WEMC unveils new programming, rebrands as region’s home for classical music

Andrew Jenner — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 20:04:11 +0000

Starting on Monday, Aug. 11, ��ݮ��’s radio station will broadcast more classical music on its 91.7 FM frequency. The station, , will also begin billing itself as “the Shenandoah Valley’s premier source of classical music.”

New programming will include weeknight showcases of live recordings by well-known orchestras, including ones in Chicago, Pittsburgh and New York. On Saturday afternoons, the station will also air a classical music program, “,” hosted in both English and Spanish and focusing on Latin American composers. The full new schedule is available .

Classical music during the weeknights will replace the evening jazz shows on WEMC. With the changes, the station will also drop its news programs from and the (these can still be accessed via the Internet).

Station manager Al Bartholet said listener surveys showed that classical music was the overwhelming reason that people have been tuning in to the station. Adding more classical music programming will give WEMC’s audience more of the music it enjoys and help the station form a more coherent identity – an important part of keeping and growing a radio audience, he added.

WEMC will continue its Sunday morning broadcasts of services at , and will add a encore broadcast (Wednesdays at 8 p.m.) of “,” a 90-minute music show hosted by EMU professor emeritus John Horst.

“It is probably the most popular program on WEMC. It’s the ‘Car Talk’ of WEMC,” said program manager Matt Bingay. “If you’ve got a hit on your hands, get more mileage out of it. Repeat it. Give people another opportunity.”

Horst, who began recording episodes of his show more than a decade ago, said it was “nice to get the affirmation” about his show. He acknowledged that it’s getting harder to find new material – there are only so many Mennonite acappella recordings out there – but continues to follow up on suggestions from listeners and friends, and rummage at places like for rarities. He also often receives copies of new recordings of groups and Mennonite colleges and elsewhere, and plans to continue creating new episodes as often as he can.

Founded in 1955 as a gift from the class of 1954, WEMC is the oldest public radio station in Virginia. From its transmission tower on the crest of the hill west of EMU, WEMC’s signal can reach up to 88,000 people who live within a 25-mile radius of the university. By the end of the year, the station’s aging transmitter will be replaced with a new one to ensure more reliable service.

WEMC is also streamed online, and through a new smartphone or tablet . In 2007, James Madison University’s radio station and Harrisonburg’s National Public Radio affiliate, WMRA-90.7 FM, assumed management of WEMC, with the concurrence and ongoing input of EMU officials.

“We’re pleased with the ongoing partnership between EMU and JMU to manage public radio offerings for the region,” said , EMU director of and a member of the WEMC advisory group. “WEMC is a gem that we want to preserve. Changing technologies and limited resources made that unfeasible for EMU alone. With the stations’ financial stability and growing listenership through careful program planning, the future of Harrisonburg’s two public radio stations looks secure.”

An MBA with Heart

Marcy Gineris — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 18:08:01 +0000

Ten years ago Deb King would not have imagined that business was her calling in life. The masters in business administration at EMU nurtured her so that now, at 56, she sees herself as an entrepreneur with something valuable to give.

King grew up in an entrepreneurial family of business owners and innovators who viewed business through the lens of servanthood.

“I didn’t even see their work as ‘business’,” she says. “They did what they did because they loved finding ways to make life easier for everybody – through inventing and innovating and serving, always charging a lot less than the going rate. I didn’t think of my family as members of ‘the business world,’ which I thought was full of people whose primary focus was getting ahead, instead of having a positive impact on the community.”

The MBA program opened her eyes to the concept of “business as a calling,” exemplified by her family members who lived their lives as servants to their community.

King is the general manager of Harrisonburg Gift and Thrift Shops, Inc., which includes the thrift store, Gift and Thrift, Artisan’s Hope, which sells fairly traded items, and Booksavers of Virginia, which resells and recycles used books to benefit Mennonite Central Committee.

Gaining confidence and leadership skills

King gained confidence in her ability to lead through the MBA program.

“At first, I was intimidated by my young, bright, articulate classmates and the foreign language spoken by the professors in class. But before long I realized I was on the journey of a lifetime. The classes are interesting and useful, and the instructors are passionate about their areas of expertise – and believe me, there’s an abundance of expertise.”

Working with undergraduates

As a former teacher King has always been energized by young people. Now she gets to work with EMU undergraduate students at Gift and Thrift. Six to 10 students have work-study positions each year and several more volunteer at the organization.

“Our work study students are an essential part of our work force. Often, the students find that they are a part of a community, working alongside people who become their family away from home. ”

Using business to make a positive difference in the world

King has many ties to EMU. Both she and her husband Dave graduated from EMU, as did their three children. Dave now works as the director of athletics at EMU. Their son Derek is a student at Eastern Mennonite Seminary. Deb and Derek will both graduate from EMU this spring, along with Deb’s nephew Jonathan, an undergraduate student.

When asked what makes EMU special King said, “In our family experience EMU confirmed our Anabaptist ideals and provided inspiration to follow in Christ’s path in our everyday lives and vocations. For example, the MBA program offers much more than the nuts and bolts needed to run a business. At the heart of this program are people who believe that business is a way to make a positive difference in this world.”

About the EMU MBA

EMU offers an MBA based on Christian values of stewardship, sustainability, ethics, integrity, justice, social entrepreneurship and multi-cultural perspectives. Students develop collaborative leadership and management skills through experiential learning, mentored by faculty with international and industry experience. You’ll graduate with leadership and management skills and proven stewardship strategies.

Tracks of study:

The first three tracks of study are 37 semester hours in total, while the graduate certificate is 15 semester hours.