Posts Categorized: News

The Maine Association of Broadcasting Award s, otherwise knowm as ‘the MAB’s’, awarded WMPG ‘Best Website’ in their digital category. We are thrilled to win this award for the hard work we put into maintaining and updating wmpg.org Our website was initially designed by Page 1 Solutions and is managed/updated by Development Director, Annella Linton. Big thanks to Remy Lindemann and Serge Vladimiroff for all their help in the web development side and to USM student, Paul Keffler who helped…

While holding a writing workshop here at USM with other colleagues, Philosopher Professor Joe Arel and friends wanted to talk about why music and certain songs are perfect to examine the philosophical meaning behind that song. Listen to their roundtable table discussion and hear their song picks. (left to right, start at the top) Joe Arel (Assistant Professor, USM) Jeff Epstein (Associate Professor, Palomar College) Greg Kirk (Associate Teaching Professor, Northern Arizona University) Emiliano Diaz…

WMPG turns 50! WMPG Free Since ’73! On August 31, 1973 WMPG was born! Well kinda, there’s more to the story than that but that’s when we officially began broadcasting as a FCC licensed radio station. This year we celebrate 50 years of broadcasting alternative, non-commercial sounds to the people of southern Maine! Real people, free to play what they want, say what they want!  Now we want to hear from you – please join our WMPG…

USM English student hosts Passionate People, a talk show. This week, he chatted to Dr Jacqueline Edmonson, President of the University of Southern Maine.  This aired earlier today (6/26). Catch the discussion here.  

WMPG honors and celebrates Pride.  June will see special programming from our DJ’s and hosts. Pride Portland is on June 17th. Wed, June 14th The Morning Beat’s Big Gay Disco with Annella 6.30am – 8.30am Thursday, June 15th,  5pm – Mind Fuzz NY Mike will play sets devoted to LGBTQ+ artists in rock n roll. Saturday June 17th – Rainbow Reflections  – see archive below – recorded archives in parts (due to being unable to…

What a cool article by our Public Affairs team here at USM about Rick Scala, USM alumni and co-host of the Night Train, who brought Tina Turner to the Gorham Campus of USM back in 1974 “We were here right at the golden time of college concerts,” said Scala.   Among all of those renowned acts, Tina Turner still stood out in Scala’s memory for her boundless energy, amplified by her backup dancers, a blaring…

Update to this post is there will be a memorial service for Michael Danahy this Friday, June 16th, at Novare Res , from 7-8pm. We received some sad news yesterday that longtime WMPG volunteer, Michael Danahy, has passed away while visiting California. Michael had his hands in many things over the years here at WMPG, most recently working on the live music show – Local Motives . In the past years he worked with our Development Department, helped with…

We’ve partnered up with the fine folks of Congress Square Park to bring our eclectic mix of DJ’s to the park.  Every other Thursday, from 5pm-8pm, a few of our DJ’s will be playing music for you at the park.

The WMPG Bluegrass Spectacular returned for a night of, you guessed it, bluegrass.  Pejebscot Station kicked it off with their set, followed by Breakin’ Strings with the World Famous Grassholes headlining this event that was filled with great music, a silent auction, big energy, and a sense of community. The Bluegrass Spectacular, in its 18th year was a benefit night for WMPG and was a great opportunity for the community to come together and support…

In celebration of International Jazz Day, WMPG’s Jazz At the Movies (JAM) will be showing the film “Blue Note Records- Beyond the Notes” on Saturday April 29th at the Portland Conservatory of Music.  This movie is about the Blue Note Record label, but it is more about the Blue Note founders and the chemistry between them and the great musicians that recorded on this label.  This is truly a case where the musicians made the record label what…

Data Visualizations and Diversity in Maine-Evidence, Art, and Advocacy. An all-day symposium that takes an in-depth active learning approach to 40 data visualizations which first premiered at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1900. USM’s Dr. Beaudry talks with us about the event that happens Wednesday April 12th.

WMPG volunteer DJ Geo spoke with Dr. Nicolas Dosman and Dr. Rollo Dilworth about the Maine Premiere of “Weather” a concert for climate change and social justice. The concert takes place on Sunday, April 23, at 5pm, the Alfred and D. Suzi Osher School of Music at USM. The concert will feature the Osher Concert Ensembles conducted by Dr. Nicolas Dosman and the Osher Concert Band conducted by Dr. William Kinne. Also included in the…

Updated to show updated figure First a shout-out to everyone who have made the Spring Begathon a success. To  all who donated, answered  phones, put on fantastic radio shows, entered data, donated food and more we have a huge THANKS!  You all made it happen. We are still accepting donations on-line and hope to reach our goal in a week or two. You can wmpg.org , in person, by phone at (207) 780-4151, or via mail….

The University of Southern Maine’s Department of Theatre cordially invites you to Eurydice Rising, created in collaboration with the Osher School of Music. Eurydice Rising reimagines one of Ancient Greece’s most iconic myths of Orpheus and Eurydice in theatre, opera, and dance. This beautiful, moving show is a feast for the eye and ears as it follows Orpheus’s journey into the underworld to be reunited with his young bride, Eurydice, after her death. It’s a story of love,…

We continue our series were we get to know the varied and interesting people who make up USM. WMPG student intern Tash Schneiderat spoke with a few members of FASOC. You’ll hear from Kiva Wright-Berry, Keith Danner, Larissa Malone, and Michelle Vazquez-Jacobus.       Leola-Christina is a freshman who just began her studies here at USM this January! Wait til you hear more about her interests and goals, please listen to our audio interview…

There has been fun and drama at WMPG HQ during our Spring fundraising! DJ Perky ( Perky’s Auditory Canal ) came up with a song for Begathon to the tune of Help! by the Beatles.  Have a watch! DJ Perky singing Help! In other news, it was big drama with Bat-a-thon.  WMPG had a resident bat which had DJ Shaxx crawling across the floor in horror to escape the cute little winged mammal. From being sighted in our basement vinyl vault to thinking we trapped…

We are excited to be a media sponsor for somewhere/elsewhere Commissioned Maine Artist by Portland Ovations Thursday, March 23, 2023, 7 PM Westbrook Performing Arts Center somewhere/elsewhere is a one-night-only concert reading of a new pop-rock musical that immerses us in the migration, losses, and triumphs of a contemporary Turkish immigrant to the U.S. Weaving together Turkish poetry and legend with the original sounds of major label rock band Thanks to Gravity, somewhere/elsewhere is a…

You may have noticed that we no longer have CPB underwriting announcements read after some of our programs. This is due to WMPG no longer receiving this funding. For more than 20 years WMPG has received this funding but last year we lost the funding due to no longer meeting their qualifications. Radio stations like ours need to meet certain criteria to be funded including the number of listeners as measured by a ratings agency,…

University of Southern Maine (USM) President Dr Jacqueline Edmondson dropped in to WMPG to be a guest on USM, Music & ME on Wednesday. Dr Edmondson is a music fan who has authored many books, including two on musicians Gerry Garcia and John Lennon.  We were unsure what musical choices to expect. Here is what she shared with us: DAYS LIKE THIS by Van Morrison“I picked the song ‘Days Like This’ for a number of reasons. Most importantly, this song…

Leola-Christina is a freshman who just began her studies here at USM this January! Wait til you hear more about her interests and goals, please listen to our audio interview with her.