Radio station honors
WVUD Hall of Fame inducts Foster, Mackenzie, Ohlmacher
3:06 p.m., May 10, 2012--Three people have been inducted into the WVUD Hall of Fame for their contributions to the University of Delaware radio station.
J. Michael Foster, Scott Ohlmacher and David Mackenzie were inducted Wednesday evening, May 9, during a ceremony at the Perkins Student Center.
Honors Stories
National Medal of Science
Warren Award
"We are happy to have these three gentlemen as part of our radio Hall of Fame," said Steve Kramarck, WVUD station manager. "Each has made valuable contributions to the station and it is an honor to acknowledge their accomplishments."
J. Michael Foster
Foster arrived at what was then WXDR in the 1980s and has been a fixture on UD radio ever since. As a professional music librarian, Foster's skills came in quite handy as he took on organizational responsibilities of the station’s jazz and classical departments. In this role, he was also able to find fresh on-air talent for both departments.
At a time when many radio entities were doing away with jazz and classical programming, Foster remained a steadfast supporter of these genres. With his vast knowledge of the music, his frequent on-air shifts, and his smooth vocal delivery, Foster is recognized as "the voice" of WVUD by many listeners.
David Mackenzie
Mackenzie served UD radio in two separate eras, adding valuable contributions to each. As a tech savvy student, Mackenzie was an important part of WVUD forerunners WDRB and WXDR. His roles as training director and assistant chief engineer and his commercial radio experience helped to keep a very young radio station on the air and flourishing.
Many years later, as a professional broadcast engineer, Mackenzie returned to what had become WVUD. In the years that followed, WVUD underwent a transformation, rapidly evolving from less than state of the art equipment to being on the cutting edge of radio technology.
Under Mackenzie's guidance, WVUD’s studios reached a point where they surpassed most of the commercial radio facilities in the area. He was also the main force behind the move to 6,800 watts and the addition of HD radio.
Scott Ohlmacher
Ohlmacher was a student member of WVUD from 2005-09. It was during this four year period that WVUD experienced the largest amount of change and growth since its formative years as WHEN, WDRB and WXDR. Ohlmacher was thrust into a challenging leadership position at a difficult time, and he played a large part in how strongly WVUD emerged.
Ohlmacher served on the operations board as music director, program director and ultimately as general manager. It was as the general manager that he spearheaded long overdue overhauls of the WVUD constitution and bylaws, as well as a streamlining of the board itself.