A Change in the Air
They say (whoever “they” are) that the only constant in change. I’ve been at WBHM for 23 years now and while there has certainly been changes in programming and staff (it was bittersweet to bid farewell to Janae), our physical space has undergone a transformation as well.
Perhaps the biggest change was the renovation to one of our buildings into what has now become our newsroom. As some of you may know, for many years, WBHM operated a closed-circuit broadcast specifically dedicated to those who are blind or print impaired. Unfortunately, the Alabama Reading Service was a victim of technology, and over the years, the service reduced in size and ultimately closed.
The Reading Service was the largest unused space we had. As WBHM evolved to meet our listeners needs for news and fact-based journalism, it was a natural fit to move the newsroom to the Reading Service space. As we continued to add staff (including the Gulf States Newsroom), we soon combined the newsroom with an adjoining storage room, and renovated the whole newsroom space (thanks in part to your donations!) to better accommodate our journalists.
As WBHM continues to grow, we also have closets that were once bathrooms, a music library which became a studio, and a studio that became an office!
But one change in our neighborhood here on Southside always generates a smile. For many years, the Birmingham Mounted Patrol was located right behind our building! Today, this space is the home of the UAB Recycling Center, but embedded in the sidewalk lies a memory of the past. And how many NPR stations can say someone on horseback walked past their front door?!
(Through “Programming Notes,” we hope to keep you connected to what is happening at WBHM both internally and on-air. Have feedback you’d like to share? Or a programming question? Let me know!)
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