Dr. Arthur Smith, “Doc Smith” to the students at WCUR taught classes in Geology, Science Education, and Electron Microscopy at West Chester University joining the faculty in 1984. He received his B.A., M.S., and Ed.D. at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1975 Doc was selected as Pennsylvania’s Teacher of the Year and was one of four national finalists. In 1983 he received of the National Science Foundation’s Outstanding Educator in Science Award, and in 1992 the University of Pennsylvania Educator of the Year Award. A First Class Radiotelephone F.C.C. Licensee in 2007 Doc was selected Faculty Advisor, and after he retired Designated Control Operator (DCO) of WCUR.
Doc believes that broadcast radio offers a unique opportunity for students to develop their leadership skills. Students involved with WCUR receive amazing opportunities such as hosting their own radio shows, skill development, organization, planning and developing an on-air personality, or serving as station executive staff members in programming, music, finance, and other leadership positions that make the station function on a daily basis. Doc believes that any student can join WCUR knowing nothing about radio and become an integral member of the broadcast and operations team.”
Dr. Philip Thompsen is the faculty advisor to WCUR. In this role, he advises student leadership in station management, participates in our training program, recruits new members to the station, helps maintain our program automation system, works to enforce station by-laws and policies, and serves as a liaison between the station and the academic mission of the university. He hosts the “Moldy Oldies Show,” and many students sit in on his show as part of their training. He also works with the station’s “mobile journalism” program, which produces the WCUR Weather Minute and Sports Minute.
When Dr. Thompsen joined the faculty at WCU in 1997, WCUR was a closed-circuit AM station, and could only be heard in dormitories on campus. Dr. Thompsen worked with Student Services, Inc. to file an application for an FM broadcast license, and WCUR-FM officially began broadcasting on the air on September 1, 1999. In 2001, we started streaming our signal over the internet.
Dr. Thompsen teaches courses in broadcasting in the Department of Communication, and many students at WCUR have taken one or more of his courses. He is author of the textbook, “On Air: Effective Announcing,” and has published numerous scholarly articles and presentations in the field of media studies. He has also served as faculty advisor to The Quad, the student news service of West Chester University, as well as WCU Studios, our campus television station. Prior to starting his career as a college professor in 1984, he worked for eight years as a professional radio announcer.
A little bit about Alternate Designated Chief Operator Joe LaManna, in 2015 he was tasked with demolishing and rebuilding his high schools radio station including all of the transmission systems. He did this with the help of one of his friends who was also a member in the fire department Joe was involved with. This man owned a very successful FM Broadcast Engineering, and Two-Way Radio Systems company. Joe worked side by side with him for several years, working on several 1-10,00 watt radio stations. Including; WLNG Long Island, WALK Long Island, and WHTZ (Z100 based in New York City). Upon his mentor falling ill Joe was entrusted with the radio service company his mentor had built over several decades and began servicing these accounts himself. In 2017 when Joe went off to college he sold the FM Engineering side of the business off to a firm based in upstate NY. However even after the sale he couldn’t stay away from FM systems and took on the FCC Licensing needs for several college radio stations. He maintains to this day all of the Two-Way Radio accounts started in the 1970s by his predecessor. While in college Joe decided it was time to move from the MDF room to the studio! He hosted “A Walk Down Memory Lane” on WVYC (York, PA) before transferring to West Chester University in 2019. He has kept his oldies, and 1960s Radio Jingles format on WCUR. In January of 2022 he was promoted from training director to General Manager, and began a massive transformation of WCUR. Reviving the station from just 36 members to the current 103 members the station has now. In spring of 2023 Student Services Inc. (Licensee of WCUR) retained Joe’s services to be an advisor to the station, and serve as alternate DCO. He hopes you’ll stay tuned to CRYSTAL CLEAR 91.7FM WCUR!
