Carrier current station For most of its time on the air, WTMD was the
college radio station of
Towson State University. It has its origins in a network of closed-circuit
carrier current transmitters on the Towson campus, inaugurated in Spring 1972. Although carrier current stations are not licensed by the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the operation adopted the unofficial
call sign of WVTS ("Voice of Towson State") as a familiar form of identification. Efforts began to build out an FM station, although it was hampered by a lack of available frequencies as other educational broadcasters built their stations first. A plan to partner with
Morgan State University to launch a shared station (later to become
WEAA) fell through. A 1973 letter to
The Towerlight was reflective of the overall mood surrounding the station, bemoaning the fact that the largest mass communications program in the state had only a carrier current station for training students who planned careers in media. The author described the carrier current station as a "sophisticated
intercom." There were also concerns about poor news and events coverage, and a lack of professionalism on the part of airstaff.
Adult Alternative After eleven years of what
Sun media reporter
David Folkenflik derisively referred to as "low-calorie"
elevator music, WTMD flipped to
adult album alternative (AAA) – a mix of
indie rock,
alternative rock,
folk and
alternative country – on December 3, 2002. Station management indicated they were impressed by the success of stations such as
WXPN and
KCRW, and sought a musical format not otherwise accessible in Baltimore. At the time, WEAA, WJHU, and
Washington's WPFW also devoted at least part of their broadcast days to jazz. The AAA format has achieved a similar level of success, and WTMD developed a reputation as a strong supporter of the local music scene. WTMD concurrently moved from faculty oversight in the Department of Electronic Media and Film to direct management by the university's communications department. The station employed an all-professional office and air staff, although Towson students served as interns and worked their way into on-air positions. In 2014, the station's management was delegated to the affiliated nonprofit Towson University Public Media, though the university retained ownership of the station and its assets. The carrier current network became known as WTSR ("Towson State Radio") in 1981, and gradually became more eclectic after the FM station dropped progressive rock. It was shut down in 2004; WTSR moved online and still exists today as
XTSR.
Change in ownership In May 2021, Your Public Radio Corporation, the owner of
WYPR, reached an agreement to acquire the station for $3 million. WTMD retains its format and programming. The acquisition closed on November 10, 2021, after receiving
Federal Communications Commission approval. In 2024, Your Public Media changed its name to Baltimore Public Media.
First Thursday Concerts in the Park WTMD produces First Thursday Concerts in the Park, a series of six free after work shows at West Mount Vernon Park in downtown Baltimore, and starting in 2014,
Canton Waterfront Park. Artists like
The Damnwells,
Joan Osborne,
Los Lonely Boys,
LP,
Steve Forbert,
The Colour, The Young Dubliners and others have performed, attracting crowds of about 3,000. The 2013 calendar included performances by artists The Lone Below,
Alpha Rev,
The Wild Feathers, and the
Kopecky Family Band. As of 2013, First Thursday attendance has dramatically increased, doubling from previous years to draw 6,000 to 7,000 attendees. The 2014 calendar included artists such as
Joan Osborne,
Joseph Arthur,
Marah,
Los Lonely Boys, Spanish Gold,
LP,
Grizfolk,
Strand of Oaks,
Lydia Loveless,
Moon Taxi,
The Whigs,
JD McPherson,
The Hold Steady,
Hamilton Leithauser, and
Among Wolves. WTMD was simulcast full-time on WAMU-HD2 until September 2007, when WAMU removed all music programming from its primary signal and flipped the HD2 subchannel to
Americana and
bluegrass-formatted "Bluegrass Country". The simulcast moved to overnights and weekends on WAMU-HD3; in 2010, the WTMD-programmed blocks were flipped to content from
XPoNential Radio. WTMD also broadcast on
FM translator W288BS, located in the Washington suburb of
Great Falls, Virginia on 105.5 FM. This translator was fed by WAMU's HD signal and began relaying Bluegrass Country in October 2008. ==References==