WHRB

Last updated

WHRB
Broadcast area Greater Boston
Frequency 95.3MHz
BrandingWHRB 95.3 FM
Programming
Format Variety
Ownership
OwnerHarvard Radio Broadcasting Co., Inc.
History
First air date
  • December 2, 1940 (1940-12-02) (closed-circuit AM)
  • May 17, 1957 (1957-05-17) (commercial FM, at 107.1)
Former call signs
WHRB-FM (1957–1978)
Former frequencies
107.1 MHz (1957–1959)
Call sign meaning
Harvard Radio Broadcasting
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 26341
Class A
ERP 1,450 watts
HAAT 185 meters (607 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
 42°21′8.4″N71°3′23.2″W / 42.352333°N 71.056444°W / 42.352333; -71.056444 (WHRB)
Links
Public license information
Webcast Listen live
Website www.whrb.org

WHRB is a commercial FM radio station in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It broadcasts at 95.3  MHz and is operated by students at Harvard College. The station is owned by Harvard Radio Broadcasting Co., Inc., a non-profit corporation independent of Harvard University.

Contents

History

WHRB was one of America's first college radio stations, initially signing on as a carrier current station on December 2, 1940. After acquiring funding from The Harvard Crimson, the station's first call sign was WHCN ("Harvard Crimson Network"). It broke from the Crimson in 1943 and adopted the call sign WHRV ("Harvard Radio Voice"). Harvard Radio Broadcasting Co., Inc., the non-profit corporation that owns the station, was formed February 1, 1951, and the current call sign adopted. [2]

In order to reach audiences beyond Harvard's campus, the corporation acquired a commercial FM broadcast license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and began regular broadcasting on May 17, 1957, at 107.1 MHz. A few years later, the station changed frequency to 95.3 MHz, where it has remained since. The broadcast area expanded considerably in 1995 when the main transmitter was relocated from atop Holyoke Center (now called the Smith Campus Center) in Harvard Square to its present location atop One Financial Center in downtown Boston. (A facility remains at the Smith site for backup purposes.) Broadcasts went global when internet retransmission of its programs began on November 18, 1999. In 2009, WHRB made available for download the first stand-alone college radio station iPhone app. [3]

Programming

WHRB is a confederacy of on-air departments, each with its own staff, training requirements, and allocation of airtime. Departments include Classical Music, The Jazz Spectrum, The Blues Hangover, Sports, News, The Darker Side, and Record Hospital. During the academic year, the station publishes several detailed program guides, [4] describing its regular programming as well as the Orgy periods that end each semester.

Orgies (the term is a registered trademark of the station) are consecutive presentations of the entire musical output of composers, record labels, or genres, sometimes running 24 hours a day for a week or more. Station legend has it [5] that these began when an exuberant undergraduate in 1943 decided to celebrate his passing a difficult exam by broadcasting all nine Beethoven symphonies in order. Orgies continue to take place during exam periods, allowing the station to be run with a reduced on-air staff at these busy times. "Orgies" are broadcast each year throughout most of December, and again from the beginning of May through Harvard's commencement ceremony near the end of that month.

Some of WHRB's regular programs have long histories of their own. For example, the country music program Hillbilly at Harvard dates back to 1948, [6] and Sunday Night at the Opera is one of the longest-running programs in its genre in the United States. The station's underground rock department, Record Hospital, began in 1984 and hosts an annual music "fest".

WHRB also broadcasts live play-by-play coverage of all Harvard University football and men's hockey games, along with occasional broadcasts of other Harvard sports like men's basketball and women's hockey, and is the Boston-area home, in season, for the weekly broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera. WHRB has broadcast the weekly Sunday services at Harvard's Memorial Church since the early 1960s. [7]

Notable alumni

Prominent broadcasters who began their careers at WHRB include Martin Bookspan (voice of the New York Philharmonic), Steve Curwood (host of Living on Earth on NPR), Bruce Morton (CNN), Dan Raviv (CBS), Scott Horsley (NPR), and Chris Wallace (Fox News). Harpsichordist Igor Kipnis, New York Times critics John Rockwell and Jon Caramanica, New Yorker writers Alex Ross and Kelefa Sanneh, pianist and composer Robert D. Levin, author and critic Douglas Wolk, ZDNet founder Michael Kolowich, Justin Rice and Christian Rudder of Bishop Allen, Karl Rove's personal attorney Robert Luskin, visual artist Alex Kahn, record producers Thomas Blanchard Wilson Jr. and Jim Barber, and the members of the chimp rock band Fat Day have been on the station's staff. David Mays, the founder of The Source magazine, hosted a popular show, Street Beat. Raphael Bostic, current president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, broadcast basketball and R&B while at the station. Cara Jones, singer-songwriter and DJ at J-Wave in Tokyo, Japan.

