The University of Memphis' radio station, WUMR-FM, is hosting its tri-yearly radiothon this week, soliciting their listeners for donations to support the publicly-held station.
FM station U92, also known as The Jazz Lover, kicked off the radiothon Sunday with on-air guest Judge Joe Brown and will continue it through Dec. 4. Other guests scheduled to appear are U of M President Shirley Raines, Athletic Director R.C. Johnson, and television news celebrities Joe Birch, Jim Jaggers and Ron Childers.
Program director Mark Bialek knows firsthand the benefit of the radiothon. Robert McDowell, the station's general manager, initiated the first one in 2003. The proceeds allowed the station to hire Bialek as its first full-time program director.
The station raised $2,900 on its first day, Bialek said. He said it would be nice to meet last year's amount of nearly $15,000, but he isn't very hopeful.
"It might be a tough time to solicit because it's the Christmas shopping season," he said. "Also, a lot of people are tapped out because of recent tragedies like Katrina."
Donors will receive prizes for donations, WUMR 2006 jazz calendar and pen for a gift of $25; a calendar, pen and T-shirt go to $50 donors; add to that a classic jazz CD for $100; and for the premium donation of $250, a classic jazz box set tops out the gift package.
The donations will be used to support the station in the face of continued cuts in state funding. Previous radiothons have garnered enough gifts to purchase new equipment and support the station's operational budget.
This year's money is earmarked for computer system upgrades so that U92's studio will be equivalent to those at other area stations, Bialek said.
"It will allow us to train students on the kind of equipment they would use at a larger station," Bialek said.
The station is the only one in the Memphis area that plays jazz exclusively. Since the departure of Citadel Radio Group's Smooth Jazz 98.5 last October, U92 is now the only place to find jazz on metro-Memphis radio. U92 music director Malvin Massey said he joined the station in 1988 when it was still known as WSMS.
"WSMS was started in 1978 by Dean Richard Randall," Massey said. "During that time the station had 250 watts of power and shared its frequency with Rhodes College."
Now with 25,000 watts, the station is still small compared to other top-rated stations in Memphis like WHRK K-97 FM, which boasts 100,000 watts, but it reaches an audience of loyal listeners by exclusively mixing its play list with classic and contemporary jazz, fusion, Latin and new age music.
Over the years, the station's popularity has soared with its listeners, as well as local and national jazz artists. So it's easy, according to Massey, to pull big-name guests into the station.
"Everyone gets together and talks to people they know," he said. "We never have a problem getting guests."
U92 personality Jamie Stogner said she likes that the station holds one of the radiothons during the holiday season.
"It provides people a chance to invest in a good cause and get some good items for gift-giving," said the senior broadcast major. "It also gives parents a chance to teach kids about investing in their community."
