WUMB-FM operates as a noncommercial
public radio–style station which carries some
NPR programming. HD Radio technology allows WUMB to transmit a high-quality digital signal. Due to the crowded state of the noncommercial end of the FM dial in New England, WUMB operates at a modest 160 watts, effectively limiting its coverage area to Boston itself and its innermost suburbs. To widen its signal, it operates a network of eight repeater stations across eastern Massachusetts and southern
New Hampshire. WUMB-FM can also be heard on the Internet at both low bit rate for those with dial up connection and in stereo for those with broadband service. Since 1998, WUMB has sponsored a live music festival, called the Boston Folk Festival through 2009, but renamed to WUMB Music Fest in 2010 and 2011. The first festival was held at scattered sites in Boston's Back Bay. Since then, it has taken place on the University of Massachusetts-Boston campus. The event is currently in hiatus, however WUMB does continue to participate in music festivals around New England like the Lowell Summer Music Series and the New Bedford Folk Festival. Until 2013, WUMB broadcast with 660 watts, with a
height above average terrain of 63 meters; after the station lost its then–transmitter site, the station moved to a new site and began broadcasting with its present 160-watt facility. Original materials from WUMB have been contributed to the
American Archive of Public Broadcasting. ==Repeater stations==