Mentor to these alumni for almost the last 60 years, and to everyone else who worked at the station, was David Elliott, a constant WHRB presence who filled a wide range of roles since his student days, from savvy and precise classical and opera curator-broadcaster to orgy mastermind, from board chair to eminent adviser. [8] [9] [ opinion ] Elliott died November 12, 2020, at age 78. [10] [11] [12] [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

WQXR-FM is an American non-commercial classical radio station, licensed to Newark, New Jersey, and serving the North Jersey and New York City area. It is owned by the nonprofit organization New York Public Radio (NYPR), which also operates WNYC (AM), WNYC-FM and the four-station New Jersey Public Radio group. WQXR-FM broadcasts from studios and offices located in the Hudson Square neighborhood in lower Manhattan and its transmitter is located at the Empire State Building. The station is the core audio service for NYPR's WQXR brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPRB</span> Radio station at Princeton University

WPRB is an FM radio station licensed to Princeton, New Jersey, and owned by Princeton Broadcasting Service, Inc. It broadcasts a freeform radio format, including shoegaze, slowcore, noise music, harsh noise wall, plunderphonics, illbient, jazz, electronic, folk, reggae, ska, metal, world, soul, rap, blues, and rock. While the station is non-profit, it is licensed as a commercial radio station. It is funded primarily by listener contributions, raised especially during WPRB's annual spring 10-day Membership Drive. It also derives funding through community underwriting contracts with local businesses. Almost all on-air staff and management are Princeton University alumni and students. WPRB's slogan is "New Jersey's Only Radio Station".

WERS is one of Emerson College's two radio stations, located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Programming features over 20 different styles of music and news, including live performances and interviews. WERS stands as the oldest non-commercial radio station in New England, and has been in operation since November 1949. Among the founders of the station was WEEI program director Arthur F. Edes, who first taught broadcasting courses at Emerson in 1932 and helped to plan a campus radio station. The chief architect of WERS in its early years was Professor Charles William Dudley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WUMB-FM</span> Public radio station in Boston

WUMB-FM in Boston, Massachusetts, is the radio station of the University of Massachusetts Boston. It broadcasts a mix of Americana, blues, roots, and folk hosted by its staff weekdays. On weekends the station concentrates on traditional folk, Celtic, blues, and world music including syndicated programs. Overnight programming starting at midnight and usually through 5 am is a repeat of a portion of the previous day's programming; an announcement of this fact is made at midnight. The station has received many awards for its folk music programming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WJIB</span> Radio station in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

WJIB is a radio station in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and serving Greater Boston. Licensed to RCRQ, Inc.—a company owned by veteran broadcaster John Garabedian —the station plays a mix of adult standards and soft oldies music from the early 1990s and earlier. The station simulcasts its programming on 101.3 FM via the translator W267CE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WYEP-FM</span> Public radio station in Pittsburgh

WYEP is a listener-supported, non-commercial radio station that is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It carries an Adult Album Alternative (AAA) radio format and is run by the Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corporation, along with 90.5 WESA. The studios and offices are located on Bedford Square. WYEP-FM holds periodic fundraisers to support the station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WILL-FM</span> Radio station in Urbana, Illinois

WILL-FM is a public, listener-supported radio station owned by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and licensed to Urbana, Illinois, United States. It is operated by Illinois Public Media, with studios located at Campbell Hall for Public Telecommunication on the university campus. Most of WILL-FM's schedule is classical music with NPR news programs heard in weekday morning and afternoon drive times. Weekends feature classical and other genres of music, including jazz and opera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WXTK</span> News/talk radio station in West Yarmouth, Massachusetts, United States

WXTK is a commercial radio station licensed to West Yarmouth, Massachusetts, and serving Cape Cod. It has a news/talk format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios and offices are on Barnstable Road in Hyannis, while the transmitter is on Radio Lane in Yarmouth. WXTK is the direct descendant of Cape Cod's first commercial radio station, WOCB.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KUT</span> Public radio station at the University of Texas at Austin

KUT is a listener and community supported public radio station based in Austin, Texas. KUT is owned and operated by the University of Texas at Austin. It is the National Public Radio member station for central Texas. Its studio operations are located on campus at the Dealey Center for New Media. KUT is one of three radio outlets based on UT campus alongside student-run KVRX 91.7 FM and KUTX 98.9 FM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSAJ-FM</span> Radio station in Grove City, Pennsylvania

WSAJ-FM is a non-commercial college radio station located in Grove City, Pennsylvania. The station is owned and operated by Grove City College and carries syndicated classical and jazz music, as well as student programming and local sports coverage. The station is managed by an employee of the college, and its day-to-day operations are overseen by a staff of student volunteers when school is in session.

KXPR is a non-commercial, listener-supported public radio station in Sacramento, California, airing a classical music format. Along with sister station KXJZ 90.9 FM, they are known as Capital Public Radio or "CapRadio." Both stations are owned by California State University, Sacramento, and share studios along Folsom Boulevard on campus.

