Untitled Document

WMWM Frequently Asked Questions
How did WMWM get it’s name? Where are you located? Can I get my own show? What happened to knock you off the air in 1980? When did WMWM start? WMWM DJs: Where are they now? Jim Murphy Explains… The WMWM call letter story began months before the assignment of the station's license in early 1976. In the 1970's, there was no computer database that licensees could access to research call letters. In fact, the FCC itself did not have a computer database. Researching call letter possibilities consisted of long-distance phone calls (back when long distance phone calls were expensive and infrequent) to the FCC Media Bureau and through reference sources like the Broadcasting Yearbook, which printed call letters and ownership information of every commercial and non-commercial station in the United States and Canada. When we were preparing to request call letters (we had previously decided against a "random" allocation), the three primary founders of the FM station met at my house on Loring Avenue to draw up a list. The FM station founders were Rob Pierce, who served as WSSC GM that year and, more importantly, was our fundraising point person and representative with the college administration; Sam Whitmore, our program director and the person in charge of programming, staffing and training; and me, who served as chief engineer, FCC liaison and news director. There may have been one or two other staffers that attended this meeting, but the three FM station founders were there for sure. We had already discovered that WSSC (our overwhelming choice for the new FM frequency calls) was in use in Sumter, SC. We also learned that the several variations on "Salem" (WSAL, WSLM, WSMA) were also taken. So we had to come up with a number of alternatives. Because the FCC did not have an instant database, they required applicants to submit a list of five sets of call letters, in order of preference, presumably to prevent having to go back and forth when one or another set was disallowed. At our meeting, we discussed and debated a number of possibilities before deciding on the following five choices: 1: WNSR 2. WMWM 3. WSCS 4. WSSR 5. WEAK We had learned prior to filing that WNSH (for "North Shore", another choice we discussed) was in use by a Coast Guard ship, whose radios had four-letter calls not referenced in the Broadcasting Yearbook. The FCC thought WNSR (for North Shore Radio") might also be assigned to a ship, but they were unsure. WSCS stood for "State College at Salem", but as I recall no one was really excited about that option. WSSR ("Salem State Radio") was even less liked, but we were hopeful one of our first two choices would be approved. And WEAK seemed entirely appropriate for a 10-watt station, but since we had already learned we might be able to upgrade to 100 watts (ultimately 130 watts), we moved it down the list even though it had some support. And WMWM? It had nothing to do with a professor at Salem State (who had no connection with the radio station, or me). The idea actually came from some of the doodling we were doing at our meeting as we tried to come up with the call letters. Since each set had to start with a "W", as we took notes we would write "W" on the page, and then follow it with whatever letters someone suggested. At some point, someone drew a "W" and then continued in an up-and-down pattern that looked like a WMWM. We thought it looked pretty cool, and even cooler when someone suggested it could be drawn to look like OCEAN waves with curved peaks, not just radio waves. That, and the fact that it didn't look or sound like any other set of call letters in the Boston area, is what pushed it to #2 on our request list to the FCC. We learned later that WNSR was, in fact, assigned to a Coast Guard ship. While the ship recently had been decommissioned, the call letters still were listed as "active" by the FCC and therefore unavailable. Ironically, both WNSR and WNSH would become available shortly thereafter and wind up on nearby stations. Lynn's WLYN-AM briefly took the WNSR call letters only a few months later; and Beverly's WBVD 1570 (the former WMLO) switched to WNSH in 1984. Our second call letter choice, WMWM, was assigned by the FCC to Salem State's construction permit for 91.7 FM in early 1976. Those were the call letters we used when we signed on the air in April 1976 as the North Shore's first stereo FM station. Jim Murphy WMWM chief engineer You can find WMWM at the Campus Center at Salem State College in the basement. Go down the stairs and take a right and walk to the end of the hall. You should find a door with a bunch of stickers on it; that’s WMWM. Yes! Come to the basement of SSC’s Campus Center and find out more! Or, send us an email; include your name, SSC student?, show type, contact email. We had a high-wind storm which blew down our antenna from the top of the Meier Hall and sent a shockwave which fried our board and transmitter (10/26/80). We finally got back on with a new board, transmitter, and re-fastened antenna on 3/11/81--a day before the final FCC deadline to get back on. April of 1976 was when WMWM 91.7 FM started. Jim Murphy Chris Kennedy Mark "Off the Mark" Parisi Keith Knight Creepy Steve

Jim Murphy Explains…

The WMWM call letter story began months before the assignment of the station's license in early 1976.

