Posted by Bud on September 16, 2009 at 09:06:20:
From the Pioneer Press paper, the Niles Herald-Spectator this week:
..............
Alumni sought for WMTH 50-year reunion
September 15, 2009
By JENNIFER JOHNSON
In fall 1959 the voices of Maine Township High School students could be heard coming out of radios in Park Ridge, Des Plaines and Niles as WMTH-FM -- the school's first radio station -- went live.
Fifty years later organizers of a WMTH alumni gathering are looking for students and faculty members who have been part of the station's legacy to celebrate five decades of student broadcasting. The WMTH alumni reunion is scheduled for Sept. 25-27 and will also mark the 35th anniversary of WMTH television.
Bill Mitchell, manager of the radio station from 1970 to 2000, is hoping to reach out to Maine South alumni and encourage them to take part in the anniversary weekend as the number of Maine South attendees remains low.
"It's turning out to be quite a big event," he said.
The weekend will begin the evening of Sept. 25 with studio tours at each of the three Maine schools, followed by "The Maine Event," a career conference at Maine West High School, the following Saturday. The 1-4 p.m. session of the conference will feature a panel of WMTH alumni, some of whom have careers in the broadcasting business. A reception and banquet will be that night at White Eagle in Niles, followed by a farewell breakfast the following Sunday morning at Old Country Buffet in Niles.
Anyone interested in registering for the alumni weekend or who would like more information may e-mail organizers at contact(at)wmthalumni.com.
Former students and faculty may also share their memories and communicate with others on the WMTH alumni Web site, www.wmthalumni.org, or at alumni pages established on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.
In its early days WMTH radio was broadcast on 88.5 FM from a 16-watt transmitter on top of what is now Maine East High School. Now the station still transmits from Maine East at 90.5 FM but can now reach audiences beyond Maine Township through the Internet. A link to listen is available at each school's Web site, which may be found at www.maine207.org. Maine South broadcasts on Tuesdays, Maine West on Wednesdays and Maine East on Thursdays. Schedules rotate Mondays and Fridays.
The last WMTH alumni gathering was in 2004, but in 2008 former students of Maine South broadcasting teacher Mark Bielak gathered together at a Chicago restaurant to share memories of Bielak, who died that year.