Shudders to think what would happen

I am writing in response to the request on the WMUB website that asks for comments on the station.  I do not know what plans you are considering but I ask you to please consider keeping WMUB as part of your universities mission and outreach to the rest of us.

My husband and I began listening to public radio in the 1970's around the time of Watergate. It came from a public university in Washington state. We do not, nor have we in the past chosen to have cable TV.   In fact,  we lived in isolated places where any other TV was not accessible for almost 15 years.  We spent ten and a half years of that time without NPR at all.  Fortunately we were able to pick up Canadian radio otherwise we would only have had country music with talk shows such as Rush Limbaugh.  We have loved listening to WMUB since moving to Indiana in 1993.

Your radio station is especially important to me and probably to many others like me, who currently find WMUB the only station that is received at home.  Although I can listen to a multitude of stations when I commute to work, WMUB is the only station I receive in my neighborhood.   I value and treasure the ability to hear good radio programming at home.  Our radio is on for many hours per day.  We have supported WMUB since we moved to Indiana in 1993.

 Once we also received WXVR which was a subsidiary of WVXU.  I don't know what happened but the station vanished from the air several months ago and is now a Christian FM station.  I shudder to think what would happen if WMUB disappeared also.  There would be nothing to listen to at home at all.  Although I value reading internet news, I really like listening to radio at home too.

WMUB has consistently excellent programming.  Not only are the NPR programs diverse and excellent but I have not heard such high quality local programming on any other station I listen to.    This includes, due to much commuting, stations in Indianapolis, Anderson, and Muncie, Indiana.  It is an excellent way to make people aware of your university and it is an excellent way to train students interested in a career in radio.

The other long term benefit to your school is if students who apply to attend Miami University have access to good public radio while they are growing up they will have a wider base for understanding the world than if they grow up with private radio station with a more narrow point of view.

Please find a way to help this station continue its wonderful mission to the people of America.  We need it.   And we love listening to Mama Jazz.

--Kristen Dobyns, Richmond