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It all started in 1937. That was the year that Congress
passed the Communications Act of 1937, declaring that radio frequencies
were a national resource to be used for the public good and that
no individual or company may "own" a given frequency. This congressional
act put into law the concept that station licenses would be issued
only to qualified individuals and corporations who would operate
their stations in the "public interest, convenience and necessity."
Licenses would be renewed based on whether the licensee served the
public. Prior to that date, broadcast frequencies were treated as
commodities.
The Communications Act also created the Federal Communications
Commission, and they in turn put forth regulations stating the two
types of radio stations they would license: commercial stations
and noncommercial. Commercial stations exist to make money for the
people who run them. With the deregulation of broadcasting nearly
complete, it appears to many that many commercial stations have
given up their commitment to serving the public interest and instead
have decided to cater to their client's interest so as to maximize
their income via advertising revenue. And who are the clients of
commercial radio, the advertisers of course.
Noncommercial stations on the other hand, are prohibited
by law from selling commercials. They must provide an educational
service to the public. Non-com stations may be licensed only to
bona fide nonprofit educational institutions. WWUH is such a station.
We are licensed to the University of Hartford and serve as a community
service of the University. We renew our license at seven year intervals.
The concept of what was to become WWUH was formulated by
a small group of UH students under the leadership of student Clarke
Schmidt. They convinced their fellow students and the administration
that the university should have its own radio station. Once given
the go ahead, they found that starting a new radio station was a
formidable task which required detailed engineering studies, elaborate
applications to the Federal Communications Commission, raising money
and building studios.
With the help of the faculty, a substantial grant from the
family of the late Louis K. Roth, and the donation of a transmitter
from WTIC radio, WWUH became a reality. The station signed on the
air at 4:05 on the afternoon of July 15, 1968 after more than two
years of hard work. The station was the first stereo educational
station in New England, and one of the strongest in the region.
In the early years, WWUH's studios, transmitter and antenna were
located on top of the Gengras Student Union. WWUH was the first
station in Connecticut to broadcast a daily "progressive rock" program,
the "Gothic Blimp Works." In the first 18 months of broadcasting,
the station's dedicated volunteer staff expanded the broadcast schedule
from 6 hours a day in 1968 to 24 hours a day in 1970. Listeners
to the station during it's early years would often hear progressive
rock, folk and classical music programs, as well as in depth news
and public affairs programming.
Over the years, the station's programming and technical facilities
grew. By moving our transmitter off campus and putting it high atop
Avon Mountain, we were able to extend the station's reach greatly.
Our jazz programming has grown to include some of the best in the
area; we currently broadcast over thirty hours of jazz every week.
We have also broadcast thousands of hours of live jazz programming,
including the Community Renewal Team's Festival of Jazz from Bushnell
Park in Hartford. We have developed an outstanding lineup of folk,
bluegrass and acoustic music programs, which are widely listened
to. Our other programs offer a wide variety of alternative music
and viewpoints.
In 1989, we moved our studios and offices from the third
floor of the Gengras Student Union to the East wing of the Harry
Jack Gray Center. The new facilities included space for additional
studios and allowed us to construct a recording studio so that we
could broadcast live music with ease.
Initially, WWUH also had an AM station, which served as a
training ground for the FM operation. The first few years of licensed
FM operation were so demanding on the station's volunteer staff
that the AM station was turned over to the Student Association in
the early seventies. In other words, WWUH-AM became WSAM and turned
into a separate organization on campus. The Student Association
operates WSAM today. Their low power signal only covers the campus,
and they also webcast on the Internet.
PHILOSOPHY
From day one, the station's philosophy
has been to broadcast alternative programming: programming, which
cannot be heard on other stations. Most listeners are used to the
concept of each radio station having its own format. In the Hartford
area, WTIC is the talk station, WDRC plays oldies and WWYZ plays
country music. One station, one format. Such expectations on the
part of the listener are hard to overcome. Once a station decides
to offer a wide spectrum of programming, how does it present the
programming so that it is accessible to the listener?
Historically, stations have dealt with this problem in one
of two ways. Some stations have adopted an entirely "freeform" format
where anything goes anytime. In essence, these stations have rejected
the concept of having a format. While a few freeform stations have
been quite successful (including WPKN in Bridgeport), most listeners
have slightly less eclectic taste and want some method to the madness.
It is for this reason that the "block" format was created.
