On May 1, 1988 WERU Community Radio began broadcasting at 89.9 FM from the top of Blue Hill Mountain along Downeast and Midcoast Maine. In 1997 the station moved to its current location in East Orland. We began streaming its broadcast signal on the Internet in 1999. In 2012 we replaced our aged radio transmitter, which we rather miraculously kept running well beyond its expected life span, with a new state of the art transmitter. Also in 2012 WERU established a low power signal to Bangor at 99.9 FM.

In 2013, WERU celebrated 25 years of Community Radio. We invite you to visit the special 25th anniversary section on our website where you can find photos from past and present, past issues of the Salt Air program guide, a WERU History timeline, information on special programming, and more.  Materials will be added from time to time, so keep checking back for updates. Many thanks to all of the volunteers, members, business members and programming underwriters who have sustained the station for all these years!

WERU’s original bumper sticker

History Highlights:

• On May 1, 1988, after eight years of planning and work by an highly dedicated group of volunteers, WERU began broadcasting at 89.9 FM from the top of Blue Hill Mountain on the coast of Maine. Noel Paul Stookey was the station’s first benefactor and WERU first broadcast from studios in his converted chicken house building, affectionately known as “The Henhouse.” In 1997 the station moved to its current location on U.S. Route 1 in East Orland.
• WERU is a noncommercial radio broadcasting service that is owned and operated by Salt Pond Community Broadcasting, an independent nonprofit corporation.  From its inception WERU has been a grassroots, volunteer-powered and listener-supported community radio service.
• WERU is “a voice of many voices” featuring over 100 on-air volunteers who are trained to be music programmers and program hosts, news reporters and public affairs producers, and panel discussion and call-in program hosts. WERU provides access to the airwaves for its listeners, musicians (local and beyond), community organizations, and many others in the station’s broadcast service area.
• The organization’s governance structure is comprised of a volunteer board of directors, several volunteer committees and a paid staff of seven.  The paid staff manages the administrative, development, financial, membership, volunteer coordination, programming coordination and technical operations of the station, in partnership with the various volunteer committees.
• WERU is proud of its active volunteer base of 250 people that includes over 100 “off-air” volunteers who do everything from serving on committees to maintaining the music library to representing the station at outreach events.
• Financial support for WERU comes from our listeners (we have over 2,500 contributing members), local businesses and organizations, community events, foundation grants and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
• WERU-FM transmits from the top of Blue Hill Mountain at 89.9 MHz with 12,000 watts of power and at 99.9 MHz in the Bangor area with 140 watts.
• WERU is a member of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters, Maine Association of Broadcasters, World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters – AMARC, Maine Association of Nonprofits, and the Grassroots Radio Coalition (as a founding member).

2018 marks our 30th anniversary, but you can explore our history through our WERU’s 25th anniversary project.