WEAA
Broadcast area | Baltimore, Maryland |
---|---|
Branding | Morgan State University Radio |
Slogan | "The Voice of the Community" |
Frequency | 88.9 MHz |
First air date | January 10, 1977 |
Format | public radio |
ERP | 12,500 watts |
HAAT | 67 meters |
Class | B1 |
Facility ID | 43794 |
Callsign meaning | "We Educate African Americans"[1] |
Owner | Morgan State University |
Website | www.weaa.org |
WEAA (88.9 FM) is a non-profit, National Public Radio affiliate station that serves the Baltimore/Washington metropolitan area. It is licensed and owned by Morgan State University. WEAA was named 1999 Jazz Station of the Year by Gavin Magazine.[2]
The station has been noted for its willingness to host intense discussions of issues like racism and sexuality.[3]
Although WEAA is based at Morgan State, most of its staff are non-students, and it serves a larger community within Baltimore. However, the station does take on many student interns and volunteers, who learn skills connected to radio broadcasting.[4]
Contents
History
WEAA went live on 10 January 1977.
White Baltimore activist Robert Kaufman accused WEAA of reverse racism in 1998 when they turned down his offer to host a show for free. Kaufman's complaint with the Maryland Commission on Human Rights was unsuccessful.[5]
In 2007, a coalition of WEAA listeners took to the streets in protest when "The Powers Report" with Tyrone Powers went off the air. Powers and his supporters alleged that newly elected governor Martin O'Malley had used his political clout to force Powers off the air in retaliation for critical remarks.[6] Powers filed a lawsuit alleging that O'Malley ordered him fired, with WEAA manager Donald Lockett and NAACP president Kweisi Mfume acting as intermediaries.[7][8] O'Malley and Mfume denied the allegations completely.[9]
In 2008, WEAA hired Marc Steiner (after Steiner's dismissal from WYPR)[10] and began running Democracy Now!. These changes increased the ratio of news to music and added white voices, prompting observers to ask, "Will whites listen to a majority black station?"[11] In the following months, WEAA gained 20,000 listeners for a total of 100,000.[10]
Current programs
Programs Produced In-House at WEAA
Public Affairs Programming
- "The Marc Steiner Show," hosted by Marc Steiner and produced by the Center for Emerging Media
- "First Edition" with journalist Sean Yoes[12]
- "Keep It Moving" with Marsha Jews
- "Wealthy Radio" with Deborah Owens
- "Urban Health Beat" with Marilyn Harris-Davis
- "The Anthony McCarthy Show" with Anthony McCarthy[13]
- "Listen Up!" and "Final Call Radio" with Farajii Muhammad[14]
- "The Caribbean Affair" with Neil Mattei[15]
- "Africa and Worldbeat"
- "Briefcase Radio" with Omar Muhammad
- "The Ellison Report" with political analyst Charles D. Ellison[16]
- "Baltimore: The Rise of Charm City"
Music Programming
- "The Baltimore Blend," hosted by Baltimore drummer and musician Robert Shahid and co-hosted by Mykel Hunter[17]
- "The Hip Hop Chronicles," hosted and produced by Mike Nyce with contributions from Dr. Jared Ball and the [Chuck D]][18]
- "In the Groove" and "Cool Jazz Countdown" with Marcellus "Bassman" Shepard
- "Reggae, Roots & Culture" with Papa Wabe
- "Cool Vibes For Your Midday" with Sandi Mallory
- "Fiesta Musical" with Guillermo Brown
- "In The Tradition" with George "Doc" Manning
- "Jazz Straight Ahead," produced and hosted by the late John Tegler and currently hosted by his two sons Eric Tegler and Jan Tegler[19]
- "Blues In The Night" and "Turning Back The Hands Of Time" with host James "Big Jim" Staton[20]
- "The Friday Night Jazz Club" with Angela “The Duchess” Thorpe and DJ Phaze[21]
- "Gospel Grace"
Syndicated Programs on WEAA
- "Democracy NOW!" with Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzales
- "Jazz After Hours" with the late Bob Parlocha
- "Latino USA" hosted by Maria Hinojosa[22]
Past programs
- The Michael Eric Dyson Show (2010–2012)[23]
- "The Powers Report" with Tyrone Powers (–2007)
- "Underground Experience" with Oji Morris and Brian Pope (1989–2002)[24]
- "Sisters Circle" with Nalonga Sayyed and Faraja Lewis
- "Dialogue with the African-American Male" with Richard Rowe and Earl El-Amin
See also
References
- ↑ WEAA music director Narius Coleman, quoted in Organizational Change (2011).
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- ↑ Rob Hiassen, "WEAA's companion talk shows don't mince words", Baltimore Sun, 23 February 1994, p. 1C.
- ↑ Sandy Alexander, "Campus stations claim niche in radio market", Baltimore Sun, 21 April 2002.
- ↑ Michael Olesker, "It's a sound argument for radio stations", Baltimore Sun, 11 May 1998.
- ↑ Gregory Kane, "Defense of ousted radio host heats up". Baltimore Sun, 31 January 2007, p. 1B.
- ↑ Gregory Kane, "Lawsuit airs story on loss of air time", Baltimore Sun, 23 January 2008.
- ↑ Rev. Heber Brown, III, "Gubernatorial Pressure Pushes Powers Off The Air", Faith in Action, 27 January, 2007.
- ↑ Gregory Kane, "A little light might clear the air over radio show", Baltimore Sun, 27 January 2007.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Evan Serpick, "Radio Static", Baltimore magazine, February 2009.
- ↑ Chris Kaltenbach, "Hiring Steiner Dovetails With Overall WEAA Plan", Baltimore Sun, 18 May 2008.
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- ↑ Richard Prince, "Michael Eric Dyson Quits Radio Show", Urban Radio Nation, 13 March 2012.
- ↑ Bret McCabe, "Clearing the Air: WEAA Moves Out of the Underground", CityPaper, 27 February, 2002.
External links
- WEAA Website
- Query the FCC's FM station database for WEAA
- Radio-Locator information on WEAA
- Query Nielsen Audio's FM station database for WEAA
- Video interview with The Bassman
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- 1977 establishments in Maryland
- African-American history in Baltimore, Maryland
- College radio stations in Maryland
- Jazz radio stations in the United States
- Morgan State University
- NPR member stations
- Public Radio International stations
- Radio stations established in 1977
- Radio stations in Baltimore, Maryland