WMPG
Encyclopedia
WMPG is a community radio
station broadcasting from Portland, Maine
. It is located on Bedford Street at the University of Southern Maine
Portland Campus. It is affiliated with the college, and is a mix of USM Students and volunteers from the greater Portland community that produce all the music and local public affairs programs. It broadcasts one kilowatt on 90.9 (licensed to Gorham, where the main campus of USM is located) and 104.1 MHz (licensed to Portland) and can be heard as far north as Poland, Maine
. It broadcasts streaming online 24/7 and the programming guide and contact info is available at their website along with a large number of archived programs.
to jazz
to foreign to local or global issues, and more. Programs include Local Motives featuring live, in-studio performances from local bands, Blunt Youth Radio Project
, Home Dad a weekly half hour talk show about family related issues, Lesbian Radio a weekly 90 minute feminist music and talk show, and Sound Ecology a political talk show.
station in 1970 before becoming a licensed station in 1973 on 91.1 MHz with 10 watts of power. In 1988 the station upgraded its signal to 1.11 kilowatts and shifted frequency to 90.9 MHz. A 50 watt translator on 104.1 MHz located on Portland's Munjoy Hill went on the air in 1999. In 2008 WMPG was granted a construction permit to increase power to 4.5 kilowatts and move transmitting facilities from the Gorham campus of the University of Southern Maine to Blackstrap Mountain in Falmouth. After a lengthy fund-raising effort and a $120,000 US Department of Commerce grant the upgrade is expected to be completed in September of 2011.
Community radio
Community radio is a type of radio service, that offers a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting. Community stations can serve geographic communities and communities of interest...
station broadcasting from Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
. It is located on Bedford Street at the University of Southern Maine
University of Southern Maine
The University of Southern Maine is a multi-campus public urban comprehensive university and part of the University of Maine System. USM's three primary campuses are located in Portland, Gorham, and Lewiston...
Portland Campus. It is affiliated with the college, and is a mix of USM Students and volunteers from the greater Portland community that produce all the music and local public affairs programs. It broadcasts one kilowatt on 90.9 (licensed to Gorham, where the main campus of USM is located) and 104.1 MHz (licensed to Portland) and can be heard as far north as Poland, Maine
Poland, Maine
Poland is a town in Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,866 at the 2000 census. Home to Range Ponds State Park, Poland is a historic resort area...
. It broadcasts streaming online 24/7 and the programming guide and contact info is available at their website along with a large number of archived programs.
Programming
The station features diverse programming ranging from rockRock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
to jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
to foreign to local or global issues, and more. Programs include Local Motives featuring live, in-studio performances from local bands, Blunt Youth Radio Project
Blunt Youth Radio Project
Blunt Youth Radio Project is one of the oldest and most decorated youth media programs in the United States. It's a weekly, youth produced public affairs radio show on WMPG in Portland, Maine. The hour-long show features two teen hosts who interview guests on topical issues. The team's reporters...
, Home Dad a weekly half hour talk show about family related issues, Lesbian Radio a weekly 90 minute feminist music and talk show, and Sound Ecology a political talk show.
History
WMPG originally went on the air as a carrier currentCarrier current
Carrier current is a method of low power AM radio transmission that uses the AC electrical system of a building to propagate a medium frequency, AM signal to a relatively small area, such as a building or a group of buildings...
station in 1970 before becoming a licensed station in 1973 on 91.1 MHz with 10 watts of power. In 1988 the station upgraded its signal to 1.11 kilowatts and shifted frequency to 90.9 MHz. A 50 watt translator on 104.1 MHz located on Portland's Munjoy Hill went on the air in 1999. In 2008 WMPG was granted a construction permit to increase power to 4.5 kilowatts and move transmitting facilities from the Gorham campus of the University of Southern Maine to Blackstrap Mountain in Falmouth. After a lengthy fund-raising effort and a $120,000 US Department of Commerce grant the upgrade is expected to be completed in September of 2011.