Two radio stations air around-the-clock from the campus of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne. One is student-run; the other is a professionally-staffed National Public Radio affiliate.
Each has distinct goals and reaches different and diverse audiences. Yet, both are important communication outlets geared to serve their respective communities.
The award-winning WESM 91.3 FM was founded in 1987 and is a nationally recognized station dedicated to championing jazz as a culturally significant American art form.
WESM is the Eastern Shore’s lone radio station that offers mainstream jazz, blues, world and gospel music programs, up-to-the-minute news from around the world, local news updates, thoughtful and intelligent talk shows as well as weather and sports updates.
WESM reaches a broad audience across the southern Delmarva Peninsula and can be heard as far away as southern Maryland and Virginia’s Northern Neck.
The “24-7” live audio stream also draws listeners from around the world via www.wesm913.org . WESM 91.3 FM is funded in part through the generosity of listeners.
* * *
Hawk Radio (or WHWK as it was known when it went on the air in 1999) began as a small AM radio station. Today, the student-run station is accessible globally at www.hawkradio.org. Its student-managed content is primarily hip-hop, rhythm and blues, and gospel but includes other music genres as well.
Programming features live on-air hosts from noon until 10 p.m., Monday through Friday, during the school year. Listeners may make requests on the air or online.
About 35-to-45 students representing a broad spectrum of academic disciplines run the station. It can be a career vehicle for students interested in pursuing work in radio production or programming, developing management skills, serving the campus or communicating with UMES constituents.
UMES faculty and staff , whose salaries are funded through the federal Title III program, supervise Hawk Radio and the space also is used during the academic year to teach communications classes.
Alumni, friends, faculty and staff are encouraged to tune in to the stations and take part in UMES’ musical and cultural outreach.
Discover UMES , the university’s YouTube channel, serves as an on-campus visual media outlet for students, faculty, alumni and potential students.
This web-cast video “paints the [image of the] university that we can be proud of,” said Erica Forsythe, Discover UMES adviser and producer.
Students are encouraged to “highlight the wealth of talented students and faculty, unique academic programs, innovative projects, impressive research and cultural events that abound on the UMES campus.”
Under Forsythe’s supervision, UMES students receive the full spectrum of broadcast training in front and behind the camera with duties such as reporter, field director, camera and related responsibilities.
Discover UMES also offers internships to student of all academic disciplines/majors including English (non-teaching), biology, computer science and business.
Since its inception in 2007, Discover UMES has trained 78 students, including several who have gone into the field professionally.
Discover UMES can be found at www.youtube.com/discoverumes.
