WMHB-FM, Colby's community radio station, is going back on the air this fall for its 34th year. Which wouldn't be news but for the fact that it shut down voluntarily in July and remained off the air for the rest of the summer while officials scrambled to get FCC approval for a new frequency.

Lee LHeureux summer station manager at WMHBspent his time wth lawyers and engineers working on a licensing snafu. (Karen Oh '93)

This summer Lee L'Heureux '03 expected that his job as station manager during the months between his graduation from Waterville

High School and his matriculation at Colby would amount to "just making sure everything ran smoothly." Trouble was, it didn't.

In July he learned that WMHB had, for more than 10 years, been broadcasting at 90.5 mHz even though it was licensed for 91.5 mHz.

Only recently, when the Maine Public Radio network filed for the 90.5 frequency to fill in a weak sector in its coverage, did the problem come to light.

Research revealed that in the 1980s the people running WMHB filed to change its frequency from 91.5 to accommodate Maine Public Radio when it began broadcasting on 91.3 in the Waterville area. With a lack of continuity in the largely student-run station, no one ever followed up on the application and the change was never approved.

So instead of dealing with sponsors, schedules and record companies all summer, L' Heureux worked with Dean of Students Janice Kassman and Director of Student Activities Lisa Hallen, lawyers and engineers. His on-air experience in three years as a WMHB DJ during high school served him well–he handled media interviews about the situation like a pro.

Hallen and L'Heureux reported in September that a solution had been approved for WMHB to resume broadcasting at low power, enough to cover the campus area, while it awaits FCC approval to resume sending a stronger signal that helped build a loyal corps of listeners in surrounding towns

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