Category: College

Salem State University WMWM Radio Station: A Trip Down Memory Lane

I’m hearing news of Salem State University’s radio station, WMWM, is going off the air. As a former DJ of the campus station, I was sad when I heard of this news and I hope it isn’t true.

Starting College

I started college in 1995. Orientation was a couple of weeks before that. Incoming freshmen could sign up for groups and clubs during that time if they wanted to. There was a table for the college radio station. Radio was always something that interested me, so I signed up. Soon after the orientation, I got a call from Shilo, the Program Director at WMWM. Shilo asked if I was still interested in working at the station, and I certainly was. I had a training session with a DJ named Mike.

At 8:00 in the morning, I was at Salem State. Mike was surprised to see me. No one told him he would be training someone that day. Mike was a cool guy. He even let me go on the air a couple of times to read a PSA and introduce some songs. I had a great time. It was the first of three training sessions I was to have.

My first semester in college included WMWM and Salem State’s Student Government Association (SGA). I was involved with both. I don’t remember how it happened, but there was an open shift one night at 9:00. Shilo asked if I wanted to do a show on my own. I absolutely did. The show ran from 9:00 to midnight. My class the next day wasn’t until 2:00 in the afternoon, so I wasn’t worried about the late night.

One Radio Show Led to Another

I did another show after that. This time it was 9:00 in the morning. Shilo called me again, saying the Thursday morning show was mine if I wanted it. Again, I absolutely did.

I hosted my show, following Chris. Chris went on to intern for Kiss 108. Soon a friend from high school, Jeff came in to make some appearances, and we eventually became a duo. Another friend, Jan would also make guest appearances. Our own “Zoo” was forming. Heather had the show after me. I always ragged on her on and off the air. Two other people would call in. One called from work and another called during his lunch period in high school.

Freebies were a great fringe benefit, especially the music. I would get CD’s or tapes from record labels. The station would get stuff to play before everyone else. If the band was from Massachusetts, I was doubly sure to make sure those bands were played on my show. One local band was Powerman 5000. They were in the same genre as Rage Against the Machine and 311. They played at Salem State, and I got to see them.

My time at WMWM laid a foundation for a love of music that I still have. I went to see local bands play at bars and clubs when I got older. Drinking some beers and listening to live music was a great way to spend a Saturday night. Going to record stores is something I still enjoy. The stores are few and far between, but I hear analog music is coming back. If that’s true, I’d be very happy. Maybe a few extra record stores could fill some empty storefronts I see. The town would benefit from this, too. Everyone could be happy.

WMWM was the first radio station I got to be a part of. I worked at a few other stations around Massachusetts. My children were born when I was working promotions for WBZ 1030. Unfortunately, I needed to leave that job to stay home with the kids. I still miss the station and the people I worked with. Michael was one of my bosses. We crossed paths again a couple of years later when he hired me to write a few articles for Northeastern University’s Bouvé College of Health Sciences.

Me and The Oppressed sporting gear from WBZ 1030.

Thank You, WMWM

I’ve spent the morning trying to confirm the rumors of WMWM shutting its doors. I haven’t heard anything official, but the word on the street is that this is indeed the case. My two years in the Campus Center basement were incredible. I also need to mention another person. Chris and I went to high school together. He also joined the radio station and went on to run a cluster of radio stations up in New Hampshire. I was happy for him when I heard he was returning to radio on weekends.

There were a lot of people I met when I was on and off the air at WMWM. Some of these people played big parts in shaping the person I am today. I walked away from the station with a deeper appreciation for music. I did my first radio show and my first voiceover gig there. One year I was Sports Director and laid the foundation for hockey games being broadcasted. It was a sense of pride when I saw Salem State hockey listed in the nightly sports radio programs in the newspapers. I had a hand in that. Speaking about a wide range of topics is something I still love to do.

If you are a college student reading this, I implore you to try an extracurricular activity or two. You will meet some great people who share your interests. At college, I met great people in radio and in the SGA. These people helped me in a lot of ways. Sometimes you don’t realize the people who helped you become the person you are until years after you last speak to them. WMWM did a lot for me and other students in helping them prepare for life after college. Students at Salem State won’t get to try college radio, but there are a lot of schools out there with radio stations. I hope they continue to go strong, and I hope everyone who spends time there enjoys it as much as I did. The last day I walked out of WMWM, I didn’t realize I wouldn’t be going back.

Moving into College for the First Time with Your Child

The family has already started our school routine, as we have taken Lovie to college. This was the first time I had a hand in moving a child into their dorm.

The glorious institution
of higher learning.

Summer is winding down. Days of sitting in front of a screen all morning while downing a box of sugar-infused cereal and then complaining of no food in the house will soon be replaced with frantic wake-up calls and glorious reprisals of The Homework Wars. Moving into college has begun our transition from summer laze to school days.

The family has already started our re-entry into intellectual stimulation, as we have taken Lovie to college. She’s living away, and this was the first time I had a hand in moving into college.

“No one will notice me if I stay still.”

There were many trips to the store to buy supplies for Lovie before the big day. We bought bedding, we packed boxes of clothes. There were snacks for the dorm. Days leading up to Moving Day were spent organizing boxes and bags. On the magical day, we loaded up the car and hit the road for what would be Lovie’s home for the next three or four months, minus a few weekends here and there.

Family Outfits for the Day

When we were at Freshman Orientation, Wife stopped by the school store to purchase t-shirts for me, Lovie, and herself. People thought it would be a great idea if we wore the shirts while working on campus.

I wasn’t sure if I would find my shirt in time for our big day of having one less child to worry about – I mean, moving our precious child into college.

I had a small problem. My shirt had been commandeered by The Gaggle, and I informed Wife that I wasn’t sure if I would be able to find my shirt in time for our big day of having one less child to worry about – I mean, moving our precious child into college.

The Oppressed heard me talking to Wife and sprang into action. My youngest daughter, God bless her heart, grabbed a t-shirt out of my dresser and ran downstairs. She returned moments later with a homemade college t-shirt just for me. I would not be left out of the family-themed shirt ensemble, after all thanks to The Oppressed.

My custom-made shirt for the day.

Getting to Work on the College Campus

Upon arriving at campus, we loaded up the available carts. The elevators are small and can only hold a couple of people plus the carts. I was willing to take one for the team and carried things up the stairs. Everything was taken out of the car and brought to the dormitory after a few trips. Some rearranging of the bunks and wardrobes were necessary to accommodate students and personal effects.

A special note.

Lovie saw her roommates come in. She had met them before Moving Day. Wife and I had not. We briefly chatted with the roommates and their parents as they came into the dorm. After our work was done, we went out to get something to eat. We went back to the dorm to wish Lovie well and go home. The Oppressed left a note for her to read when she got settled in.

The family got into the car. There was a lot of room for us now that all of Lovie’s things had been taken out. We enjoyed the extra room as well as the air conditioning. Lovie’s dorm didn’t have central air unlike our home, and I’m wondering how our sensitive little creature is adapting to the third-world conditions (There is a fan in the window, nothing else). We returned home and rested our weary bodies from the stair-climbing and box-lugging that filled our day.

Setting up the dorm.

Our Daughter Called from College

Our services were required less than a week after bringing our dear daughter to her home in Academia. Some of her new housewares had fallen apart and needed to be replaced. I bring some of the children and Doggie to campus, as Lovie seems to think any animal in the house is her support animal. Children, Doggie, and I see her and drop off the needed wares. We say our hellos and goodbyes and head back home. There are crises to attend to back home, and I need to prepare for the next crisis on campus.

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