On block-formatted stations, the various types of programming
are arranged in blocks throughout the week making it easier for
the listener to know what is going to be on and when it will be
on. This is the format WWUH uses. As an example, our listeners can
be assured that they will hear folk music when they tune in on a
weekday between 6 and 9 am, and jazz every weekday morning between
9 am and 12 noon.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
We have always strived to be professional
both in the sound of the station, and in the technical facilities
that make up the station. In some areas, college stations sound
like "sandbox" radio, with the egos of young DJs dominating their
programs. At these stations, a look behind the scenes often reveals
dirty studios filled with equipment that is older than some of the
students who work at them. At WWUH our announcers are on the air
as facilitators in order to communicate with the audience. Not actors
that entertain or talk down to them. And our studios are filled
with state of the art broadcast equipment. In fact, our studios
are better equipped than the majority of commercial stations in
the state of Connecticut. Our record and CD library, comprised of
close to 100,000 recordings, is one of the largest in the country.
The station's primary commitment is to serve the community
with high quality public affairs programming which addresses issues
that other stations don't cover, and to air unique specialty shows
which cater to specific segments of society who have been denied
their own radio voice for too many years. Our public affairs programs,
which range from political commentary to short-wave radio, are showcased
in two prime time blocks on weekdays: from noon to 1 pm and again
from 8 to 9 pm daily.
WWUH's concern for the minority members of the Hartford community
manifests itself in the many hours of ethnic and foreign language
programming the station airs throughout the week. Again, we haven't
hidden these important programs in the wee hours of the morning;
they are showcased in prime time slots. From Friday evening's Geetanjali,
a 90 minute program of music and news from India, to Saturday's
Cultura E Vida, a two hour cultural program in Portuguese, each
of our specialty shows have a large and dedicated following.
A strong commitment to alternative music has also been a
mainstay of the station's programming philosophy as well. In fact,
about the only music you won't find on WWUH are the mainstream hits
you hear on most of the commercial stations. The station has the
reputation as one of the top jazz, folk and alternative rock stations
in the country. Our evening classical music shows, which are deliberately
scheduled when the classical stations are broadcasting news and
spoken word programming, also have a huge following.
WWUH is dedicated to serving the public. In fact, it's the
listening audience that is first and foremost in our minds when
we make programming decisions. Our license says that we should be
serving the public, and we feel that if we aren't able to do that,
we have no right to be on the air. We must also serve the needs
of the University of Hartford, since the university is our licensee.
The University has given the station a great deal of freedom over
the years, and WWUH has earned their respect. Along with this freedom
comes responsibility, the responsibility to be the best station
we possibly can be. The station is also responsible to the Federal
Communications Commission and we take their rules and regulations
very seriously. We do everything by the book, and do not take chances
that might jeopardize our license or our relationship with the university.
WWUH takes its role as an alternative media outlet seriously.
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
A seven person Executive Committee
(ECOM), which is headed by the General Manager, manages the station.
The General Manager maintains day-to-day operational control over
the station, and is designated as an agent of the licensee in the
eyes of the F.C.C. The other members of the ECOM are the various
WWUH department heads: the Operations Director, the Program Director,
the Chief Engineer, the Business Manager, the Community Affairs
Director and the Development Director. All major station policies
are made by the ECOM.
All of the ECOM members volunteer their time and are elected
by the station's staff, with the exception of the General Manager
and the Development Director, who are paid employees of the station.
There are a number of sub-department heads who also help to manage
the station, including the Music Director, Production Director,
IT Director, Genre Directors, etc.
The station's staff, made up entirely of volunteers, numbers
well over seventy individuals. Because of our commitment to serving
the public 24 hours a day throughout the year, we utilize community
volunteers to supplement our student staff. While students of the
University of Hartford are given priority in station membership,
training and positions of leadership within the station, programs
are allocated on a quality basis alone.
Even with a volunteer staff, it takes a lot of money to keep
the station going. Our 2003/04 budget was about $125,000 most of
which was donated by our listeners. In 1995 we raised over $90,000
from our listeners in only two on-air fundraisers: our Marathon,
which was held in February, and our special "Silent Marathon" in
the fall.
The University provides about $10, 000 in cash to help finance
the station, provides tens of thousand's of dollars of "in kind"
help (including studio and office space), electricity, and basic
phone service. Their solid commitment to WWUH has allowed the station
to grow and prosper over the last thirty-five years.
In addition to the above sources, we receive funds from a
very successful concert series, from ads in our Program Guide and
from program underwriting.
© WWUH 2004
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