Twitter
Facebook
Reddit
Digg
Tell us what you think!Send a letter to the editor about this or any other article in The Maine Campus.
It’s a typical afternoon at WMEB, the University of Maine’s student-run radio station. One student is perusing over a stack of CDs to be reviewed, another is discussing this year’s T-shirt order while the latest indie rock song by a band you’ve probably never heard of is blaring over the speakers. Meanwhile, Tom Grucza, WMEB’s station manager since the fall of 2004, sits calmly in his office, talking with another employee about the latest goings-on at the station.
Grucza’s continued commitment to WMEB has kept the station relevant through a time when the music world has undergone drastic changes. Modern radio, as with most of today’s media, has been severely affected by the Internet. WMEB has been able to not only stay current but to flourish under Grucza’s management.
Independent and alternative music has played a huge role Grucza’s life. Growing up in Strongsville, Ohio – just outside Cleveland – he was afforded the opportunity to see a lot of concerts.
“My first concert was Pearl Jam when I was in eighth grade,” Grucza said. “Iggy Pop opened. I didn’t know who Iggy Pop was at the time; I just knew he was kind of weird because he didn’t have a shirt on.”
Grucza’s love for local college radio began during his freshman year of high school when he started listening to a college station in Ohio. He surrounded himself with new and different music at an early age.
“What really started leading me into more indie stuff was the fact that 107.9 [a Cleveland modern rock station] had the full six-and-a-half minute version of ‘Paranoid Android’ [by Radiohead] in their rotation,” Grucza said. “They were playing it like three or four times a day, and I just had to know more about this band.”
It is Grucza’s passion for local, independent college stations like WMEB that has driven him to do all he has done for the station. Grucza works an average of 20 hours per week for WMEB, while extra-busy weeks require up to 30 hours. He said he is committed to making sure a station like WMEB exists in this area because when he arrived in Maine in 2003, the radio had very little variety.
“From the beginning, I wanted to make sure that this station has as much exposure as possible and was the best that it possibly could be with the limited amount of resources we have,” Grucza said. “We’re fulfilling that niche and making sure that people that want to discover new music can.”
As the station manager, part of Grucza’s job includes being in charge of the paid eight-person staff.
“Tom does a good job keeping everything at WMEB organized and makes sure we are all on top of any projects that need to get done, whether it’s me running promos about the slogan change, helping Rose [Cortega] with upcoming shows and promotions or giving Tim [Grucza] and Jay [Grant] some new music to check out and get in the bins,” said Rob Moriarty, productions director at WMEB.
The staff understands Grucza’s devotion to the station’s image, as well.
“[Tom's] the one who strives to have the station be different from what’s on regular radio,” said James MacKay, program director at WMEB. “Some people might not like that or understand it, but over my four years at WMEB, I’ve gradually understood why WMEB needs to be different to offer variety at a time where radio has probably seen the least amount of diversity. Tom has been essential in continuing that tradition at WMEB.”
Grucza has certainly been afforded a unique opportunity by keeping his position for so long. After being asked by the previous staff to apply for the job when he was only a first-year, Grucza has been able to see many projects over the course of his five years. He said students often hold positions for less than two years.
So what exactly will be passed on when Grucza leaves his post? Drawing on his own lessons as a business student, Grucza worked to revitalize the station’s image. He feels his biggest contribution has been in promotions. Grucza’s first act as manager, in 2004, was the creation of a promotions department whose sole job was hyping the station.
“When I leave here next year, I’d like to think the main thing I did was increase exposure,” Grucza said. “Through the promotions department, selling apparel, doing the outdoor broadcasts and putting together some really kick-ass concerts, I think we’ve really expanded the listenership exponentially from where it was in 2003.”
Without actual data, Grucza said it’s hard to tell, but the increase in both positive and negative feedback from the community through word of mouth and e-mail shows an increase in the amount of people paying attention to WMEB.
Whatever the case, it is clear that Grucza takes his job seriously, and in doing so for such a long time, he has solidified the station’s place as a valuable tool for discovering new music.
“If there’s one thing I can say about Tom it’s that he’s a professional,” MacKay said.
Grucza says his experiences at WMEB may lead him to a career in the radio industry, although with the music business’s uncertain outlook, Grucza’s future plans remain uncertain.
Bangor Daily News