WUMD (college radio)

WUMD is a College radio station for the University of Michigan–Dearborn, based in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. The Internet radio station is accessible at WUMD.org and TuneIn and is also played in the University's student union, the University Center. University-funded, WUMD is considered a low-power CaFM (Cable Frequency Modulation) radio station and is a long-standing recognized member with both the IBS (Intercollegiate Broadcasting System) and the College Music Journal (CMJ).

In 1979, WUMD was formed by a group consisting mainly of engineering majors that began borrowing music equipment from the science department in order to play vinyl records in the Recreational and Organizational Center (aka R.O.C.). While the group was recognized on campus as a student organization, it would be sometime before the students would be based in an upper-level room to play music down to all of the rest of the students and be able to take requests. In the mean time, the radio station was an open body of students that would daily hang out together in between taking their courses.

During the early 1980s, WUMD moved to the tower studio in the University Mall, which was located opposite of where the station would be moved again later on for a second time. This additional move would increase radio station expansion to three times the size of its previous size. At one point, some members of the radio station were scrutinized heavily and almost resulted in expulsion by the student activities director for taking equipment and music to their homes for safe keeping in order to prevent WUMD from being forever lost as an entity for the university.

The radio station began holding program guide release parties, which were held in celebration of another semester for student members to input their reviews for concerts and music albums, along with any other material that is music and radio related. The very first recorded guide dates back to 1988 and the idea has been a bi-yearly tradition ever since. Usually, program guide releases parties consist of meeting at a venue in the metro-Detroit area to have a variety of bands play throughout the night.

As of 1992, WUMD would move a third time and could once again be heard in what used to be the University Mall through two large, white sphere-shaped speakers with 4 tweeters on each side, as well as on cable television in the cities of Dearborn (channel 18), Dearborn Heights and Westland (channel 23). More recently, lack of funding has prevented WUMD from cable-broadcasting and the University Mall has been rebuilt and renamed the University Center, which houses all of the central activities around campus.

In 2000, the radio station began broadcasting via internet radio. This allowed WUMD to reach listeners all over the world, most notably in Germany where two listeners known solely as Hanz and Franz have repeatedly made live music requests to DJs using the AIM messaging platform. More recently, in 2010, DJs Rose Richards and Mandy Wellinger received letters from an avid listener of their show, "Noise and Nonsense," from London, UK. The station continues to grow its listenership internationally.

Beginning in 2007, WUMD began placing a greater emphasis on digital audio, including the production of podcasts for some of its talk shows and broadcasting campus sporting events through digital streaming. Sports broadcasts have included hockey, basketball (both men's and women's), volleyball, soccer (both men's and women's), rugby union, lacrosse, and softball.

In 2010, General Manager Roger Castillo was named one of the 50 Difference Makers for his efforts as General Manager at WUMD.

References

1. Facebook page
2. Streema