A Legacy of Great Radio
With the recent passing of George Pappas ’49, founding member and first station manager of WMUH, we look back at the history of The Only Station that Matters – WMUH 91.7 FM. The following information is from the official WMUH Operations Manual. For more information about WMUH and to hear it streaming live, please visit www.muhlenberg.edu/wmuh.
History of WMUH
1948 – A radio club is formed with ten members and a $25 operating budget. The founding members:
George P. Pappas ’49, Station Manager
Robert M. Smith ’49, Program Director
George E. Pickard, News Director
Paul Steinberg ’49, Sports Director
Hugo N. Yannelli ’49, Special Features
Edwin Harte ’49 and Richard Hessinger ’49, Technicians
Paul Freed ’50, Drama Director
David N. Alloway ’50, Music Director
Lewis C. Trumbore ’49, Business Manager
1949 – Muhlenberg College receives licensing for a closed-circuit AM radio station.
1950 – WMUH-AM begins broadcasting to all dormitories at 640 kHz operating from the projection room of the science auditorium. The station's staff of students host programs following a three-hour weekly schedule expanded to two hours of programming two nights a week.
1951 – The station moves to its first real studios, a three room operation in the basement of the newly remodeled Haas Library. A new transmitter and equipment are built by Dr. Boyer of the Physics Department. During this time the station begins carrying live Muhlenberg College sporting events.
1952 – The college administration grants WMUH permission to sell advertising.
1953 – WMUH-AM, normally a closed-circuit campus station, is monitored in Virginia and by ships at sea when the antenna is hooked up to the copper dome of the Haas Library. As a result of the operating irregularity, the FCC suspends WMUH's license for four years.
1954 – The station receives a $1,000 loan to purchase new equipment.
1957 – The station's license is reinstated by the FCC. The new programming schedule is Sunday through Thursday, 7 PM to midnight. The schedule is later expanded to include a noon classical hour.
1959 – WMUH broadcasts 90 hours per week with a thirty member staff and a record collection that consists of 500 albums and 300 45s. Also is 1959, planning began for starting an FM broadcast station at Muhlenberg. The programming proposal for the station includes tapes from Radio Moscow and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Russian language lessons, plays, music interpretation, and news. Six year later, WMUH-FM began broadcasting at 89.7 MHz with 10 watts transmitting power.
1964 – Muhlenberg College receives an FCC broadcast license for WMUH-FM.
1965 – Permanent studios in Seegers Union are completed, and dedication is held in February. The station's fifty-hour weekly schedule follows a diverse format, from rock to opera.
1968 – For the first time WMUH offers continuous election coverage. Student reporters call in election results from local newspapers and political headquarters.
1969 – The station begins carrying live performances from the Metropolitan Opera. New equipment is purchased and the schedule is expanded to eighty hours weekly. The student staff, which now includes seventy-five people, produces a sixteen page program guide. A major donation is received from the Alumni Association to remodel the studios. The station is honored by national journalism fraternity Pi Delta Epsilon as the #1 college radio station.
1970 – Music director David Frick ’73 helps develop the music library and increases the amount of music presented to the station through contact with various record companies. He goes on to become Senior Music Editor at Rolling Stone magazine.
1976 – The Center for the Arts opens with direct lines to WMUH for live broadcasts from the Center's Recital Hall and Paul C. Empie Theater.
1979 – WMUH-FM receives a power increase to 440 watts at a new frequency, 91.7 MHz. The station's primary broadcast area now covers a radius of 35 miles.
1981 – The student staff invites community members to participate in programming. For the first time, WMUH broadcasts during the summer break.
1982 – The schedule is expanded to 24 hours a day with community members programming during all breaks and overnights.
1984 – WMUH community volunteers incorporate as the Lehigh Valley Community Broadcaster's Association.
1986 – WMUH begins broadcasting in block programming, a format which offers specific genres of music during certain times of the day.
1987 – The college hires its first General Manager, Joe Swanson, to oversee broadcasting by a 120 member student staff and 130 member community staff. That summer the station broadcasts temporarily from an apartment in Prosser Hall while the Seegers Union basement is remodeled, including the WMUH studios.
1988 – The station moves into its new studios in Seegers Union. The control booth in the Red Door Cafe is linked directly to WMUH for live broadcasts. A marketing study shows that the station has approximately 10,000 listeners at any given time.
1990 – WMUH installs a satellite downlink dish, purchased by the administration, to access programs from the Westar IV satellite. On December 3, WMUH inaugurates the downlink by beginning to broadcast Pacifica Radio News live by satellite at 4:30 PM weekday afternoons.
1991 – On January 17, WMUH begins incorporating National Public Radio Network and other public radio programs into its schedule. Measured by the Arbitron Ratings Company for the first time, it is learned that WMUH's listenership is sometimes as high as 19,000 people. Broadcast highlights include live simulcasts from Lincoln Center in conjunction with Channel 39 WLVT television and Pacifica Radio Network News coverage of the Persian Gulf War.
1992 – WMUH holds its first On-Air Membership drive. Nearly 200 persons donate a total of more than $5,000 to become members and help the station continue broadcasting its eclectic schedule. WMUH receives the President’s Award from President Jonathan Messerli for achievement under the direction of Station Manager Suzanne Searfoss ’92.
