WMFO

Biography

For over one hundred years, radio waves have been broadcast by students, professors, and members of the Medford and Somerville communities from the top of Walnut Hill. The current station broadcasts under the callsign WMFO, but this is not the first radio station to broadcast from Tufts University. In 1910, the first radio club was founded, and they were instrumental in the transition from morse-code to continuous wave broadcasting. Their station was known as 1XE, and in 1921 they became the first radio station with a daily broadcast schedule. For the last sixty-five years, it has been WMFO that has carried the torch of radio at tufts. In 1956, the earliest iteration of WMFO was founded with the callsign WTCR (Tufts Community Radio) and broadcasted from Braker Hall. After a hiatus from 1961 to 1967, WTUR (Tufts University Radio) reformed, operating out of Curtis Hall, where WMFO still broadcasts from today.

WMFO is part of a rare variety of “freeform” radio stations. That means there are few to no restrictions on what the DJ can broadcast. Notable freeform programs currently on the air include “Something About the Women” (music from female identifying artists), “On the Town” (live local music), and “Anba Tonèl Lakay” (Haitian political commentary and music).

In addition to broadcast radio, WMFO also provides a recording studio for student bands, and organizes concerts with student bands, members of the local music scene, and nationally touring bands. The station is managed by an elected board of student DJs and is maintained by a larger group of student and community volunteers.

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