50th Anniversary
For more information on all of the special events and programming we're offering this year, visit WFCR Events.
Happy Birthday sung by Williston Northampton School's Caterwaulers and Widdigers
1960's
1961: On May 6, 1961 the first signal from newly named WFCR (Four College Radio (Amherst, Mount Holyoke and Smith Colleges, and UMass Amherst) came from a 10-watt transmitting site at Springfield Trade High School, under a license held by WGBH Boston. Operating from noon to midnight, six days a week, the station aired less than one hour a week of locally produced material.
Gilbert Mottla and Horace Hewlett, two of the original members of the WMBC, inspect the licenses for the fledgling WFCR in a 1961 photo. Mottla, who died 21 years ago, was a vital part of WFCR's first (and perhaps only) on-air classroom, Radio Russian, which taught three times a week by professor Laszlo Tikos and circulated to several other stations. Hewlett, who guided the station through many years, has retired as Amherst College Secretary and lives in Amherst.
1962/63: WFCR is a vital link in the Eastern Educational Radio Network, relaying programming between Boston, Albany, Philadephia and Washington DC. Financial Support comes from 800 members.
1964: Local airtime increases to 17 hours per day with local production of concerts and lectures from the Four Colleges (Amherst, Mount Holyoke, Smith and UMass)
1966: Hampshire College joins the consortium and WFCR becomes Five College Radio. The first Music Director is hired.
1967: Trustees of UMass assume the license for WFCR and provide studio space in Hampshire House. Congress establishes the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, coining the new term, "public radio"
1969/70: Que Tal Amigos, a Spanish language program for Connecticut River Valley migrant workers begins. Que Tal Amigos has since been replaced by Tertulia
1970's
1970: Three years after Congress passed the Public Broadcasting Act and established the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, NPR was created. Signing the act into law, President Lyndon B. Johnson said, "We in America have an appetite for excellence...we want most of all to enrich man's spirit."
1971: The first NPR programs aired and WFCR was among the very first public radio stations to carry NPR programming, beginning with All Things Considered in 1971. Today, NPR produces and distributes programming that reaches more than 26 million listeners weekly via more than 900 stations nationwide broadcasting NPR programming.
1979: WFCR installs a satellite dish to provide more national programming to listeners in western New England
1980's
1984: Jazz comes to WFCR with the creation of Jazz à la Mode, hosted by Tom Reney, and Safari, hosted by Kari Njiiri. Both programs continue to be "must listens" for jazz fans across the region.
1985: NPR's Morning Edition airs on WFCR. Mixing humor and hard news, analysis and arts, Morning Edition draws more public radio listeners across the country than any other NPR program. In 1985, Carl Kassell hosted Morning Edition. Today, national hosts Renee Montagne and Steve Inskeep, and New England Public Radio's local hosts help listeners start their day, every morning from 5-9 am on WFCR and 7-9 am on WNNZ.
1989/90: WFCR airs Fresh Air and Weekend Edition
1990's
1992: Tom and Ray Magliozzi (aka Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers pull in to WFCR with Car Talk - an instant favorite among public radio listeners is born.
1996: WFCR is the first public radio station in the nation to broadcast public radio content on a commercial station with the lease of 1430AM/WTTT, later named WPNI. The service provided news and information programming as an alternative to 88.5FM's classical music during the day. In 2007, programming moved from 1430AM to AM640 WNNZ, a 50,000 watt station that covers much larger listening area. See the next decade for more on all-news WNNZ.
1997: This American Life airs.
Built around the innovative personal vision of host Ira Glass, This American Life, quite literally, pioneered a new kind of radio storytelling. The weekly program explores a theme - fiascos, conventions, the job that takes over your life - through a playful mix of radio monologues, mini-documentaries, "found tape," short fiction and unusual music.
Computer technology makes WFCR a 24/7 station for the first time in its history.
2000's
2004: WFCR installs and programs an HD radio transmitter - the first of its kind in our region. HD service offers listeners cd quality sound. Streams are available for 88.5FM and 88.5 HD-2 which broadcasts classical music 24/7
2007: WFCR begins programming the 50,000 watt AM640 WNNZ, moving programming from 1430AM WPNI. The WNNZ line up features 100% news and information programs from NPR, PRI, American Public Media, the BBC World Service and other content providers as an alternative to music offerings on WFCR.
2008: WFCR launches Focus: Western New England, a monthly hour-long talk show covering a wide range of stories with a regional twist.
2009: The Peggy and David Starr Broadcast Center, located at WGBY Public Television in Springfield, Massachusetts opens. The facility includes a state of the art production room, studio and office space for two reporters and interns and enables WFCR's newsroom to better cover Hampden County and northern Connecticut. Focus: Western New England is produced live from the new facility every month.
