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Radio station at Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
WNUB-FM (88.3 FM) is a radio station licensed to serve Northfield, Vermont. It is the radio station of Norwich University, airing a college radio format[2] from studios and transmitter on the university campus.
Broadcast area | Norwich University |
---|---|
Frequency | 88.3 MHz |
Branding | WNUB, Dog River Radio |
Programming | |
Format | College |
Ownership | |
Owner | Trustees of Norwich University |
History | |
First air date | December 8, 1967 |
Call sign meaning | "Norwich University Broadcasting" |
Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
Facility ID | 66513 |
Class | A |
ERP | 270 watts |
HAAT | −113 meters (−371 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 44°08′24″N 72°39′36″W |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Website | www |
On February 28, 1967, Norwich applied for a new noncommercial educational radio station on 89.1 FM to broadcast from the university campus.[3] The transmitter and studios would be located in Jackman Hall, the school's then-new administration building.[4] WNUB-FM began at the suggestion of Cadet Victor P. Waryas, a senior at the university, and was put on the air with engineering assistance from WDEV in Waterbury.[4] Another driving force behind the station was George Turner, who also doubled as Norwich's public relations director and sports information director.[5]
WNUB-FM made it to air on December 8, 1967;[6] while the university financed the more than $10,000 in startup expenses, students did much of the work in building the station, led by chief engineer David Bonney.[7] It was the first FM station to broadcast in central Vermont;[7] in fact, it was the third in the state and the first outside of Burlington, where WJOY-FM (1962) and WRUV-FM (1965) were already in operation.[8] (WRUV was also the only other noncommercial radio station in the state at the time.[8]) Programming on the new station included news and public affairs programming as well as light classical music.[4]
Norwich was an all-male school at the time WNUB-FM began broadcasting. The first woman to work as a DJ on the station was Stephanie Donat, a senior at the Vermont College; she hosted an hourlong folk music show at WNUB-FM, whose signal was not receivable on Vermont College's campus, in 1968.[9] In 1971, the station staged a 126-hour radiothon to benefit the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program run by Norwich and Vermont College; one day during the event, even WNUB-FM staff were stunned when Governor Deane C. Davis called in, commending the cadets' work and making a contribution.[10]
In 1981, WNUB-FM filed to move from 88.3 to 93.9 FM, with a slight power boost from 10 to 18 watts; the school had previously pursued a change to 89.5 FM in 1975 but abandoned it after six months.[3] Until the station became a part of the school's communications department in the 1980s, it was student run, operating irregular hours and only during the academic year. WNUB-FM ramped up to its present 285 watts of power when it moved to 88.3 MHz in 1988; it also began broadcasting in stereo for the first time as part of the upgrade.[11] The transmitter and antenna were most recently replaced in 2003 and 2005, respectively.[12]
Low enrollment prompted the CM 351 radio class to be canceled for the first time in 15 years in 2014; this meant that there were no student programs for the entire spring 2014 semester over WNUB-FM, and the only live shows were being broadcast by two community volunteers on Saturday mornings.[13] However, 2014 also saw the station stream online for the first time.[13] WNUB-FM was able to rebound from the cancellation, and it also began adding additional community programming; Northfield Town Meeting coverage and three days of music from the Northfield Labor Day festival, the largest in Vermont, are now heard over WNUB-FM.[6]
Most programs on WNUB are hosted by students in the CM 351 radio class. In addition to hosting live two-hour evening shows, students enrolled in the class also do voice-tracking; record promos and commercials; and complete class projects.[12]
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