The Light, formerly WQLU, is a non-commercial internet radio station in Lynchburg, Virginia. It broadcasts a Contemporary Christian radio format and is owned and operated by Liberty University. The station aired Liberty University Flames athletics.

WOVK is a radio station broadcasting a country format. Licensed to Wheeling, West Virginia, United States, it serves the Wheeling area. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WRBB</span> Radio station at Northeastern University

WRBB is a radio station broadcasting a variety format, run by the students of Northeastern University. Licensed to Boston, Massachusetts, United States, it serves the Greater Boston area. The station is owned by Northeastern and transmits from its main Boston campus. The station is funded through the Northeastern Student Activities fee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KLJY</span> Contemporary Christian music radio station in Clayton, Missouri

KLJY is a commercial-free, listener-supported FM radio station licensed to Clayton, Missouri, and serving Greater St. Louis. It is owned by Gateway Creative Broadcasting, and broadcasts a Christian Contemporary radio format known as 99.1 Joy FM. The radio studios and offices are on Founders Lane in Des Peres, with a St. Louis address. In addition to broadcasting music, the station also sponsors community events and activities around St. Louis.

Record Hospital is the long-running underground music program on radio station WHRB in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1984, Record Hospital is run by the radio station's rock department and currently broadcasts on weeknights after classical music programming ends, running until the following morning when jazz programming begins. Staffed primarily by Harvard University undergraduates and alumni, Record Hospital serves the Boston area airwaves with an all-night punk and indie rock radio show with forays into noise and experimental music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KLRC</span> Radio station in Siloam Springs, Arkansas

KLRC is a non-commercial FM radio station licensed to Tahlequah, Oklahoma. It serves sections of Northwest Arkansas, Eastern Oklahoma and Southwest Missouri. KLRC broadcasts a Christian adult contemporary radio format and is owned by John Brown University. It is simulcast on KLAB at 101.1 MHz in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, as well as FM translators 99.1 K256BG in Bentonville, 101.1 K266BS in Van Buren and 103.5 K278BG in Springdale. KLRC and KLAB use periodic on-air fundraisers to seek support from listeners for the running of the stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WFMT</span> Classical music radio station in Chicago

WFMT is a commercial FM radio station in Chicago, Illinois, featuring a classical music radio format. It is managed by Window to the World Communications, Inc., owner of WTTW, Chicago's Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member station. WFMT seeks donations on the air and on its website. The studios and offices are on North Saint Louis Avenue in Chicago.

KDFC is a non-commercial radio station in San Francisco, California, that broadcasts classical music 24 hours daily. It is owned by the University of Southern California. KDFC is the radio home of the San Francisco Symphony and the San Francisco Opera. The station's live stream is available on the Internet and through the station's mobile app.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WGTX (AM)</span> Radio station in Massachusetts, United States

WGTX is an AM radio station licensed to West Yarmouth, Massachusetts, and serving Cape Cod. It is owned by GCJH, Inc. and broadcasts a classic hits format as a simulcast of WGTX-FM (102.3) in Truro.

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WHRB". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ Bethell, John; Hunt, Richard M.; Shenton, Robert (2004). Harvard A to Z. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. p. 359. ISBN   978-0674012882.
  3. ↑ "Listen to Harvard radio station on your iPhone". Wicked Local Cambridge. March 27, 2009. Archived from the original on July 31, 2013. Retrieved April 13, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Program Guide". WHRB.
  5. ↑ Hertzberg, Hendrik (May 19, 1975). "Background Music". The New Yorker. p. 30.
  6. ↑ Potier, Beth (January 10, 2002). "'Hillbilly at Harvard' hosts heady hoedown weekly". Harvard University Gazette . Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2008.
  7. ↑ "Memorial Church Service". WHRB. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  8. ↑ McClintick, David (November 2, 2018). "A Turning Point for WHRB". Harvard Magazine .
  9. ↑ Brodeur, Michael Andor (December 24, 2020). "The best way to honor Beethoven's 250th? Listen to every note he ever wrote". The Washington Post .
  10. ↑ Norton, Bettina A. (November 13, 2020). "David Elliott (1942–2020)". The Boston Musical Intelligencer.
  11. ↑ Burstein, Ellen M. (November 24, 2020). "David R. Elliott '64, Voice of Harvard Radio and Mentor to Generations of Students, Dies at 78". The Harvard Crimson .
  12. ↑ Ross, Alex (December 24, 2020). "David Elliott tribute on WHRB". Alex Ross: The Rest is Noise.
  13. ↑ Eichler, Jeremy (November 18, 2020). "David Elliott, 'extraordinarily selfless' leader of Harvard's WHRB-FM, dies at 78". The Boston Globe .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.