2010: The WFCR Foundation purchases AM640 in Westfield and 91.7FM WNNZ in Deerfield, Massachusetts, providing a permanent home for public radio news and information programming in the region
Today
Fifty years later, WFCR and now WNNZ are proud to serve over 175,000 weekly listeners with music, news and entertainment programs twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
Half a century ago, it took the dedication and vision of a few to deliver western New England's first public radio station. These individuals acted on the belief that radio could enliven, enrich and educate a community. This year, we commemorate their vision, with the hope that we have met, and continue to exceed their expectations.
Today, with five translators built in 2007, WFCR's unique mix of locally-produced classical and jazz programs as well as in-depth reporting, can be heard throughout the Berkshires. A full line-up of news and talk programming, originally heard on a small AM station in Amherst, is now heard throughout the region on WNNZ at 640AM and 91.7FM. And thanks to the internet and our website nepr.net we stream our audio to you, your neighbors and anyone else around the world!
We are especially proud of the community created through public broadcasting. Each week you can hear commentaries from your neighbors during Friday's Morning Edition, consult the events calendar at nepr.net for cultural events from Brattleboro to Hartford and everywhere in between, learn something new from a story on All Things Considered, or a new piece of music by an up and coming pianist. It's all here on WFCR and WNNZ.
It is with great pride that we announce a year-long celebration of our Golden Anniversary commencing with the 2011 WFCR Arts & Humanities Awards on May 11.
For more information on all of the special events and programming we're offering this year, visit WFCR Events.
Share Your Stories with WFCR!
Did you hear about the March on Washington on WFCR? Listen to a story with a friend or family member that touched you in a special way? Or find your favorite record at Vintage Vinyl? Be part of our 50th anniversary celebration by sharing your experiences with us. Email radio@nepr.net with your memories throughout our anniversary year - we always love to hear from listeners!
Listener Testimonials & Interviews
Radio Engineer Says in 1961 You Had to Climb a Mountain to Get WFCR on the Air!
Barney Frank: This address was given by US Representative Barney Frank, Democrat of Massachusetts. It was sponsored by the Distinguished Visitors' Program at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst and was delivered on April 23, 1981. He spoke on a range of topics.
Music Mountain is a series of summer chamber concerts in Falls Village, Conn., just off Route 7 in Litchfield County. It was founded in 1930 by Jacques Gordon, first violinist of the Gordon Quartet and namesake of Gordon Hall, their concert venue. The Berkshire Quartet was its resident ensemble for many years starting in 1947. They were joined in this 1974 performance of Franz Schubert’s String Quintet in C major by the world-famous cellist Janos Starker.
Musicorda was a summer program at Mt. Holyoke College offering instruction and chamber music coaching to young string players, founded in 1986 by Jacqueline Melnick, a former music faculty member at Mt. Holyoke, and her husband Leopold “Terry” Teraspulsky, who taught cello at UMass for many years. It continued until 2005. Each summer, the peformance faculty and guest artists gave Friday evening concerts. The final selection, Frédéric Chopin’s Piano Trio in G minor, Opus 8, is played by three distinguished faculty artists: Michael Adcock, piano, Gregory Fulkerson, violin and Norman Fischer, cello.
The New England Bach Festival was one of the annual glories of the New England classical scene. It was founded in 1969 by Blanche Honegger Moyse (1909-2011), a violinist, co-founder of the Marlboro Music School and Festival, and founder of the Brattleboro Music Festival. With her painstakingly rehearsed amateur chorale, joined by outstanding soloists and excellent instrumentalists, the NEBF offered magnificent interpretations of the great Bach choral works at Marlboro College and beyond, including Carnegie Hall. Her last performance was in 2004. This is a 1994 performance of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, and is notable for the opening chorus, “Jauchzet, frohlocket,” by the Blanche Moyse Chorale and New England Bach Festival Orchestra.
St. Matthew Passion: This 1973 performance of Bach’s great work featured the Smith College Glee Club, the Amherst College Glee Club, the Smith-Amherst Chamber Orchestra and Amherst College Collegium Musicum, and was conducted by the legendary Iva Dee Hiatt, choral conductor at Smith College for 31 years, and possessor of many “firsts” for women in American music.
Ernst Wallfisch was one of the 20th centuries finest violists. With his wife, pianist and harpsichordist Lory Wallfisch, he formed a duo that performed internationally for decades. Both joined the Smith College faculty in 1964; Ernst Wallfsich died in 1979. This recital was given at Smith on February 7, 1965.
Isaac Asimov: Five College Lecture Hall was a weekly program about standing talks by faculty members and guests at Amherst, Mount Holyoke and Smith Colleges and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. On March 29, 1966 noted science fiction writer Isaac Asimov gave a lecture, one of a series in the distinguished visitor’s program at UMass Amherst, entitled “Escape to Reality.”
William Buckley: Five College Lecture Hall was a weekly program about standing talks by faculty members and guests at Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke and Smith Colleges and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. In May of 1968 author, columnist, and leading conservative spokesman in American politics William F. Buckley gave a lecture at UMass Amherst entitled “The Responsibilities of the American student.”
