WWUH
Encyclopedia
WWUH is a non-commercial radio station
licensed to the University of Hartford
in West Hartford, Connecticut
, USA. The station was started on July 15, 1968 and has a Public Alternative Radio format.
WWUH operates on 91.3 MHz from a tower site in Avon, Connecticut
but their programming is also rebroadcast on WWEB 89.9 Wallingford, CT; WAPJ 89.9 and 105.1 in Torrington, Connecticut
, and WDJW 89.7 in Somers, Connecticut
. In addition, WWUH was the first station in the state of Connecticut
to webcast on a regular basis via its web site. WWUH has an extensive music library consisting of close to 100,000 LPs and CDs. WWUH broadcasts via the web at http://www.wwuh.org/real.htm.
WWUH offers a wide variety of alternative programming including music, spoken word and news programming all produced by students and community volunteers. Operated as a community service of the University of Hartford, WWUH first signed on the air in 1968 using the motto "Public Alternative Radio."
WWUH was voted "Best Radio Station" the year the Hartford Advocate had their first "Best of" issue. The next year the ballot had two related categories, "Best Station" and "Best College Station." WWUH won "Best College Station" 1988 - 2002 and has won second place most of the other years. WWUH has also won numerous awards for its public affairs programming and was cited by United Technologies Corp in an ad in the Hartford Courant as "One of the Best Things in Hartford!"
The students who had worked so hard for three years wasted no time. At 4:05 PM that afternoon, after a short ceremony, they threw a switch and WWUH went on the air for the first time as The Voice of the University of Hartford. Family and friends of the people who had worked so hard to put the station together, who were tuned to 91.3 at that exact time, heard “The Star Spangled Banner” followed by “WWUH, West Hartford” spoken by Clark Smidt. WWUH was born!
From day one, the station was committed to providing the greater Hartford area with professionally produced alternative programming that was not available on the commercial stations. The 1,800-watt signal was one of the strongest of any college station in New England, and WWUH made its debut as the first educational station in the seven-state region to broadcast in stereo. At sign-on, the station counted 701 albums in its collection.
The first daily schedule ran from 4 PM to 1 AM. Even with this abbreviated schedule, listeners started to take notice. Students produced news and public affairs programs with an emphasis placed on alternative news and progressive issues of concern to the immediate area were produced and aired. Many considered the community affairs programs provocative and even controversial, but people liked what they heard, and the University was very happy about the positive response they were getting about their new station. Early programming consisted of classical, folk and jazz music, with two newscasts a day. Progressive rock also appeared on the schedule, occupying the “graveyard shift,” which ran from midnight to 3 AM each night. It was called “The Gothic Blimp Works,” a program name that is still used today. WWUH's broadcast of progressive rock music preceded the start of WHCN, which calls itself "Hartford’s First Rock Station." The histories of WWUH and WHCN intertwine often, starting with the fact that many WWUH rock music programmers were responsible for changing WHCN's format from classical music to rock music.
The WWUH transmitter, affectionately known as “Mother,” was located in Room 330 of GSU, and the antenna sat atop a 90-foot tower also located at Gengras. The station started out broadcasting 100% of the time in stereo at a time when many of the "major" commercial station were still mono. The first transmitter was the RCA BTF-1, donated by WTIC where its 1,000 watts were fed in to a 3 bay Collins antenna. Even with the power of 1,800 watts, the antenna was so low compared to the surrounding terrain that the station covered only about a five-mile radius.
WWUH was dedicated on November 20, 1968 to the memory of Louis K. Roth
whose encouragement and generosity, and that of his family, helped make possible the creation, expansion and continued operation of WWUH. It was named "The Louis K. Roth Memorial Station" in a ceremony presided over by University Chancellor Woodruff. The plaque commemorating the dedication hung outside the air studio in the Gengras Student Union building for 21 years. In 1989, the plaque was temporarily removed for cleaning and then remounted outside the new air studio in the Gray Center.
The Hartford Times, in a May 1967 editorial said:
“In the brief span of 23 years Louis K. Roth made an indelible mark on the civic, cultural and business life of this community. He was a man of diverse interests, unbounded energy and willingness to give uncounted hours to non-business activities in which he had a special interest.
