WMHB

WMHB's beginnings originate to Radio Colby, a weekly radio show aired on WTVL, a Waterville AM radio station. Beginning in 1949, Radio Colby featured Colby news, trivia, and favorite new music. Much of the same type of material that was broadcast on the radio show is now available on the "Inside Colby" podcast, a production by the Colby College communications office. Radio Colby on WTVL would be discontinued in December 1957.

Given Radio Colby's popularity, students wished to further develop campus broadcasting. In the Spring of 1955, Radio Colby went on air as 600 K.C. AM, a carrier current station. Being a carrier current station, the call letters were arbitrary, and KCAM referred to 'K Colby AM'. Students could listen in by attaching a cable from their radio to radiator pipes or ground wire of the electrical system. Broadcasting of the station originated in the veteran's apartments (temporary housing created for the returning World War II veterans) and could be heard on the eastern side of campus including the residences which were at the time fraternity houses. The veterans apartments were demolished in 1957, and Radio Colby went silent.

Radio Colby came back in 1964 on 610 kHz carrier current. Broadcasting from Roberts Union, the new station could be heard almost all around campus. Radio Colby began to develop from a novelty into more of a full-featured radio station, featuring both news and music. This increase in development led the station to apply for a 10-watt Class D Nonommercial FM license in 1973. Radio Colby incorporated as the Mayflower Hill Broadcasting Corporation, a separate entity from Colby College and governed completely by students.

In 1984, WMHB upgraded to 110 watts effective radiated power, increasing its radius from the immediate Waterville area to the surrounding communities and continued as a mainly on-campus feature, although community support began to grow over time.

In the mid-1990s WMHB began a new chapter in its existence. The station began to structure itself more like a public radio station rather than a campus club. These developments increased as time went on, and in January 2001, WMHB first began to stream its content on the Internet. Due to royalty battles, WMHB had to pull its webstream down shortly after, but WMHB re-instated webstreaming in 2002.

Over time the web became a major aspect of WMHB's listenership base, attracting listeners from all over the world as well as an increased number of Colby students. Beginning in the fall of 2007, station staff led a dramatic digital renovation. Previously, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act had prohibited WMHB from broadcasting online unless there was a live DJ in the studio to update playlist information, but the incorporation of a digital music library allowed WMHB's webcast to run twenty-four hours a day when no DJ was in the studio. In March 2007, WMHB was added to the iTunes radio tuner, as well as the radio tuners of Windows Media and TiVo.

Historically, WMHB has hostsed an annual food drive to support the Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter, once providing the single largest donation the shelter received each year. In December 2008, for the first time WMHB expanded the food drive to include a free holiday dinner for residents of the Waterville community.^[1]

In the spring of 2009, WMHB debuted a new website, which features WMHB news, the schedule of station programming and a live DJ chat. During that same semester, WMHB hosted a live broadcast from Pulver Pavilion, Colby's student union, every Wednesday. Additional programming during this time period included a weekly on-air debate program that originated in the spring of 2009 as an extension of the Civil Discourse, a popular email forum utilized by Colby students to discuss current events. WMHB also used to broadcast major Colby athletic events, including games from the football, basketball, hockey, baseball, and softball teams.

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WTVL

WTVL

WTVL is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Waterville, Maine, and serving Kennebec County. The station is owned by Townsquare Media and until January 2023, it broadcast an adult standards radio format, playing softer hits from the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s. The station featured the music of Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Nat King Cole and Dionne Warwick in its playlist.

Carrier current

Carrier current

Carrier current transmission, originally called wired wireless, employs guided low-power radio-frequency signals, which are transmitted along electrical conductors. The transmissions are picked up by receivers that are either connected to the conductors, or a short distance from them. Carrier current transmission is used to send audio and telemetry to selected locations, and also for low-power broadcasting that covers a small geographical area, such as a college campus. The most common form of carrier current uses longwave or medium wave AM radio signals that are sent through existing electrical wiring, although other conductors can be used, such as telephone lines.

List of North American broadcast station classes

List of North American broadcast station classes

This is a list of broadcast station classes applicable in much of North America under international agreements between the United States, Canada and Mexico. Effective radiated power (ERP) and height above average terrain (HAAT) are listed unless otherwise noted.

Effective radiated power

Effective radiated power

Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would have to be radiated by a half-wave dipole antenna to give the same radiation intensity as the actual source antenna at a distant receiver located in the direction of the antenna's strongest beam. ERP measures the combination of the power emitted by the transmitter and the ability of the antenna to direct that power in a given direction. It is equal to the input power to the antenna multiplied by the gain of the antenna. It is used in electronics and telecommunications, particularly in broadcasting to quantify the apparent power of a broadcasting station experienced by listeners in its reception area.

Digital Millennium Copyright Act

Digital Millennium Copyright Act

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is a 1998 United States copyright law that implements two 1996 treaties of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). It criminalizes production and dissemination of technology, devices, or services intended to circumvent measures that control access to copyrighted works. It also criminalizes the act of circumventing an access control, whether or not there is actual infringement of copyright itself. In addition, the DMCA heightens the penalties for copyright infringement on the Internet. Passed on October 12, 1998, by a unanimous vote in the United States Senate and signed into law by President Bill Clinton on October 28, 1998, the DMCA amended Title 17 of the United States Code to extend the reach of copyright, while limiting the liability of the providers of online services for copyright infringement by their users.

Today, WMHB is still broadcasting at 110 watts of effective radiated power via an omnidirectional antenna with the support of nearly 20 staff and over 100 volunteer DJs from the Colby and Waterville communities. WMHB is funded from student allocated activity money and from the support of local businesses^[2] who underwrite WMHB programming. WMHB is currently a member of the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce, the Maine Association of Broadcasters, REMnet and the College Music Journal.

