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David Fair: This is 89.1 WEMU, and today is a special day! It was December 8th of 1965 that WEMU first went on the air. Today is our official 60th anniversary of broadcasting from the campus of Eastern Michigan University. I'm David Fair, and we thank you for supporting WEMU for six decades. Throughout the year, we've been talking with a number of people that have been foundational in helping launch and then grow WEMU into the community resource it is today. Today on our anniversary, we offer a final conversation in our series of reflections and ruminations. Joining us in studio is Dr. James Smith. He is the president of Eastern Michigan University. And, President Smith, is that a song familiar to you?
Dr. James Smith: That is my favorite jazz song! Linda Yohn used to play it every time I came into the studio. Thank you, Les McCann, Eddie Harris, from that era, from the 1960s!
David Fair: Exactly right! It's called "Compared to What," and it did become a tradition with your arrival any time you came to the studios of 89.1 WEMU. So, what did it mean to you when you would come in and Linda would take the time to put that song on and welcome you in that manner?
Dr. James Smith: Well, it tells you how good a journalists all of you are. Literally, Linda and I met at the first engagement we had here on campus, and she asked me if I like jazz, and I told her that Les McCann, Eddie Harris, the Montrose Jazz Festival is one of my all-time favorites. And from there, the first time I came in to do live studio work, she had it playing. And it tells you she's attuned as you are to details, has a good memory, but also wanted the president to feel comfortable here. And I certainly always have!
David Fair: Well, it speaks to the primary mission of WEMU. That's to create and engage in meaningful relationships. And you've not only been a loyal listener to WEMU since you arrived on campus ten years ago, but you've been a strong supporter and relentless advocate. How do you characterize your personal relationship to the station and its staff?
Dr. James Smith: Well, I'm a NPR addict! It's the first thing that comes on in the morning. Connie said not to say this this morning, but I'm going to say it anyway. We say when we get up in the morning, who's turning on David Fair? So, you know you are the first thing that comes across our mind at 5:45 or 6 AM, depending on what hour we get up. But I think the most important thing, David, for a personal perspective, is this is real news. This is hyperlocal news. I love the national picture. I love the international picture. But the hyperlocal, the school board elections, the discussions that you'll have at city council and county commission meetings, you don't hear it anywhere else.
David Fair: Well, while we sit outside the primary mission of academia at Eastern Michigan, why do you see WEMU is important to the university's mission?
Dr. James Smith: Well, we talk about athletics being the front porch. You know, people often will come to see a football game or a basketball game and have no idea what's going on in the chemistry lab. I think it's absolutely true of radio also. People are not on our campus, but they know Eastern Michigan University by way of WEMU. The stories you tell, the people that you bring on. Walter Kraft and I have talked about Concentrate Media, good news stories that are going on in Ypsilanti. I think that's part of selling the mission of our university.
David Fair: This is 89.1 WEMU, and today marks our official 60th anniversary of being on the air, and we are celebrating the occasion with a conversation with Eastern Michigan University President, Dr. James Smith. Now, over the decade that you've been president, you've experienced WEMU in a variety of different ways, from community events to on-air fundraising to news interviews. You've also had those public radio driveway moments, right, where you have to put off the task at hand to make sure you hear the end of whatever you are listening to. What are some of your favorite WEMU-related memories?
Dr. James Smith: I don't know that I can do a particular story, but whenever I hear Don Gonyea's voice, I'll probably have a driveway moment.
David Fair: We all do!
Dr. James Smith: I'm going to hear the rest of what he has to say, particularly when we get to you know the Iowa festival of who's going to be the next president. I think also when we think a little bit about the stories that we can tell of the community and community engagement with the university, I'm thinking of our most recent "Thankful For You" drive-thru where Kevin Meerschart was out standing on one of the little step areas to get pictures and do interviews. I think those are just critical to to my memory of WEMU.
David Fair: And as you reflect on those memories, do you remember your first trip to our current EMU studios in King Hall and what your impressions were of this particular facility?
Dr. James Smith: Well, Walter Kraft's sitting here in the studio. I believe I said to him, "Oh my God!"
David Fair: Not in a good way!
Dr. James Smith: They do this kind of radio in this place. And I've said it many times, David, you've been with me when I've said this to groups that people have no idea if you've never been in the studio. I mean, there was a period of time where we had a hose, a tube ,that brought air conditioning into the back, so that we didn't overheat and we wouldn't have been able to be on the air. And I said, "Molly, that's the most unsightly thing I've ever seen!" She said, "It works." And that's kind of the way this is. It works.
