Posts Categorized: News

We’re excited to announce the WMPG/Studio 51 Battle of the Bands, happening Tuesday, April 22nd, at the USM Gorham campus in the Lower Brooks building ! This exciting event kicks off at 7pm and wraps up around 10pm. Whether you’re a local band or solo artist, all bands are welcome to compete, with fantastic prizes for the winners! We are limiting the number of bands to ten so if you want your band to compete you need to…

Celebrate the New Bill Dufris Memorial Voiceover Studio at USM – Join Us on May 1! Hello Bill-tastic Friends and Family, It’s hard to believe it’s been almost five years since we lost our beloved Bill Dufris – an effervescently energetic, inspiring, multi-talented individual with a heart of gold. While we’re sure Bill would find today’s world puzzling, there’s no doubt he’d be incredibly proud of the creative work that continues to radiate from the…

Tune in to WMPG every other Friday morning from 6:30 AM to 8:30 AM for Both Sides Now, the radio program hosted by Merrill, who takes listeners on a deep dive into the lives and music of legendary bands and musicians. Whether you’re a die-hard music enthusiast or just looking to expand your musical horizons, this show is for you. Check out the recent episodes below to get a glimpse of the fascinating artists and bands that Merrill has…

Record Store Day at Bull Moose with WMPG – Listen to the full broadcast Sat – April 12th 8am – 12 midday Record Store Day is like Christmas for some music lovers, I know…big labels have muscled in, making it harder for indie shops and smaller artists to shine. Still, there’s no better place to celebrate than our local record stores in Maine.  WMPG will be at Bull Moose in Mill Creek. As the birthplace of RSD (seriously, the idea…

Our Jazz at the Movies team presents a film screening of Bill Frisell: A Portrait A character portrait of anti-archetype guitar hero, Bill Frisell, this nuanced film traces the ideas and processes that shaped Frisell’s music, and provides rare insight into the mind and personality of one of the significant musicians of recent decades. Full of live music, revealing stories, and intimate access to the normally reclusive Frisell, various collaborations are followed from development to fruition,…

UPDATE: We reached our goal! What a week – culminating in the screening of the WMPG movie last night, with our founder, Howard Allen, in the audience! It was a perfect way to celebrate everything this station stands for. I just want to take a moment to thank all of you for making this Begathon such a success. Thank you listener supporters, first time donors, sustaining donors, business supporters and volunteers! Our goal was $50,000,…

WMPG Presents: A Double Feature of Community & Belonging April 1st 2025 Talbot Hall, Luther Bonney, University of Southern Maine 6pm An Extraordinary Place directed by Tom Bell 34 minutes While many documentaries focus on societal challenges, this film highlights a solution: the transformative power of volunteerism in creating joy, meaning, and belonging. It celebrates diversity’s role in fostering strong, connected communities and offers a behind-the-scenes look at WMPG’s inclusive ethos, where shared purpose connects…

We’re excited to welcome Helen Crimmins as our new Volunteer Coordinator! Helen brings incredible enthusiasm and dedication to the role. Many of you may already recognize her voice from her show, The Crate Escape , which airs Sunday mornings from 1:00 to 2:30 a.m. She also lends her talents as an engineer for Local Motives on Wednesday nights from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Helen is eager to connect with and help manage our incredible team of volunteers, helping to support…

WMPG is proud to celebrate Women’s History Month with special programming that highlights the incredible contributions of women in music, media, and activism. As a station dedicated to diverse voices and community storytelling, we’re showcasing female artists, leaders, and changemakers who have shaped history and continue to inspire. Tune in all month long for curated shows, interviews, and features that amplify the stories, struggles, and triumphs of women past and present. Some programming highlights include:…

WMPG’s Annual Cajun Cookin’ Challenge Returns for a Flavorful Fat Tuesday Feast WMPG Cajun Cook Off!  UPDATE: Congrats to Sodexo for 1st place, Bayou for 2nd place and Bayside American Cafe for 3rd place. Details for 2025 Fat Tuesday, March 4th 2025 from 11 am to 2 pm McGoldrick Student Success Center on the Portland Campus of the University of Southern Maine. Parking – parking at USM garage now requires payment. Read more >> The Cajun Cookin’ Challenge…

