WBOR

WBOR

Brunswick, Maine United States
Broadcast area	Mid Coast
Frequency	91.1MHz
Programming
Format	College radio
Ownership
Owner	Bowdoin College (Bowdoin College Board of Trustees)
History
Founded	1948
First air date	February 20, 1957(1957-02-20)
Former call signs	BOTA (1941–1951), WBOA (1951–1956)
Former frequencies	820 AM
Call signmeaning	"Bowdoin-on-Radio"
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	66276
Class	A
ERP	300watts
HAAT	47 meters (154 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	43°54′34″N69°57′43″W
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	wbor.org

WBOR(91.1FM) is the student-run, noncommercial,college radiostation licensed toBowdoin CollegeinBrunswick, Maine,United States. The station broadcasts from the basement of the Dudley Coe Building on the Bowdoin College campus. DJs are predominately full-time Bowdoin students; however, many staff and faculty members, and community members host weekly shows. WBOR can be heard throughout theMid Coastarea.

History

At least as far back as March 1941, Bowdoin students and faculty have sporadically hosted programs recorded on campus and later broadcast through Portland'sWCSH,Lewiston'sWCOU,Augusta'sWRDO,and Bangor'sWLBZ.These programs usually consisted of play readings, faculty interviews, and live vocal music from the collegeGlee Cluband the Meddiebempsters.

In the late 1940s, Bowdoin began a program entitled “Bowdoin-on-the-air” (BOTA), where students would record radio broadcasts, which Portland'sWGANwould broadcast semi-regularly. In March 1948, BOTA formed the Radio Drama Workshop to organize the writing, directing, and production of student radio dramas.

In 1947, due to the popularity of BOTA, President Kenneth Sills formed a committee to look into the possibility of building anAM radiostation on campus. After a $4,000 gift from the Class of 1924 is secured, theBowdoin Orientoffices on the second floor of Moulton Union (above the Lancaster lounge) are transformed into a radio station. The new studio opened in December 1949. The station is equipped with an AM transmitter and a directphone lineto WGAN inPortland.

On April 25, 1948, BOTA broadcasts its first original radio drama created by the workshop. The drama, entitled "The Bowdoin Plan", was written by Herbert L. Gould, class of 1950.The Bowdoin Orientlauds it as “the most ambitious thing yet attempted by the group.” A recording of the play is sent to allNew Englandcolleges with radio stations as an example of what a college station can accomplish.

At 10:15 pm on February 16, 1949, BOTA broadcasts a pre-recorded interview withRed SoxshortstopJohnny Peskyon WGAN.

On March 22, 1950, BOTA made the first test of their new AM transmitter. An experimental program of campus news and music is broadcast live at 7:45 pm on 820 AM. Due to the weakness of their AM signal, BOTA continues to broadcast through Portland's WGAN for another year.

In the spring of 1950, Bowdoin-on-Air becomes a weekly fixture in WGAN's programming, airing every Sunday at 1:45 PM. Through a direct phone line, BOTA could broadcast on WGAN live from their new Moulton Union studio. The first live broadcast, a performance of William Butler Yeats' play, A Pot O' Broth, is aired on April 16, 1950. The following fall, programming is expanded to half an hour, with an additional “experimental” four-hour evening show featuring news, sports, interviews, dramatic skits, classical “music to study by,” and jazz “music not to study by.”

At 7 pm on May 9, 1951, BOTA began officially broadcasting at 820 AM. In conjunction with the official switch, BOTA changes its name to WBOA (Bowdoin-on-Air), their officialFCCstation name.

In December 1956, WBOA reregistered with the FCC as anFM stationand was granted thebroadcast frequencyof 91.1 MHz. With the switch to FM, WBOA changes its name to WBOR (Bowdoin-on-Radio). On February 20, 1957, WBOR's first FM broadcast was heard across campus. Before this, WBOA could only be heard in freshmen dorms within a few hundred feet of the station.

On March 13, 1960, WBOR records aPete Seegerconcert at Bowdoin’s Pickard Theater.The Smithsonian Institutionwould later release the entire recording in a two-CD set and on streaming platforms. In the same year, WBOR interviewed actressBette Davison air.