In the 1970's, there was no computer database that licensees could access to research call letters. In fact, the FCC itself did not have a computer database. Researching call letter possibilities consisted of long-distance phone calls (back when long distance phone calls were expensive and infrequent) to the FCC Media Bureau and through reference sources like the Broadcasting Yearbook, which printed call letters and ownership information of every commercial and non-commercial station in the United States and Canada.

When we were preparing to request call letters (we had previously decided against a "random" allocation), the three primary founders of the FM station met at my house on Loring Avenue to draw up a list. The FM station founders were Rob Pierce, who served as WSSC GM that year and, more importantly, was our fundraising point person and representative with the college administration; Sam Whitmore, our program director and the person in charge of programming, staffing and training; and me, who served as chief engineer, FCC liaison and news director. There may have been one or two other staffers that attended this meeting, but the three FM station founders were there for sure.

We had already discovered that WSSC (our overwhelming choice for the new FM frequency calls) was in use in Sumter, SC. We also learned that the several variations on "Salem" (WSAL, WSLM, WSMA) were also taken. So we had to come up with a number of alternatives. Because the FCC did not have an instant database, they required applicants to submit a list of five sets of call letters, in order of preference, presumably to prevent having to go back and forth when one or another set was disallowed.

At our meeting, we discussed and debated a number of possibilities before deciding on the following five choices: 1: WNSR
2. WMWM
3. WSCS
4. WSSR
5. WEAK

We had learned prior to filing that WNSH (for "North Shore", another choice we discussed) was in use by a Coast Guard ship, whose radios had four-letter calls not referenced in the Broadcasting Yearbook. The FCC thought WNSR (for North Shore Radio") might also be assigned to a ship, but they were unsure. WSCS stood for "State College at Salem", but as I recall no one was really excited about that option. WSSR ("Salem State Radio") was even less liked, but we were hopeful one of our first two choices would be approved. And WEAK seemed entirely appropriate for a 10-watt station, but since we had already learned we might be able to upgrade to 100 watts (ultimately 130 watts), we moved it down the list even though it had some support.

And WMWM? It had nothing to do with a professor at Salem State (who had no connection with the radio station, or me). The idea actually came from some of the doodling we were doing at our meeting as we tried to come up with the call letters. Since each set had to start with a "W", as we took notes we would write "W" on the page, and then follow it with whatever letters someone suggested. At some point, someone drew a "W" and then continued in an up-and-down pattern that looked like a WMWM. We thought it looked pretty cool, and even cooler when someone suggested it could be drawn to look like OCEAN waves with curved peaks, not just radio waves. That, and the fact that it didn't look or sound like any other set of call letters in the Boston area, is what pushed it to #2 on our request list to the FCC.

We learned later that WNSR was, in fact, assigned to a Coast Guard ship. While the ship recently had been decommissioned, the call letters still were listed as "active" by the FCC and therefore unavailable. Ironically, both WNSR and WNSH would become available shortly thereafter and wind up on nearby stations. Lynn's WLYN-AM briefly took the WNSR call letters only a few months later; and Beverly's WBVD 1570 (the former WMLO) switched to WNSH in 1984.

Our second call letter choice, WMWM, was assigned by the FCC to Salem State's construction permit for 91.7 FM in early 1976. Those were the call letters we used when we signed on the air in April 1976 as the North Shore's first stereo FM station.

Jim Murphy
WMWM chief engineer