We are thrilled to announce that  An Extraordinary Place  has won an award at the Barcelona Indie Awards!  Congrats Tom. Tom has been in Barcelona all week for the festival and proudly accepted the award yesterday. This incredible journey continues, and we couldn’t be more grateful for the recognition this film is receiving around the world. Putting WMPG and USM on the map. The film is currently being admitted to Maine Public but may be 4 months away for…

Spinatronics brings you delightful data and stupendous stats on WMPG  — music played in 2024. We’ve downloaded the data, crunched the numbers, sorted the stats, and filtered the facts—get ready for some eye-popping insights! Ever wonder how many songs WMPG plays in a year? Last year, WMPG played an incredible grand total of 101,290 songs.  That is over 100,000 songs! Genres played range from country and folk, hip-hop and rap, electronic and dance, rock and…

WMPG Community Radio station is seeking a Youth Radio Assistant.  Part time – 10 hours per week Blunt Youth Radio has been a cornerstone of our station for 20 years, winning 13 awards in the process. If you find yourself passionate about this show, working with teens, and community-centric media, we’d love to have you join the team! Blunt Youth Radio is looking for a coordinator– if this raises any interest for you, read the job description and…

WMPG Radio is excited to announce the appointment of David Rogers-Berry as its new Program Director. With over 20 years of experience in music production, audio engineering, community engagement, and education, David brings a wealth of expertise to this critical role. His dynamic background and commitment to creative collaboration make him a perfect fit to lead WMPG’s diverse programming. David has been an integral part of WMPG, most recently serving as the station’s Technical Director….

Beginning January 1st there are some changes in our program Schedule. Please see list below: Mondays The Rhythm of the One- 6:30am Sister Stargazers-  11:30am Community Voices for Change – 1pm Magic Rat –  1:30-2:30pm Essential Tremors/Perkys Auditory Canal –  2:30-4pm Interzone Radio –  7pm Tuesdays Music for Houseplants/Inside my Brain – 8:30am Chartered Trips/ Minor Chord Mayhem – 10pm Thursdays Live Radiantly -11:30am Let’s Connect – 1pm USM, Music and me – 1:30-2:30pm Gumbo…

WMPG is proud to be a part of the Maine Historical Society’s Music in Maine, an exhibition that has be up since March of this year. As the Historical Society wraps up this fantastic walk through the history of music in Maine, our film will be show n as part of this program! Join us on December 12th at 6:30 PM to watch our short film, An Extraordinary Place , which explores the history and current community around…

We are excited to announce that we met our goal of $50,000 during our fall fundraiser. If you chose a t-shirt or other gift with your donation, please swing by and pick it up. We are at 92 Bedford Street. We thank you so much for your continued support. Donate!

On November 14th Studio 51 & WMPG presented an Open Mic Night in Lower Brooks on the USM Gorham campus. All acts were welcome. We had live bands, poetry, Karaoke, jokes and more. The new USM internet radio station Studio 51 broadcast the whole thing. Missed the show and want to hear it – click here . Want to hear what is happening on on the Studio 51 Internet radio station on the Gorham Campus right now,…

Huge congratulations to the team behind Let’s Connect Greater Portland . They came in 2nd at the Maine Association of Broadcaster (MAB) awards. Let’s Connect is a public affairs show that airs every Thursday at 11.30am and is also available on podcasting platforms. Pictured, host Kristina Egan (middle) and Andrew Zarro picking up their award.  

WMPG has won awards for Tom Bell’s documentary – An Extraordinary Place. Have you seen our film, An Extraordinary Place ?  If not, now’s the time. The film, which explores our wonderful station’s history and present day community, has been, and will be playing at multiple film festivals across the country and even internationally! You can find our film nominated and playing at these festivals: June 20th, New York True Venture Film Festival in New York for Official Selection Screening June 20th 12.00 –…