By Chloe Vander Laan
Nowadays, no one thinks twice about turning to a laptop to find the latest news or pop culture trends, or to research local history, cultures, music from distant places. But when Northern Michigan University started their public broadcasting through TV and radio, access to these things, especially in rural areas like the U.P., was an incredible advantage. With one of only three NPR FM radio stations in the U.P. and the only PBS member TV station, WNMU public broadcasting has changed the trajectory of U.P. residents, and continues to impact listeners today.
WNMU-FM’s website states that the station “serves the public interest by creating and delivering, through various media platforms, diverse and in-depth content that informs, entertains, and enriches the Upper Great Lakes region and beyond. In partnership with Northern Michigan University, WNMU is a reflection of the local community, engaging businesses and listeners to create a self-sustaining service.” As a public radio station, WNMU really focuses on providing fair and unbiased news reporting. Since they are an affiliate station, WNMU-FM airs NPR news and programming. They also play classical, jazz, traditional, blues and international music, as well as providing Upper Peninsula and Marquette specific news stories, as well as staff and student produced programming such as Media Meet, a weekly public affairs program between WNMU-FM and WNMU-TV that discusses current issues in the Upper Great Lake region.
WNMU-TV is “a nonprofit, non-commercial public television station licensed to Northern Michigan University’s Board of Trustees.” As a member of the Public Broadcasting Service, better known as PBS, WNMU-TV provides PBS programming like Masterpiece, Antiques Roadshow, NOVA, PBS Newshour and Sesame Street, but also produces and airs U.P. and Marquette specific content like their High School Bowl competition, the Ask the Professional series, and Media Meet. WNMU-TV is focused on providing unbiased, informative, educational, and entertaining media to viewers in the U.P. and in the nation.
The programming that they create is U.P.-centric, which no other large media outlet is ever really going to do. Particularly through Media Meet and What’s U.P., locally relevant issues can be explored and calmly debated from various viewpoints, which allows residents to stay informed and have a source of news that they can trust. The “Ask the…” series allows people to have their questions answered by local professionals, serving as another important bridge between the community and the programming. The High School Bowl series is one of the most popular programs, having been on the air since 1977, and having brought in students from every school in the U.P. Over the years, programming has also allowed for the outside world to learn more about the U.P., particularly through the special documentaries that WNMU-TV produced, because they could be picked up by PBS stations around the country.
First created in 1963, WNMU-FM was originally known by the call letters WNMR since NMU was then known as 
Northern Michigan College, and another station in the country was already named WNMC. Many colleges and universities were experimenting with radio stations in the 1920’s, and after the FCC allotted the lower end of FM frequencies for public radio, many more educational stations popped up. After receiving approval from the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) and completing two days of testing, WNMR FM operations commenced at 4:00pm on April 15, 1963. The station, channel 90.1 FM, could be heard around the Marquette area courtesy of a 50 foot antenna tower on top of the Lee Hall ballroom. WNMR was the very first FM station in the U.P., and this new programming allowed many educational and professional opportunities for students.
After being moved from the basement of the Olson Library to the back of Lee Hall in the winter of 1963, a time remembered by student workers of the time as carrying heavy equipment up slippery icy sidewalks, they moved back again in 1969 to the basement of the finished Learning Resource Center where they remain today. Shortly after, in 1971, WNMR became an official NPR affiliate station, receiving and sending programming with the National Public Radio.
The next few years saw several expansions and changes of WNMR. In 1973 they expanded programming to 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. WMNR was also awarded a grant to produce a series of U.P. vignettes to celebrate the 75th anniversary of NMU, several of which were broadcasted by NPR. The following year, WNMR received a $75,000 grant to expand their reach to up to 85% of the U.P. (using frequency 102.3 as well as 90.1) and also officially changed their call letters to WNMU to better reflect the university. 1974 was also the year WNMU increased to 14 hours a day and received another grant, upwards of $15,000 from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting, to expand public awareness and improve development of the station.
Times were not always so great for public radio broadcasting, however. In 1980, the first financial crisis to hit WNMU occurred. Huge budget cuts in NMU led to WNMU’s broadcasting hours being reduced to 18 hours a day and all full-time staff were set to be terminated. This cut faced massive backlash from the Academic Senate and the community, who came together to form an executive committee under the approval of President Jamrich called Friends to Save Public Radio. The committee, run by Robert Bordeau and Phyllis Reynolds along with 28 other members, raised the $35,000 goal to keep the station running through different events and fundraisers with local businesses.
After this was another season of prosperity, with achievements ranging from boosting signal strength with another grant in 1983, winning top honors for fundraising and public awareness from the CPB in 1984, and launching their website in 1998. Soon after, in 2000, they lost station 102.3 FM due to a stronger signal from Green Bay. They became the official emergency broadcasting station for the U.P. in 2002. Then, in 2003, another financial crisis and budget cuts led to WNMU being projected to shut down once again. Another committee, this time led by Gregg Beukema, along with generous donations from listeners and support from the Board of Trustees, WNMU was able to hold on and stay on the air.
