In John’s 33 years of service as WHUS’s General Manager, he has no doubt touched many of your lives as he has touched mine. I think it’s only fair to John to say here that this change was not in accordance with his wishes. He was hoping to finish his career at WHUS as the Program Coordinator, and though it saddens me, that’s not what transpired through the UConn/WHUS Search Committee process.

John Murphy in 2009

As I wrote last week in an email to the WHUS staff, in my view, John’s most important legacy is a radio station whose essence is so ingrained in all its parts that it may not need a charismatic leader such as himself to continue to thrive. And it should also be said that John is not “gone” from WHUS. He plans to stay on and continue to broadcast and volunteer on the staff.

I’m looking forward to continuing to work with all of you to help Friends of WHUS become a better organization and continue to position ourselves to be able to more closely work with and help WHUS Radio and the students and community members who broadcast there. I’m also looking forward to meeting Valerie and forming a meaningful and lasting relationship with her.

I’m attaching the statement Murph read to the staff on Monday night, and you can read his point of view on the situation by clicking here.  If you’re interested in learning more about the changes at WHUS, please send me an email and I will do my best to fill you in.

As John always says at the end of conversations,

Keep the Faith.

Ben Shaiken
President, Friends of WHUS
ben@friendsofwhus.org

WHUS in the Hartford Advocate.L-R '10-'11 Fundraising Director Tom Keville ('12), General Manager John Murphy, Operations Manager Liz Verhagen ('11), Public Affairs Director David Haseltine ('11)

The Hartford Advocate’s annual readers poll takes place in the fall and readers can vote for everything from their favorite pizza shop to their favorite place for wedding arrangements. WHUS has formed a longtime partnership with the Advocate, extending promotional activities into the Hartford market after a power increase to 4,400 watts in 1999.

Thank you to all the alumni who voted this year! You can see the awards hanging in WHUS’s lobby if you schedule a tour!

Click here to see the Advocate’s entry for WHUS, or pick up a copy on newsstands now!

On Saturday, February 19, Ernie Adamo (’88) stopped by Storrs with his 9-year-old daughter to see the UConn Women take on Notre Dame. He came up a little bit early to take a tour of WHUS’s new studios at the Student Union. Ernie, who was Chief Announcer at WHUS from 1990-2000, hadn’t seen the new studios since the Student Union was renovated and was impressed to see the old LP library had made it through the move.

If you’re in the area, or would like to plan to be, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us here at Friends of WHUS. We’d love to arrange to show you around!

Steve was very involved in the station as a student during the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, holding not only numerous management positions (Publicity Director, Program Director and Business Manager), but hosting “Wake Up With Wolfie,” which, at its peak of popularity, boasted an audience of 14 listeners.

Founded in 1947, Cronin and Company, LLC is a full-service marketing communications firm with offices in Glastonbury, CT and Albany, NY.  National brand clients include Amica Insurance, Humana, Konica Minolta, Benihana and Amerifit Brands. The agency’s integrated marketing communications capabilities include: advertising, interactive, public relations, social media, strategic planning, media and analytics, print and broadcast production, database/direct marketing and research.

Of his election to the Friends of WHUS, Inc. board of directors, Steve said, “I am very excited to become a part of such a young and vibrant organization and I really look forward to helping shepherd its growth.”

“We are extremely delighted to welcome Steve to our board. He is smart and energetic and will provide a unique perspective and experience to our organization,” said Friends of WHUS, Inc. co-founder and president Ben Shaiken.

More information about Cronin & Company, LLC can be found at http://cronin-co.com.

To view the full press release, click here.