“The list of the social and civic agencies with which he was identified in lengthy. They range from those formed to help needy persons to societies of a musical or other artistic or cultural nature.
“Mr. Roth took his community responsibilities seriously. He was generous with his money, time and counsel whenever the call came for assistance. Hartford will recall Louis Roth with the warmest recollection as a civic-minded citizen of the highest quality.”
- Soapbox
- New Focus
- 911 Wake Up Call
- Gay Spirit
- Free Speech Radio News
- Inside Out
- RadioActive
Mike Crispino (’80, Sports Commentator -
Josh Lafayette (’99), Account Exec, WCCC AM/FM -
Nicole Godburn (’00), Program Director, Beethoven.com -
Michael Plen (’78), former VP – Virgin Records -
Marty Peshka (’79), Senior Engineer, ESPN -
Blake Wilcox ('92), Afternoon Host, The Hawk
Llaine Hansen ('71), National Public Radio
Scott Baron ('99), Chief Engineer, WDRC
Larry Titus ('72), Owner Titus Technological Labs
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
licensed to the University of Hartford
University of Hartford
The University of Hartford is a private, independent, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in West Hartford, Connecticut. The degree programs at the University of Hartford hold the highest levels of accreditation available in the US, including the Engineering Accreditation Commission of...
in West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town was incorporated in 1854. Prior to that date, the town was a parish of Hartford....
, USA. The station was started on July 15, 1968 and has a Public Alternative Radio format.
WWUH operates on 91.3 MHz from a tower site in Avon, Connecticut
Avon, Connecticut
Avon is a town in the Farmington Valley region of Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. , the town had a population of 18,098.Avon is a suburb of Hartford. Avon Old Farms School, a prestigious boarding school, is located there. In 2005, Avon was named the third-safest town in America by...
but their programming is also rebroadcast on WWEB 89.9 Wallingford, CT; WAPJ 89.9 and 105.1 in Torrington, Connecticut
Torrington, Connecticut
Torrington is the largest city in Litchfield County, Connecticut and the northwestern Connecticut region. It is also the core city of the largest micropolitan area in the United States. The city population was 36,383 according to the 2010 census....
, and WDJW 89.7 in Somers, Connecticut
Somers, Connecticut
Somers is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, USA. The population was 10,417 at the 2000 census. The town center is listed by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place...
. In addition, WWUH was the first station in the state of Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
to webcast on a regular basis via its web site. WWUH has an extensive music library consisting of close to 100,000 LPs and CDs. WWUH broadcasts via the web at http://www.wwuh.org/real.htm.
WWUH offers a wide variety of alternative programming including music, spoken word and news programming all produced by students and community volunteers. Operated as a community service of the University of Hartford, WWUH first signed on the air in 1968 using the motto "Public Alternative Radio."
WWUH was voted "Best Radio Station" the year the Hartford Advocate had their first "Best of" issue. The next year the ballot had two related categories, "Best Station" and "Best College Station." WWUH won "Best College Station" 1988 - 2002 and has won second place most of the other years. WWUH has also won numerous awards for its public affairs programming and was cited by United Technologies Corp in an ad in the Hartford Courant as "One of the Best Things in Hartford!"
History
On July 15, 1968, Western Union delivered a very important telegram to the station's offices on the third floor of the Gengras Student Union building. The telegram, from the Federal Communications Commission, authorized Program Test Authority for WWUH, giving the University of Hartford permission to turn on their new radio station.The students who had worked so hard for three years wasted no time. At 4:05 PM that afternoon, after a short ceremony, they threw a switch and WWUH went on the air for the first time as The Voice of the University of Hartford. Family and friends of the people who had worked so hard to put the station together, who were tuned to 91.3 at that exact time, heard “The Star Spangled Banner” followed by “WWUH, West Hartford” spoken by Clark Smidt. WWUH was born!
From day one, the station was committed to providing the greater Hartford area with professionally produced alternative programming that was not available on the commercial stations. The 1,800-watt signal was one of the strongest of any college station in New England, and WWUH made its debut as the first educational station in the seven-state region to broadcast in stereo. At sign-on, the station counted 701 albums in its collection.