1993 – WMUH continues to program news and public affairs and increases student involvement. Students submit stories to U-Net and Radio Works for syndication. Our first fax machine is purchased and e-mail becomes a necessity.
1994 – A remote transmitter is acquired to allow WMUH to broadcast from other locations around the valley. A play about AIDS is broadcast in conjunction with an art exhibit at the Open Space Gallery in Allentown.
1995 – WMUH passes the 14,000 compact disc mark. New discs are received daily from record companies. The Music Director reports to the College Music Journal and provides playlists to companies. Eighty percent of aired material is now from Compact Disc. WMUH logs all discs received on a data base. New music on vinyl is now scarce.
1996 – A grant is applied for from the Pacifica Radio Network to provide a second satellite downlink system for International and National news and public affairs. It is approved and installation is set for 1998.
1997 – The WMUH Membership Drive draws in more than $7,000 from Lehigh Valley listeners. Plans for the 50th Anniversary of a radio club on campus are put into motion. WMUH broadcasts live from the Celtic Classic in Bethlehem, the Lehigh Valley Hospital Center Health Fair and Doe Mt. Ski resort for a summer concert. WMUH begins planning to move to digital editing systems. A news team headed by Steve Grossman ’00 provides coverage of the President’s Youth Summit in Philadelphia.
1998 – Nearly 100 former WMUH’ers return for the 50th Anniversary celebration. David Frick ’73, Senior Music Editor of Rolling Stone Magazine speaks to the gathering. Founding fathers in attendance include George Pappas ’49 and Gerald Hertz ’53. Rich Lospinoso, Jr. ’95, Chairman of the WMUH Endowment Fund announces the opening of the fund. WMUH installs its second satellite downlink to receive KU band broadcasts. A month later, a satellite in orbit fails and many public stations lose their programming, but the WMUH backup system provided news coverage without interruption.
1999 – WMUH receives a grant to install the L-Band equipment. RealAudio® equipment is installed which allows WMUH to broadcast WORLDWIDE over the internet. Digital recording and editing equipment is provided with listener support and matching College funds. Alexandra Dianna ’92 designs the first website.
2000 – WMUH receives the BEST RADIO STATION in the Lehigh Valley award from the Lehigh Valley Music Awards and is listed in the TOP 20 BEST COLLEGE STATIONS in the 2001 edition of the PRINCETON REVIEW.
2001 – Muhlenberg College remodels the COMMONS to house Communications offices, MCTV Studios and WMUH. WMUH begins broadcasting from new studios located in the renamed Walson Hall on November 7th. Mark Enea, during his show
Left of the Dial, plays REM's classic song "Radio Free Europe" as the first song broadcast from the new studio.
2002 – English department records and broadcasts interviews on the Living Writers Series. Other programs like
51%,
Planetary Radio,
Counterspin and
The Health Show are added to the mix.
2003 – Talks begin about digital radio, HD, Surround Sound, podcasting and other new technologies. The Morning Call partners with WMUH to provide hourly news through the
Partners in Education program.
2004 – Music Director Chris Stahle puts together an all day concert of Muhlenberg student bands to benefit the American Red Cross.
2005 – Twelfth Edition of the WMUH Operations Manual comes out. Interviews include the Acoustic Strawbs, Tiger Mountain, Dave Coulier and others. Dan Yocom ’06 does an in-depth program on Japanese Noh music.
2006 – Public Radio Satellite System upgrades to all digital and helps WMUH to be able to stay interconnected to most major news sources. WMUH participates in the MARK KLEE aka Mr. Mark art exhibit at the Martin Art Gallery.
2007 – “The future is coming on” – Gorillaz,
Clint Eastwood.
2008 – More than twenty Allentown School District students participate in a recording of four children’s books for distribution nationwide as teaching aids. Retired ASD teacher Terry Haas, also records the books for special education aids via the internet.
2009 – WMUH broadcasts live from Musikfest, Bethlehem. Interview with Angus from the group BROTHER. Upgrades planned for new radio control boards.
2010 – Upgrades to the four Studios with generous donations from the community and the College. Station honored by the Allentown Human Relations Commission. October 24, 2010 officially designated
WMUH 91.7 FM Appreciation Day with two resolutions from the City of Allentown and a Citation from the City of Bethlehem. WMUH receives several awards for service to the community from the City, State and U.S. House and Senate. The State House of Representatives honors us with the
Spirit of Humanity Award certified by The Honorable Jennifer Mann, the County gives a resolution and a proclamation, the U.S. House of Representatives awards us with a Certificate of Special Recognition signed by The Honorable Charles Dent and the Senate of Pennsylvania awards a Congratulations.
2011 – New transmitter and processor installed with funds set aside from previous Membership drives. WMUH trains a record number of students in the audio arts. Twenty nine students are now hosting shows. Concert appearance from Laura Stevenson and the Cans, Everyone Everywhere, Jet Set Sail and Ghost Ship. First Fall Membership Drive adds 200 new Members. WMUH has been streaming on the internet for 11 years.