UMass Boston - Winter/Spring 2007-2008 - (Page 18)

a three-credit math course she could pass only by solving a thorny computer programming problem. It took her two years to solve it. And two years for her to become a WUMB fixture. the StoNe iN the poND Early programming decisions came from a desire to give the community something it couldn’t find elsewhere on the radio dial, resulting in less-than-successful “all things to all people” programming. Jumping into the folk music niche was purely a business decision; local outcry when WCAS-AM ceased its folk programming in 1981 represented a built-in market. That decision ended up being a “a rising tide that raises all boats,” says Meri Jenkins, director of cultural economic development for the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Jenkins credits Monteith’s energy and unflappable patience for the success of the Coffee House Association: 38 independent organizations whose efforts have coalesced into a robust, eclectic folk music scene, evidenced by WUMB’s annual Boston Folk Festival. Though early grants from the council launched the festival, notes Jenkins, Monteith has turned it into an event with “real economic impact in terms of fees paid to artists, vendors that benefit, all the spinoff that happens. It’s the ‘stone in the pond’ effect.” Judy Wong, who chairs the WUMB Friends Council, also recognizes Monteith’s impact on the folk community, stating, “Pat is really good at getting people totally twined up in the station.” Wong should know. When she complained to Monteith about signage quality at the first Folk Festival, Pat corralled her to take on that responsibility for the next year. And since 1999 she has attended the adult music camp, Monteith’s brainchild known as Summer Acoustic Music Week (SAMW). Wong is one of many who have called the week “life-changing.” mANAgiNg iDeNtitieS Building community is what Monteith thinks about as she builds her wishlist. High on the list is a venue for regular live performances before a studio audience. Her goal: “Create a common experience for faculty, staff, students, and members of the community to enjoy together.” Space, however, remains a need; and, as with anyone who manages a university-based radio station, dealing with administrative issues requires managing her two identities: campus official and public radio CEO. Her work also requires promoting WUMB’s identity within the institution. “We’re as much about connecting with the community and about education as the rest of the university,” she asserts. Another identity rests in Monteith’s sights: the umbrella art known as folk music. Her voice crackles with incredulity as she recounts conversations with people whose vision of folk music seems limited to Peter, Paul, and Mary. “No disrespect intended,” she states, but “folk music is so much more! It encompasses about eleven or twelve genres.” To illustrate, she quotes from the WUMB program guide. “I hate to say it’s ‘all things for all people’ radio, but in a way it is,” she laughs, savoring the irony. On the flip side, Monteith views WUMB as being in a unique position to promote the university’s identity. Though she earned her master’s from Emerson College, she is most proud of her UMass Boston education. “It’s the responsibility of everybody who works in this institution, and every alum, to do what they can to tell the story,” she asserts. “I’m doing it by running a radio station.” So she strategizes about ways to help listeners— many of them parents—make the connection between what the institution offers and college options for their teens. 1976 WUMB studios move to current location in the basement of Healey Library. 1984 WUMB launches member concerts. 1986 WUMB is certified as a public radio station. A WUMB Timeline 1968 Pat Monteith (then Pat Riccio) attends meeting to start a radio station at UMass Boston. 1969 WUMB launched as a campus-only, closedcircuit station. 1982 WUMB-FM goes on the air with 200 watts, a significant amount of folk programming, and an all-volunteer announcing staff. 1981 WCAS-AM suspends operation as a folk radio station. FCC grants license to UMass Boston for 91.9, the last FM frequency in greater Boston. 1985 WUMB begins to broadcast in stereo at 1,000 watts. n umass boston

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of UMass Boston - Winter/Spring 2007-2008

UMass Boston - Winter/Spring 2007-2008 Contents U News Values and Vision, Bricks and Mortar An Inauguration to Remember An Expedition to Iceland An American Original Reciprocal Dedication About Alumni Alumni Calendar A Report on Private Giving Generous Friends

UMass Boston - Winter/Spring 2007-2008

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