After an article published^[3] in The Colby Echo in 2017, student interest at WMHB increased once again. Alongside a boost of student involvement, the website received many changes and updates the following years, including the migration to the WordPress platform, reintegration of the news blog, schedule and programming integration with Creek, and an entirely new webcast system with Shoutcast. In 2020, WMHB adopted a newly revised constitution and for the first time in its history created a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement publicly available on their website.^[4]

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Watt

Watt

The watt is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named in honor of James Watt (1736–1819), an 18th-century Scottish inventor, mechanical engineer, and chemist who improved the Newcomen engine with his own steam engine in 1776. Watt's invention was fundamental for the Industrial Revolution.

Effective radiated power

Effective radiated power

Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would have to be radiated by a half-wave dipole antenna to give the same radiation intensity as the actual source antenna at a distant receiver located in the direction of the antenna's strongest beam. ERP measures the combination of the power emitted by the transmitter and the ability of the antenna to direct that power in a given direction. It is equal to the input power to the antenna multiplied by the gain of the antenna. It is used in electronics and telecommunications, particularly in broadcasting to quantify the apparent power of a broadcasting station experienced by listeners in its reception area.

Omnidirectional antenna

Omnidirectional antenna

In radio communication, an omnidirectional antenna is a class of antenna which radiates equal radio power in all directions perpendicular to an axis, with power varying with angle to the axis, declining to zero on the axis. When graphed in three dimensions (see graph) this radiation pattern is often described as doughnut-shaped. Note that this is different from an isotropic antenna, which radiates equal power in all directions, having a spherical radiation pattern. Omnidirectional antennas oriented vertically are widely used for nondirectional antennas on the surface of the Earth because they radiate equally in all horizontal directions, while the power radiated drops off with elevation angle so little radio energy is aimed into the sky or down toward the earth and wasted. Omnidirectional antennas are widely used for radio broadcasting antennas, and in mobile devices that use radio such as cell phones, FM radios, walkie-talkies, wireless computer networks, cordless phones, GPS, as well as for base stations that communicate with mobile radios, such as police and taxi dispatchers and aircraft communications.

The Colby Echo

The Colby Echo

The Colby Echo, established in 1877, is the weekly student newspaper of Colby College in Waterville, Maine.

WMHB broadcasts alternative music of all genres twenty-four hours a day and features live volunteer DJs between the hours of 6am and midnight. Most programming originates at WMHB's broadcast studio in the basement of Roberts Union, but WMHB frequently hosts live broadcasts from other locations on- and off-campus. As of 2019, all programming is scheduled through Creek and is available to the public on their website. To acquire new music, WMHB works with a number of promotional firms that in turn work with new and emerging artists, and WMHB staff submit charts to College Music Journal. During the summer, members of the Waterville community fill in for student show times and a student summer manager oversees the station's programming and maintenance.

In addition to music programming, WMHB also features some talk programming, including an Arts Spotlight Radio Show^[5] in collaboration with Waterville Creates, and The General Store Variety Show. In 2017, WMHB re-introduced remote broadcasting, and in collaboration with student programming and local businesses, is able to broadcast events remotely to their website as well as to their Facebook page. As of 2019, WMHB became an annual participant in College Radio Day and World College Radio Day.

WMHB, like many other college stations, has a large influence on what music becomes mainstream. Artists like Lupe Fiasco, Norah Jones, Gnarls Barkley and even Avril Lavigne began their career on the college circuit before breaking into the mainstream. WMHB receives hundreds of requests for airplay every week, and music directors in each genre (alternative, roots, hip-hop, techno, world, jazz, and loud rock) sift through and review every CD and digital submission. Volunteer DJs then choose their playlists based on their own interests and the reviews of the music directors. WMHB has no specific on-air format but is a new music station, and DJs are required to play at least 50 percent new music, meaning that about half of their show must feature songs released in recent months.

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Lupe Fiasco

Lupe Fiasco

Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor. He also performs as the frontman of rock band Japanese Cartoon under his real name. As an entrepreneur, Fiasco was the chief executive officer of 1st and 15th Entertainment.

Norah Jones

Norah Jones

Norah Jones is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She has won several awards for her music and, as of 2023, had sold more than 50 million records worldwide. Billboard named her the top jazz artist of the 2000's decade. She has won nine Grammy Awards and was ranked 60th on Billboard magazine's artists of the 2000s decade chart.

Gnarls Barkley

Gnarls Barkley

Gnarls Barkley are an American soul duo, composed of singer-songwriter CeeLo Green and producer Danger Mouse. They released their debut studio album, St. Elsewhere, in 2006. It contained their hit single "Crazy", which peaked at number two on the US Hot 100 and topped the UK Singles Chart. It was nominated at the 2007 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year, and was platinum certified for shipping over 1,000,000 records. St. Elsewhere also received a nomination for Album of the Year. The Odd Couple, their second studio album, was scheduled for release in April 2008, but due to a leak of the album over the internet, they decided to release it early. The album in its entirety received similarly positive reviews.

Avril Lavigne

Avril Lavigne

Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer and songwriter. At age 16, she signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records. Her debut studio album, Let Go (2002), is the best-selling album of the 21st century by a Canadian artist. It yielded the singles "Complicated" and "Sk8er Boi", which emphasized a skate punk persona and earned her the title "Pop-Punk Queen" from music publications. She is considered a key musician in the development of pop-punk music since she paved the way for female-driven, punk-influenced pop music in the early 2000s. Her second studio album, Under My Skin (2004), became Lavigne's first album to reach the top of the Billboard 200 chart in the United States, going on to sell 10 million copies worldwide.