WVOF
Encyclopedia
WVOF is the student-run college radio station at Fairfield University
in Fairfield, Connecticut
. As of August 2008, the station has been a partner with Connecticut Public Radio
and carries Connecticut Public Radio
and NPR programming.
radio station heard on 620 AM serving the residence halls located in the quadrangle of Fairfield University. A carrier current system is a method of broadcasting utilizing the electrical wires in a building as an antenna. This type of operating does not require the station to be licensed by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC).
In the early 1970s, then-station manager Stan Hrniak (who later went on to work for Connecticut public television) made the first application to the FCC for an FM license. The first antenna was placed on Canisius Hall. The station's broadcasts were piped into the Barone Campus Center. WVOF's record library was kept in the basement of Regis Hall and the early news broadcasts were produced with the aid of a UPI rip-and-read teletype. By 1976 there were two broadcast studios and one production studio in the cramped quarters.
Some of the early student personalities during that time 1970-76 included Hrniak, a senior when the station "went FM" who hosted music and news events, who is widely credited with being the single most influential person responsible for navigating the station's initiative to move to FM; Mick McCullough, who later became station manager and a music host;Bill O'Neal, a Maine native who worked professionally for a number of stations in Portland after graduating from Fairfield in 1972; Mary Beth Carmody, one of the station's first female hosts; Rich Mcheer, a hockey announcer when the Stags had a club hockey team that played at Bridgeport's Wonderland of Ice; and Doc Hynes, who was a music host and basketball play-by-play announcer who teamed with McCullough blending sports and comedy during game broadcasts, which occasionally got them in hot water with the university administration.
During the mid-1980s, the station was at the vanguard of the American alternative music scene, under the able leadership of Music Director Sean "The Hag" Hagearty. In 2002, the Fairfield University
's worldwide, state-of-the-art radio station opened for business in a brand new three-studio complex in the John A. Barone Campus Center. WVOF regularly hears from listeners in South America, Europe, the West Coast and Canada.
("WNPR") and WVOF. WVOF broadcasts WNPR's program schedule every weekday morning from 5 to 10 a.m. and every weekday afternoon from 4 to 6 p.m., as well as weekend mornings from 5 a.m. to noon.
baseball games, and on July 12, 2006, it carried the Atlantic League
All-Star Game.
men's and women's basketball. Men's basketball coverage is led play-by-play analyst Bob Heussler
with color commentary from Stag basketball legend Joe DeSantis '79
. Women's basketball coverage is led by play-by-play analyst John Cummings with color commentary from former UConn guard Maria Conlon. Fairfield University students participate in the production and color commentary for both the men's and women's games.
men's lacrosse. Its lead play-by-play announcer for men's lacrosse is Mike Vitale with Fairfield University students participating as color analysts for the games.
music, an American music
form born in Texas and Oklahoma in the 1930s. It's an amalgamation of Irish fiddling
/Scottish fiddling
music, New Orleans jazz
and Black Blues
, and it evolved in the 1940s parallel to Big Band Swing
. It uses fiddles, mandolins, guitars and steel guitars, in lieu of or along with trumpets, reeds and trombones. The words and vocals tend toward the light, happy side. The Western Swing Society-Seattle inducted Mike into the Pioneers Of Western Swing Hall of Fame on August 11, 2002. And the Academy of Western Artists named Mike Disc Jockey of the Year by in 2000. The show broadcasts on WVOF every Friday afternoon from 1-4 pm EST.
. This is the first radio show to have ever received that honor. The show broadcasts on WVOF on Mondays from 4-8 pm EST.
Fairfield University
Fairfield University is a private, co-educational undergraduate and master's level teaching-oriented university located in Fairfield, Connecticut, in the New England region of the United States. It was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1942, and today is one of 28 member institutions of the...
in Fairfield, Connecticut
Fairfield, Connecticut
Fairfield is a town located in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is bordered by the towns of Bridgeport, Trumbull, Easton, Redding and Westport along the Gold Coast of Connecticut. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 59,404...