On May 6, 1964, WBOR recorded a speech given byMartin Luther Kingat the First Parish Church in Brunswick.

On October 5, 1969, WBOR broadcasts all-day coverage ofVietnam Warmoratorium activities.

On October 19, 1982, after a two-year battle with localradioand T.V. stations, the FCC gave WBOR the go-ahead to increase its signal strength to 300watts.

Over the summer of 1995, WBOR moved into a newly renovated space in the basement of the Dudley Coe Health Center, where it has remained.

In the fall of 2006, WBOR comes under heavy fire from the FCC when attempting to renew its license due to missing information from quarterly station reports. A "Save WBOR" campaign is mounted, and over 600 letters from students, faculty, alumni, and community members, including SenatorOlympia Snowe,are sent to the FCC office to support WBOR, citing its prominent role in theMid CoastMainecommunity. The FCC is swayed and decides to renew WBOR's license, letting the station off with a fine.

Event history

WBOR has a long history as a major event promoter for theMid CoastMainearea. WBOR has hosted (and in some cases recorded) performances by:

• Pete Seeger(March 13, 1960)
• Galaxie 500(April 5, 1991)
• Uncle Tupelo(March 1994)
• Bedhead(1996)
• The Magnetic Fields(April 9, 1999)
• The Secret Machines(January 29, 2005)
• The Hold Steady(March 31, 2006)
• Dr. Dog(November 16, 2007)
• Broken Social Scene(October 25, 2008)
• Wale(April 3, 2009)
• Deerhunter(September 10, 2009)
• The Morning Benders(November 2010)
• Lady Lamb(November 2010)
• Surfer Blood(November 4, 2011)
• Kreayshawn(November 4, 2011)
• RJD2(November 2, 2012)
• The Antlers(February 22, 2013)
• Chain Gang of 1974(November 8, 2013)
• MURS(March 28, 2014)
• Wavves(October 18, 2014)
• Shabazz Palaces(2015/2016)
• Yonatan Gat(March 4, 2017)
• Xenia Rubinos(September 23, 2017)
• Kemba(October 21, 2017)
• Crumb(November 11, 2017)
• Duckwrth(February 18, 2018)
• Julie Byrne(April 6, 2018)
• Milo / R.A.P. Ferreira(October 26, 2018)
• Melt (April 10, 2022)
• Weakened Friends(November 17, 2022)
• Maude Latour(February 25, 2023)
• Social House(February 25, 2023)
• Lady Lamb(April 29, 2023)
• Vundabar(September 8, 2023)
• Juice (American band)(May 10, 2024)

Notable alumni

• Cynthia McFadden,class of 1978 — co-anchor for the ABC television network’sNightlineandPrimetime Liveprograms.
• Andrew Serwer,class of 1981 — Editor-at-large ofBarron's,former editor-in-chief @Yahoo Finance
• Daniel B. Spears, class of 1981 — Vice President for Industry Relations and licensing atBroadcast Music, Inc.(BMI)
• Kary Antholis,class of 1984 — academy-award winning documentary filmmaker and vice president ofHBO
• Steve Laffey,class of 1984 — mayor ofCranston, Rhode Island,from 2003 to 2007
• Joe Beninati,class of 1987 —ESPNandNBCSNsportscaster
• Paul D. Miller, aka DJ Spooky,that Subliminal Kid, class of 1992 — DJ, electronic musician, composer, multimedia artist, author, and professor of music at the European Graduate School
• Matt Roberts,class of 1993 — Emmy-Winning writer for the 64th AnnualTony Awards,executive producer for the Late Show withDavid Letterman,head writer for the Late Late Show withJames Corden.
• Jennifer C. Lilly, class of 1996 — editor and production manager, known forEighth Grade (2018),Master of None (2015)
• Katie Benner,class of 1999 —New York Timesreporter andPulitzer Prizerecipient
• Hari Kondabolu,class of 2004 — stand-up comic, actor, and filmmaker
• Evan Gershkovich,class of 2014 — reporter atThe Wall Street Journalcovering Russia

External links

• Official WBOR website
• WBOR Program Schedule
• Facility details for Facility ID 66276 (WBOR)in theFCCLicensing and Management System
• WBORinNielsen Audio's FM station database