Posts Categorized: News
Dave Wade interviews Delfeayo Marsalis
If anybody knows about Mardi Gras, it’s trombonist and bandleader Delfeayo Marsalis, who will be Dave’s special guest on Juke Jive N’ Jazz this afternoon, (Feb.15th)
New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz, is alive and happening, and Delfeayo will be here to tell you about it and his brand new album, “Uptown on Mardi Gras Day”

Black History Month at WMPG with daily audio features
Our University of Southern Maine (USM) students and DJ’s are honoring Black History Month at WMPG. This year’s theme is Black Resistance.
You will hear specially curated playlists from DJ’s. Our students are producing audio which will highlight achievements and contributions, including pre-colonial history plus profiles of contemporary figures recognizing people from politics, education, pop culture, sports and other areas.

WMPG schedule refresh
Beginning Tuesday January 17th, you will hear new shows alongside your favorites – some have moved into different times and days.
Why are we mixing things up?
WMPG is turning 50 this year, and we wanted to return to our roots, offering radio that is surprising, eclectic, and truly local. We are radio made by community and University of Southern Maine members. Thanks for being the world’s best listeners! Take a peek at our new schedule.

WMPG offers MLK day Special programming – Monday January 16th
Monday January 16th is Dr. Martin Luther King Day.
WMPG will offer special programming to honor Reverend King’s work on civil rights and equity. Tune in from 10am-noon to hear volunteer Michael Cuttings extensive collection of music and speeches. At 1:30-3pm, USM student Shannon Craig will present his take on civil rights and the ongoing struggle. Then at 4pm, we will play King’s complete speech from 1957 titled “Birth of a New Nation.”

WMPG Year in Review 2022
WMPG Wrapped 2022
by Caroline Davis (USM Theatre Student and Work Study)
As 2022 comes to a close, we here at WMPG would like to thank our volunteers, business supporters, listeners, and the community of the University of Southern Maine (USM) for their support. It’s been a very successful year for us, and we could not have achieved everything we have without your support.

USM’s Osher School of Music- concert
WMPG featured a live remote broadcast of the Dr. Alfred and D. Suzi Osher school of Music’s Joyous Sounds for a Festive Season. The concert took place on Tuesday November 29th at the Cathedral of St Luke in Portland. Directed by Dr. Nicolas Dosman and featuring the Osher School of Music Choral Union singers

Music Commentary
Hi my name is Jon McKenney with the latest version of Beyond The Hook. A hook is: a musical or lyrical passage, or a riff, that is repeated and designed to catch the ears of listeners
and reel them in, and this song has a world class hook. I chose today’s song because it is a perfect example of what a hook is. I guarantee that once I tell you what it is you’ll say, “OMG of course I know that phrase, I’ve heard it a hundred times.” I toss superlatives around like confetti but this hook and the singer who is best known for the song are icons in the world of popular music. I am not exaggerating when I say that this ballad has been covered by hundreds of artists and here are just a few: Dolly Parton who wrote it, Beyonce, Linda Ronstadt, LeAnn Rimes, Gloria Gaynor, Melissa Etheridge, and Celine Dion, who puts the most into it. But the woman who is best known for performing Dolly’s musical masterpiece is Whitney Houston. You guessed it; the song is I Will Always Love You and if that phrase — which we all know, “I will always love you” — doesn’t stir some emotion in you; you need help.

Fall Fundraiser (Begathon) – Oct 18-24
UPDATE: THANKS SO MUCH – WE HIT OUR GOAL OF $60,000!
Thank you for donating during our fall fundraising. Mail is still trickling in from the post office so we don’t have a final figure yet but we are currently sitting at $63,000! Big shout out to all of you donors including our sustaining donors. Hip hip hooray! (repeat 3 times)

Music Commentary
Hi my name is Jon McKenney and welcome to the first installment of “Beyond The Hook.”
A hook, sometimes called a riff, is a repeatable phrase or melody that draws you in and hooks you. I am an English major, and I am working as an intern, here at WMPG, that requires a writing component and my first assignment is to hit the ground running and produce a colucast or a (column /podcast). The beauty of the job is: I can write about a topic that I am passionate about so I will be forcing you to listen to my opinion. If you don’t like it or disagree or on the off chance that you do agree let me know.

Latinos con Rosita
It’s Day 5 of Begathon and we need your help to reach our target of $60,000. We are slightly over halfway there and need your help.
WMPG programs shows like Rosita’s Latinos where she plays Latin music and gives information for Hispanic Mainers. Rosita was recently featured on News Center Maine’s Hispanic Month features.
1st Day of Begathon – Fall 2022
Today, we kicked off our fall fundraiser!
Every day our volunteer DJ’s and radio hosts bring passion and knowledge to WMPG. Our DJ’S curate fabulous playlists and bring you the best music that you don’t tend to hear on commercial stations. We deliver independent news and bring you great talk and public affairs shows. We train the next generation of audio producers, both from the University of Southern Maine and from our Southern Maine community.

WMPG seeks Listener Reps for our Advisory Board! Apply today – deadline 10/7/2022
WMPG’S Advisory Board is seeking WMPG listeners from the Southern Maine Community to act as a representation of WMPG’s audience. Listener Representatives are full board members and as such participate in formulating station policy and long range planning. These are two-year positions with meetings held the 2nd Wednesday of each month from 7-9pm on the USM Portland campus.

USM’s ROCC and WMPG- live remote broadcast
The month of September is National Recovery Month. Chris Corson, the Director os USM’s Recovery Oriented Campus Center (ROCCA) states: “individuals I believe, we are all recovering from something: relationships with people, food, Covid 19, the stress of being away from home the first time, the passing of a loved one, substance use, and anxiety just to name a few.”

DJ Jon featured in the Portland Press Herald
DJ Jon was featured in the Portland Press Herald at the weekend where he discussed his love of K-Pop. DJ Jon hosts K-Pop Mega Mix on Tuesdays at 4pm on 90.9FM. We are proud to have him here at WMPG.
“It seems that most of the music for kids that age are songs about frogs and baby sharks, then it goes straight into hip-hop songs about heroin or violence,” said Hawkins, 51, of Portland. “There aren’t a lot of American pop songs that are fun for kids to dance to and are just about love.” DJ Jon.