. As of August 2008, the station has been a partner with Connecticut Public Radio
Connecticut Public Radio
Additionally, WECS, Eastern Connecticut State University's campus station, simulcasts the network's feeds of Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Car Talk.-External links:*...
and carries Connecticut Public Radio
Connecticut Public Radio
Additionally, WECS, Eastern Connecticut State University's campus station, simulcasts the network's feeds of Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Car Talk.-External links:*...
and NPR programming.
History
WVOF commenced operations in the spring of 1970 as a carrier currentCarrier current
Carrier current is a method of low power AM radio transmission that uses the AC electrical system of a building to propagate a medium frequency, AM signal to a relatively small area, such as a building or a group of buildings...
radio station heard on 620 AM serving the residence halls located in the quadrangle of Fairfield University. A carrier current system is a method of broadcasting utilizing the electrical wires in a building as an antenna. This type of operating does not require the station to be licensed by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC).
In the early 1970s, then-station manager Stan Hrniak (who later went on to work for Connecticut public television) made the first application to the FCC for an FM license. The first antenna was placed on Canisius Hall. The station's broadcasts were piped into the Barone Campus Center. WVOF's record library was kept in the basement of Regis Hall and the early news broadcasts were produced with the aid of a UPI rip-and-read teletype. By 1976 there were two broadcast studios and one production studio in the cramped quarters.
Some of the early student personalities during that time 1970-76 included Hrniak, a senior when the station "went FM" who hosted music and news events, who is widely credited with being the single most influential person responsible for navigating the station's initiative to move to FM; Mick McCullough, who later became station manager and a music host;Bill O'Neal, a Maine native who worked professionally for a number of stations in Portland after graduating from Fairfield in 1972; Mary Beth Carmody, one of the station's first female hosts; Rich Mcheer, a hockey announcer when the Stags had a club hockey team that played at Bridgeport's Wonderland of Ice; and Doc Hynes, who was a music host and basketball play-by-play announcer who teamed with McCullough blending sports and comedy during game broadcasts, which occasionally got them in hot water with the university administration.
During the mid-1980s, the station was at the vanguard of the American alternative music scene, under the able leadership of Music Director Sean "The Hag" Hagearty. In 2002, the Fairfield University
Fairfield University
Fairfield University is a private, co-educational undergraduate and master's level teaching-oriented university located in Fairfield, Connecticut, in the New England region of the United States. It was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1942, and today is one of 28 member institutions of the...
's worldwide, state-of-the-art radio station opened for business in a brand new three-studio complex in the John A. Barone Campus Center. WVOF regularly hears from listeners in South America, Europe, the West Coast and Canada.
Connecticut Public Radio
On June 19, 2008, the Connecticut Public Broadcasting Corporation and Fairfield University announced a partnership between Connecticut Public RadioConnecticut Public Radio
Additionally, WECS, Eastern Connecticut State University's campus station, simulcasts the network's feeds of Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Car Talk.-External links:*...
("WNPR") and WVOF. WVOF broadcasts WNPR's program schedule every weekday morning from 5 to 10 a.m. and every weekday afternoon from 4 to 6 p.m., as well as weekend mornings from 5 a.m. to noon.
Bridgeport Bluefish
In 2002, WVOF began carrying Bridgeport BluefishBridgeport Bluefish
The Bridgeport Bluefish is an American professional baseball team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. They are a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
baseball games, and on July 12, 2006, it carried the Atlantic League
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is a professional, independent baseball organization located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, especially the greater metropolitan areas of the Northeast megalopolis. It operates in cities not served by Major or Minor League...
All-Star Game.
Fairfield Stags Basketball
WVOF is the home of Fairfield StagsFairfield Stags
The Fairfield Stags are the athletic programs representing Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut. Most of the programs are members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and classified as Division I-AAA in the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
men's and women's basketball. Men's basketball coverage is led play-by-play analyst Bob Heussler
Bob Heussler
Bob Heussler , currently resides in Hamden, Connecticut and is a radio sports broadcaster at WFAN in New York where he has made regular appearances on the Mike and the Mad Dog and Mike'd Up programs since 1993. He currently is the radio play-by-play voice of the WNBA's Connecticut Sun...
with color commentary from Stag basketball legend Joe DeSantis '79
Joe DeSantis
Joe DeSantis is currently the color commentator for the radio and TV broadcasts of Fairfield Stags men's basketball and is a member of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame...