The first daily schedule ran from 4 PM to 1 AM. Even with this abbreviated schedule, listeners started to take notice. Students produced news and public affairs programs with an emphasis placed on alternative news and progressive issues of concern to the immediate area were produced and aired. Many considered the community affairs programs provocative and even controversial, but people liked what they heard, and the University was very happy about the positive response they were getting about their new station. Early programming consisted of classical, folk and jazz music, with two newscasts a day. Progressive rock also appeared on the schedule, occupying the “graveyard shift,” which ran from midnight to 3 AM each night. It was called “The Gothic Blimp Works,” a program name that is still used today. WWUH's broadcast of progressive rock music preceded the start of WHCN, which calls itself "Hartford’s First Rock Station." The histories of WWUH and WHCN intertwine often, starting with the fact that many WWUH rock music programmers were responsible for changing WHCN's format from classical music to rock music.
The WWUH transmitter, affectionately known as “Mother,” was located in Room 330 of GSU, and the antenna sat atop a 90-foot tower also located at Gengras. The station started out broadcasting 100% of the time in stereo at a time when many of the "major" commercial station were still mono. The first transmitter was the RCA BTF-1, donated by WTIC where its 1,000 watts were fed in to a 3 bay Collins antenna. Even with the power of 1,800 watts, the antenna was so low compared to the surrounding terrain that the station covered only about a five-mile radius.
WWUH was dedicated on November 20, 1968 to the memory of Louis K. Roth
Louis K. Roth
Louis K. Roth was a businessman and civic leader from Connecticut. He was born in 1896 and completed his education at Columbia University and New York University. His involvement with radio and electronics began in 1924 as a distributor of radios. He joined Radio Corporation, Victor Division in...
whose encouragement and generosity, and that of his family, helped make possible the creation, expansion and continued operation of WWUH. It was named "The Louis K. Roth Memorial Station" in a ceremony presided over by University Chancellor Woodruff. The plaque commemorating the dedication hung outside the air studio in the Gengras Student Union building for 21 years. In 1989, the plaque was temporarily removed for cleaning and then remounted outside the new air studio in the Gray Center.
Louis K. Roth
Born in 1896, Mr. Roth was educated at New York University and Columbia University. He began his career in 1924 as an independent distributor of radios. In 1935 he joined Radio Corporation, Victor Division as production manager of their electronic division. In 1944, he set up, with two partners, Radio and Appliance Distributors in Hartford. This firm eventually became one of the largest radio wholesalers in Connecticut. Mr. Roth was involved in many civic and community organizations. In addition to being a trustee of the Connecticut Opera Association, Mr. Roth was a trustee of the Julius Hart Musical Foundation here at the University of Hartford. He also served on various university committees and served on the Board of Regents of the University of Hartford from 1961 to 1967.The Hartford Times, in a May 1967 editorial said:
“In the brief span of 23 years Louis K. Roth made an indelible mark on the civic, cultural and business life of this community. He was a man of diverse interests, unbounded energy and willingness to give uncounted hours to non-business activities in which he had a special interest.
“The list of the social and civic agencies with which he was identified in lengthy. They range from those formed to help needy persons to societies of a musical or other artistic or cultural nature.
“Mr. Roth took his community responsibilities seriously. He was generous with his money, time and counsel whenever the call came for assistance. Hartford will recall Louis Roth with the warmest recollection as a civic-minded citizen of the highest quality.”
Public Affairs Programs, Locally Produced
- New World Notes- Soapbox
- New Focus
- 911 Wake Up Call
- Gay Spirit
- Free Speech Radio News
- Inside Out
- RadioActive
Notable alumni
Clark Smidt (’69), Owner – WCAP Lowell, MA. -Mike Crispino (’80, Sports Commentator -
Josh Lafayette (’99), Account Exec, WCCC AM/FM -
Nicole Godburn (’00), Program Director, Beethoven.com -
Michael Plen (’78), former VP – Virgin Records -
Marty Peshka (’79), Senior Engineer, ESPN -
Blake Wilcox ('92), Afternoon Host, The Hawk
Llaine Hansen ('71), National Public Radio
Scott Baron ('99), Chief Engineer, WDRC
Larry Titus ('72), Owner Titus Technological Labs
External links
- Coverage Map: http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WWUH&service=FM&status=L&hours=U