WNMU-TV has a similar, but slightly more complicated history. Beginning in 1963 as WNMR TV, it provided limited educational programming to nearby schools. Despite becoming a member of the National Educational Television through a special arrangement in 1965, video and audio quality were still quite poor for most communities. So, in 1967, WNMR TV started their transmitter project, which would upgrade their system from microwave CATV with a brand new, 1000-foot tower. This process involved moving from Lee Hall to the basement of the new Learning Resource Center, first receiving programming from PBS in 1970, and finally finishing the new transmitter in 1972, shortly after which the station became an official PBS member station. Up until 1975, the station was completely government funded, but soon had to begin doing community fundraisers and grants to stay on the air, much like WNMU-FM.
The real beginning of the TV station came around the same time that NMU was building the LRC and really trying to invigorate the campus with a high level of connectivity, technology, and accessibility. The LRC was all about new, high tech methods of learning and increasing ease of access. This was evident in their advertisement of the TV station, both on campus and in the greater U.P. area.
The type of programming, while often with a U.P. take, allows Yoopers to expand their horizons through connections with NPR and PBS. WNMU-FM is the local classical station and also the most impartial and bipartisan news show, something that Kurt Hauswirth, a producer for WNMU-FM, says is a vital part of pulling listeners in: “a lot of people that we hear from, that enjoy public radio, enjoy it because its non-partisan.” Mike Settles, a producer for WNMU-TV and the host of Media Meet, agrees with this idea, adding that since these stations are some of the only public broadcasting in the U.P. it is also their responsibility to provide a local perspective and emphasis on all news.
For those who grew up in this area (particularly before the advent of the internet), these public outlets were a vital .png)
lifeline to understanding more about the world outside of the isolated U.P. NMU was fairly early to the game in establishing the public stations, so it has had decades of influence in the community. Walt Lindala, the current news director for MediaBrew Communications and a U.P. native, remembers listening to the public radio station from MTU growing up and watching the educational programs from WNMU along with Sesame Street and Mr. Rodgers. This early access to radio and broadcasting was exactly what fueled his love for media and led him to NMU where he worked for WNMU after graduation until moving on to his current position.
Similarly, Heather Nayback, who grew up near Gwinn, remembers using the PBS programming from NMU as one of the few teaching tools in her childhood since her school system couldn’t afford supplementary materials and her family could not afford other media. Her appreciation for reliable public news continues into her profession today, where she encourages her students to find accurate sources and fact check, just like NPR does. She also uses multiple resources from WNMU and NPR in her classroom, including programs like Media Meet, A Way with Words, Morning Edition, and All Things Considered.
Through Public Eye News and student employment opportunities, students can gain hands-on knowledge in the field and become competitive job applicants for media positions once they graduate from NMU. Quite a few of the employees of the station actually got their jobs this way, like Kurt Hauswirth and Mike Settles. Hauswirth started as an evening board operator at Public Radio 90 after his now wife convinced him to join, and Settles got involved with Public Eye News through his broadcasting major. Bob Thompson, who also started working for Public Eye News as an undergrad before being hired by WNMU-TV after he graduated, emphasized the significance of the employment opportunities WNMU has for students. Students get to use real equipment, get to know the industry ins and outs, and get to have hands-on experience of applying what they’re learning in their classes. This allows them to have a level of preparedness and industry competitiveness that allows them to go anywhere they want after graduation. There were so many stories in interviews about students who had graduated and gone on to incredible careers. Thompson remembers multiple different students who tried out Public Eye News for fun and ended up changing their major to broadcasting. Even one student who started as a theatre major, graduated in media, then went on to work out west and in New Orleans before becoming one of the top TV anchors in Grand Rapids. Eric Smith recalled a student who took it upon herself to figure out how the new sports cameras worked, and is now working a sports broadcasting job in San Diego.
The draw of the Marquette community and NMU is what kept Eric Smith, who recently retired from his position as WNMU-TV’s general manager, at the station for 47 years. Smith recalls his career at NMU, which started mostly because it allowed him to scuba dive in the Great Lakes, as “scary as all get out and at the same time exhilarating.” The ever-changing technology and the ups and downs of the station kept life interesting enough for him to stick around. Another perk that Smith appreciated was the support from NMU. He cites being able to use the facilities, technology, HR and custodial staff, and all the things NMU supplies as the reason the stations can prosper in such a rural area with minimal funding.
In fact, even in the dark times of financial issues and cuts, no one recalls much drama happening between WNMU and the board of control at NMU. Besides a few disagreements that were resolved with an explanation of FCC guidelines and station expectations, WNMU hasn’t felt pressure from NMU to broadcast certain things, report a certain way, or edit what they broadcast. Thompson remembers President Jamrich’s hand in programming as the one who suggested starting High School Bowl, one of the most popular programs still on the air. Lindala applauds NMU’s commitment to increasing all kinds of educational access across the U.P., noting that their efforts with supporting public broadcasting, among other projects, “has helped to create a better connected population across the U.P., to not only the world, but to each other.”
While public broadcasting might not be as big of a deal in today’s interconnected world with instant access to information, WNMU-TV and WNMU-FM still remain the dominant source for public broadcasting in the U.P. The lives it has impacted and the communities it has reached will never forget the experiences and opportunities WNMU provided them when there was no other source that could. NMU’s continued support of quality programming and information through WNMU connects the U.P. to the nation and the world while providing local emphasis on each story. And for anyone interested in public broadcasting or media communications, Bob Thompson is sitting in his office right at the bottom of the stairs in the lowest level of Harden Hall waiting for someone to wander on down!