. Women's basketball coverage is led by play-by-play analyst John Cummings with color commentary from former UConn guard Maria Conlon. Fairfield University students participate in the production and color commentary for both the men's and women's games.
Fairfield Stags Lacrosse
WVOF is also the home of Fairfield StagsFairfield Stags
The Fairfield Stags are the athletic programs representing Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut. Most of the programs are members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and classified as Division I-AAA in the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
men's lacrosse. Its lead play-by-play announcer for men's lacrosse is Mike Vitale with Fairfield University students participating as color analysts for the games.
Rock Nation
Join James Maresca as he takes you on a trip into the world of classic rock, arena rock, and hair metal from the "Most Rockin' Artists of the 1970s & 1980s". If you are a fan of bands like Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Queen, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, or Van Halen, you will not want to miss Rock Nation. Besides hearing two, high octane hours of world-class rock, listeners are kept up to date with the latest rock news and area concert dates. Finally, on occasion, Rock Nation airs special, exclusive rock star interviews. James Maresca has had the pleasure of speaking with rockers like Eddie Money, Troy Luccketta (Tesla), Bruce Hall (REO Speedwagon), Jeff Pilson (Foreigner, Dokken), Oz Fox (Stryper) & Joel Hoekstra (Night Ranger, "Rock Of Ages" on Broadway). Rock Nation Radio airs Tuesdays from 8-10pm (during Fairfield's academic year).Swingin' West with Mike Gross
Mike Gross is the producer and host of the weekly program Swingin' West on WVOF. The program showcases Western SwingWestern swing
Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands...
music, an American music
American music
The music of the Americas is very diverse since, in addition to many types of Native American music, the music of Africa and the music of Europe have been found there for some five centuries, creating many hybrid forms that have influenced the popular music of the world.-See also:*Canadian...
form born in Texas and Oklahoma in the 1930s. It's an amalgamation of Irish fiddling
Irish fiddling
The Irish fiddle is one of the most important instruments in the traditional repertoire of Irish music. The fiddle itself is identical to the violin, however it is played differently in widely-varying regional styles.-Contemporary performers:...
/Scottish fiddling
Scottish fiddling
Scottish fiddling, even to many an untrained ear, can be distinguished from other Celtic and folk fiddling styles by its particular precision of execution and energy in the delivery. The style has a very large repertoire consisting of a great variation of rhythms and key signatures, arguably more...
music, New Orleans jazz
New Orleans Jazz
New Orleans Jazz may refer to:*Dixieland, a style of jazz music*New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park*Utah Jazz, a professional National Basketball Association franchise that was previously based in New Orleans and known as the New Orleans Jazz, in recognition of the jazz music of New Orleans*A...
and Black Blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, and it evolved in the 1940s parallel to Big Band Swing
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
. It uses fiddles, mandolins, guitars and steel guitars, in lieu of or along with trumpets, reeds and trombones. The words and vocals tend toward the light, happy side. The Western Swing Society-Seattle inducted Mike into the Pioneers Of Western Swing Hall of Fame on August 11, 2002. And the Academy of Western Artists named Mike Disc Jockey of the Year by in 2000. The show broadcasts on WVOF every Friday afternoon from 1-4 pm EST.
Upper Room with Joe Kelley and Gi Dussault
The "Upper Room with Joe Kelley" has been on the radio airwaves since 1982. Joe Kelley and Gi Dussault co-host the show and are well respected in the music business as creative air personalities and supporters of independent musicians. The show features creative music in funk, R&B, jazz, blues, rock, hip-hop, Latin, and gospel. In addition, Joe Kelley has interviewed renowned musicians such as Victor Wooten, Sheila E. , Foley, Robin Duhe, Jef Lee Johnson, Jellybean Johnson, Monte Moir, Rhonda Smith, Bernie Worrell, Cyndi Lauper, Michael Bland, Larry Graham, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, Steve Smith, St. Paul Peterson, JD Blair, Tori Ruffin, Kat Dyson, Eric Person, actor Jeff Daniels, Junior Giscombe, John Scofield, EC Scott, John Blackwell, Mystic Bowie, and many others. Finally, "The Upper Room" hosts an in-house concert series. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Prince featured the "Upper Room with Joe Kelley and Gi Dussault" on his official website NPG Music ClubNPG Music Club
NPG Music Club was an official website of Prince. Prince won a Webby Lifetime Achievement Award for the site in 2006. The site was launched at Studio 54 nightclub.Membership was either $7.77 for Basic Monthly access or $100 for a premium annual membership...