David Fair: And you know what? It works because of people. And the other mission that you have as a president of the university and, ultimately, leader of this radio station is to engender among people an environment in which we can succeed. And you've certainly provided WEMU that, but how do you approach that particular aspect of the job?
Dr. James Smith: Well, there's so many wants and so many needs around campus. You have to prioritize. I think everyone's seen that Strong Hall and Sill Hall were priorities for us. We knew that Mark Jefferson was a great facility, but if we wanted to do science, math, and engineering in sophisticated ways, we needed to do some new building. And that's the way I felt with WEMU. If we wanted to continue to be a three-time Station of the Year and make a fourth, we couldn't keep doing it in King Hall. So, we'll be moving to the the library. And I think the space is pretty terrific, and I'm hopeful that, as the new calendar folds over, that we'll be in pretty soon.
David Fair: Once again, we are talking with Eastern Michigan University President Dr. James Smith on the official 60th anniversary of WEMU taking to the airwaves on the campus of EMU. Dr. Smith is our final guest in our series of reflection and rumination conversations to mark six decades of broadcasting. Now, to paint an even better picture of our current facilities, it is retrofitted into an old girls' dorm on campus. It has really truly been a warm and welcoming place for all who work and visit here, but, as you've noted, it's rather ill-suited to the modern function of a radio station. As you indicated, the station is going to be better served in the more modern facility of Halle Library on campus. You and your administrative team and the Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents work to find a way to make this happen. Not only do we thank you for those efforts, but as the change comes in 2026, perhaps you can give us some insight. It's not an easy process to make that happen. How did you make it come to pass?
Dr. James Smith: Well, first of all, again in that prioritization, we had to look at what is the useful life of this building. And King Hall will not stay on forever. And I felt that it was important, the board felt that it was important, that when you have a highly recognized radio station, that you find a home for them that's not sitting on the head of a pin and a needle. You know, it's been a great home, as you said, and I know there are lots of warm memories, but it's not a long-term feasibility. It's not feasible to stay here. So, we worked to find a place. The library. Being the Halle family's belief that a library is not a place with just books anymore. It is a media communication art center that this was the perfect fit.
David Fair: And it is going to serve the WEMU listener and audience better. We're going to be able to have events in the station and bring people to campus. And I think you would join me in thanking the listeners and contributors to WEMU for truly keeping this radio station alive and thriving for 60 years.
Dr. James Smith: And it's amazing to me! I've heard a number of people talk about how they prefer to give, and there are hundreds of ways to give. And it can people will say to me, "Well, I can only do $50." And I've heard you and I've heard Michael Jewett say on the air, I've heard Molly say on the air, "You know, $50 is far more fundamental than you think it is. So, some people said, "Look, I can't give every two weeks like Jim Smith and Connie Ruhl-Smith can, but I can write one check a year for $100." That is significant, and that will carry the station forward for years and years to come.
David Fair: Indeed, it will! Well, for those who don't know, President Smith is going to depart Eastern Michigan University after ten years at the end of June. And that's a conversation we'll have at a different time, an exit interview of sorts. But as you prepare to depart, what are your wishes for the next 60 years of public radio at 89.1 WEMU?
Dr. James Smith: I think the joy of the sports reporting, the sports live, football and basketball. I think the love of jazz and blues, I think the quirkiness of Jeremy Baldwin's Roots Project.
David Fair: Love it!
Dr. James Smith: And I still miss Mark Taras doing Cuban Fantasy. Those are all things that are takeaways for not just this year, but for years to come.
David Fair: And if you can pass along one more thought to the audience of WEMU, what would you like them to do to be a part of the success of WEMU moving forward?
Dr. James Smith: Keep listening! Keep supporting! Keep telling our story! It's not unusual for me to hear people say, "I heard this on WEMU this morning!" And it makes my day!
David Fair: That is Eastern Michigan University President Dr. James Smith, our final guest in a series of celebratory conversations offering reflections and ruminations about six decades of radio at WEMU. President Smith, thank you for your ongoing support! And we'll see you in the New Year!
Dr. James Smith: Thank you, David!
David Fair: I'm David Fair, and this is your community NPR Station, 89.1 WEMU-FM Ypsilanti. Celebrating 60 years of broadcasting from the campus of Eastern Michigan University!
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