WUMB Folk Radio Turns 25WUMB Folk Radio, a non-commercial station licensed to the University of Massachusetts, begins its 25th year on the air on September 19 — just days after the 10th annual Boston Folk Festival, which it presents.

Beginning at 6 a.m. that day, every half-hour will include a three-song set of the three top folk songs played on WUMB each year, from 1982 to 2007 (to date).  Throughout the day, a number of celebrity well-wishers also are expected to join on-air hosts Dick Pleasants and Dave Palmater in sharing memories of the station through the years. 

The last station in the metro-Boston area to be granted an FM license from the Federal Communications Commission, WUMB-FM had an all-volunteer staff when it took to the airwaves in 1982.  It shifted to a professional staff four years later upon becoming a public radio affiliate of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. 

Operating out of studios on the UMass Boston Campus, WUMB-FM has evolved into a network of five public radio stations in Boston, Worcester, Falmouth, Orleans and Newburyport, Massachusetts that simulcast a mix of folk and acoustic music 24 hours a day weekdays, sprinkled with news and public affairs programs, as well as some blues, afropop and world music on weekends. 

In addition to its terrestrial stations – broadcast on 91.9FM in Boston, Worcester and Falmouth; 91.7FM in Newburyport, and 1170AM in Orleans – a live webcast of WUMB’s signal can be heard via the Internet.  Five different folk streams also are accessible online 24 hours a day – Celtic Journey, Contemporary Folk, L’Air Du Temps, Traditional Folk, and X-Stream Folk.

During weekday morning drive time (6-10 a.m.), the station airs the “Morning Express.”  Its host, Dick Pleasants, is a seasoned New England broadcast veteran, whose career spans more than 25 years.  “Folk Radio” airs weekdays from10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and features a wide range of contemporary and traditional folk music, interspersed with news, weather, music calendar notices, public service announcements and informational features.  Dave Palmater and Marilyn Rea Beyer, both of whom have been with the station for a dozen or more years, are the weekday hosts.  Weekday evenings after 7 p.m. are filled with nationally syndicated programs, such as “World Café” with David Dye, as well as specials.

To help mark its 25th anniversary, WUMB is eliciting votes from its listeners for their favorite performers of the past 25 years and plans to count-down the top 100 listener favorites in November.  Station personnel are currently focused on the Boston Folk Festival that takes place this weekend, however more activities are expected to take shape in coming months to mark this important milestone.