. This is the first radio show to have ever received that honor. The show broadcasts on WVOF on Mondays from 4-8 pm EST.
Fairfield Alumni in TV, radio, film, and other media
- Sonia BaghdadySonia BaghdadySonia Baghdady is an award-winning news anchor for News 8 in Connecticut. She anchors the weekday evening shows "News 8 at 5, 5:30 and 11pm"...
- News Anchor, News Channel 8, WTNHWTNHWTNH is the ABC-affiliated television station for the state of Connecticut that is licensed to New Haven. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 10 from a transmitter in Hamden. Owned by the LIN TV Corporation, the station is sister to MyNetworkTV affiliate WCTX and the two...
, Emmy AwardEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
winner
- Jeanne Begley ’84 - Producer/Director, AE's BiographyBiography (TV series)Biography is a documentary television series. It was originally a half-hour filmed series produced for CBS by David Wolper from 1961 to 1964 and hosted by Mike Wallace. The A&E Network later re-ran it and has produced new episodes since 1987...
, Emmy AwardEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
winner
- Joe DeCamara '00 - Co-Host, Kruk and DeCamara Show, Sports Talk 950; Executive Producer, Jody Mac Show
- Burt Kearns '78Burt KearnsBurt Kearns is an American television and film producer, writer, director, journalist and author, known for his influential work in reality television and his controversial 1999 tabloid television memoir, Tabloid Baby.-Early career:...
- Founder, Frozen TelevisionFrozen TelevisionFrozen Television is a television production company specializing in documentaries and entertainment programming. Frozen Television was founded by Brett Hudson and Burt Kearns and is affiliated with the motion picture production company, Frozen Pictures....
/Frozen PicturesFrozen PicturesFrozen Pictures is a motion picture, television and multimedia production company founded and operated by veteran producers and writers Brett Hudson and Burt Kearns, and is affiliated with Frozen Television....
, Author, Tabloid BabyTabloid BabyTabloid Baby is a 1999 memoir by veteran journalist and television news producer Burt Kearns detailing his years as producer on tabloid television shows like A Current Affair and Hard Copy. Regarded as the definitive work on the rise and fall of the tabloid television genre...
, Producer, A Current Affair
- Chris Miles '03 - Weekend Sports Anchor/Reporter, WVVAWVVAWVVA, virtual channel 6, is an NBC-affiliated television station in Bluefield, West Virginia, USA, owned by the Quincy Newspapers media chain. The station's studios are located in Bluefield, and its transmitter is based at East River Mountain, near the West Virginia-Virginia border.-History:The...
- Robert J. Murphy, Jr. '71 - Senior Vice President, TV News Coverage, American Broadcasting CompanyAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
- Donna SavareseDonna SavareseDonna Savarese is a two-time Emmy Award winning television journalist and news anchor most recently with KMOV in St. Louis, Missouri, the CBS affiliate. She anchored the 6pm newscast Monday-Friday. Prior to KMOV, Savarese was the weekend anchor and reporter at KIAH in Houston, Texas...
- News Anchor, News 4 St. Louis, KMOVKMOVKMOV, virtual channel 4, is the CBS-affiliated television station in St. Louis, Missouri. KMOV is owned by the Dallas-based Belo Corporation, with its studio and office facilities in St...
, Emmy AwardEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
& Edward R. Murrow Award winner
- Bill Watson - News Anchor/Reporter, WBZ Newsradio 1030WBZ (AM)WBZ is the call sign for an AM radio station in Boston, Massachusetts owned by CBS Radio, itself owned by the CBS Corporation. Originally based in and broadcast from Springfield, Massachusetts, WBZ was the first commercial radio station in the United States...