and electronics students in the school. The first student voice on the station was that of class of 1960 senior, Harrison Ford
, who went on to become a major film actor in movies such as Star Wars
and the "Indiana Jones
" series.
WMTH-FM has studios at all three existing Maine Township High Schools; Maine West High School
in Des Plaines and Maine East High School
and Maine South High School
in Park Ridge. There was also a studio at the former Maine North High School
in Des Plaines.
The call letters were chosen "MTH" as in Maine Township High (school). The WMTH-FM antenna is located on the highest point of the school building at Dempster and Potter Roads in Park Ridge. The studio from 1959 through 1970 was located in room 147B, across the hall from the auditorium. When the center courtyard building opened in the fall of 1970, the radio station relocated and the first WMTH-TV television studio was built.
The original power of the station was 16 watts effective radiated power
at a frequency of 88.5 MHz. This continued from 1960 until 1983 when the frequency was changed to 90.5 MHz and the power reduced to 8.9 watts. This leaves it as one of the lowest powered FM stations in the United States, and one of few remaining under the now-discontinued Class D license.
WMTH broadcasts between the hours on 9am-5pm on Weekdays only, with each Maine Township school broadcasting on a different day. A full calendar schedule can be found on the station website. WMTH also broadcasts online.
WMTH-FM continues to broadcast a mixture of music, school sports events, and other programs of local interest.
Park Ridge, Illinois
-Climate:-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 37,775 people, 14,219 households, and 10,465 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,374.6 people per square mile . There were 14,646 housing units at an average density of 2,083.8 per square mile...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, was among the first high school radio
High school radio
High school radio within the United States is almost as old as radio broadcasting itself. Simply defined as a radio station, with its studios located at a high school and usually operated by its students with faculty supervision, stations fitting this description existed in the mid-1920s...
stations in the United States when it was licensed in 1959. Established by the Student Council at Maine Township High School, now Maine East High School
Maine East High School
Maine East High School, or Maine East, and officially Maine Township High School East, is a public four-year high school located at the corner of Dempster Street and Potter Road in Park Ridge, Illinois, a north-west suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States...
, the station went on the air during December 1959
1959 in radio
The year 1959 saw a number of significant happenings in radio broadcasting history.-Events:*3 February: A small-plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa kills three musicians: Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and KTRM-Beaumont, Texas deejay JP "The Big Bopper" Richardson, Jr., in addition to the pilot...
. The station became known as "The Voice of Maine Township".
The radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
was built by electronics teacher, Theron Whitfield, and electronics students in the school. The first student voice on the station was that of class of 1960 senior, Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...
, who went on to become a major film actor in movies such as Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
and the "Indiana Jones
Indiana Jones
Colonel Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., Ph.D. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials...
" series.
WMTH-FM has studios at all three existing Maine Township High Schools; Maine West High School
Maine West High School
Maine West High School, or MWHS, is a public four-year high school located in Des Plaines, Illinois, a north-west suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States...
in Des Plaines and Maine East High School
Maine East High School
Maine East High School, or Maine East, and officially Maine Township High School East, is a public four-year high school located at the corner of Dempster Street and Potter Road in Park Ridge, Illinois, a north-west suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States...
and Maine South High School
Maine South High School
Maine South High School, or MSHS, is a public four-year high school located in Park Ridge, Illinois, a north-west suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Maine Township High School District 207, which also includes Maine East High School and Maine West High School.Maine...
in Park Ridge. There was also a studio at the former Maine North High School
Maine North High School
Maine North High School was a school in unincorporated Maine Township, part of Maine Township High School District 207 which includes Maine East, Maine West, and Maine South High Schools. It closed in 1981....
in Des Plaines.
The call letters were chosen "MTH" as in Maine Township High (school). The WMTH-FM antenna is located on the highest point of the school building at Dempster and Potter Roads in Park Ridge. The studio from 1959 through 1970 was located in room 147B, across the hall from the auditorium. When the center courtyard building opened in the fall of 1970, the radio station relocated and the first WMTH-TV television studio was built.
The original power of the station was 16 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...
at a frequency of 88.5 MHz. This continued from 1960 until 1983 when the frequency was changed to 90.5 MHz and the power reduced to 8.9 watts. This leaves it as one of the lowest powered FM stations in the United States, and one of few remaining under the now-discontinued Class D license.
WMTH broadcasts between the hours on 9am-5pm on Weekdays only, with each Maine Township school broadcasting on a different day. A full calendar schedule can be found on the station website. WMTH also broadcasts online.
WMTH-FM continues to broadcast a mixture of music, school sports events, and other programs of local interest.
Famous alumni
- Harrison FordHarrison FordHarrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...
(1960) - Rich KozRich KozRich Koz is a Chicago area actor and broadcaster best known as horror-movie host Svengoolie. Out of costume, he is also the knowledgeable host of the syndicated Three Stooges Stooge-a-Palooza program.- Beginnings :...
(1970) SvengoolieSvengoolieSvengoolie is the name of a character from a long-running series of locally-produced television programs in the Chicago, Illinois metropolitan area...
, Chicago TV - Scott Cohn (1978) CNBCCNBCCNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
correspondent - Janet ShamlianJanet ShamlianJanet Shamlian is a national correspondent for NBC News and appears on The Today Show, NBC Nightly News, and MSNBC. She is a contributor to the prime time news magazine Dateline NBC and to CNBC, the business news channel owned and operated by NBC Universal....
(1980) national correspondent NBC NewsNBC NewsNBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...