Longtime local radio broadcasters Mel Lee, left, and Jan Hill will broadcast final shows on Saturday [Nov. 7], when the WMRA station in Harrisonburg hosts a drop-in open house from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Lee hosts Songbag, while Hill is the host of Jan's Jamboree. (Photos courtesy of Matt Bingay)

Mel Lee and Jan Hill, longtime WEMC and WMRA broadcasters, set to retire this week

by WEMC communications staff

The final broadcast for Mel Lee’s Songbag and Jan Hill’s Jan’s Jamboree on Harrisonburg public radio station WEMC-91.7 FM will be Saturday, Nov. 7.

Listeners and fans are invited to drop by the WEMC studios in Harrisonburg between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. during these final broadcasts to wish the duo a happy retirement. Both programs will be featuring live music throughout the day.

Lee began his broadcasting career on WEMC in 1984 when then general manager Bill Miller convinced him to host a regular show. He continued on WMRA until 1991. Songbag was resurrected on WEMC in 2001 when Phil Easley persuaded him to continue the show.

November 7 is the anniversary of Lee’s debut on WEMC and this final broadcast marks 14 years of the Songbag on WEMC. Lee’s future plans include more international travel.

Jan Hill WEMC at EMU
Jan Hill broadcasting at WEMC. (Courtesy photo)

Hill began her broadcasting career on WMRA around 1986 when then general manager Brenda Pennell asked her to bring her love of bluegrass music to the airwaves. That first foray into bluegrass lasted a few years. Then in 1991, she was offered an opportunity to create and host Jan’s Jamboree on WEMC, and she has been doing so for the past 24 years.

Hill is retiring from the airwaves to focus on life at home and better manage her rental properties. She is also eager to use her free time to attend many more bluegrass events.

Starting Saturday, Nov. 14, WEMC will begin broadcasting classical music from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Founded in 1955 as a gift from the class of 1954, WEMC is the oldest public radio station in Virginia.  In 2007, James Madison University’s radio station and Harrisonburg’s National Public Radio affiliate, WMRA-90.7 FM, assumed management of WEMC, with the concurrence and ongoing input of EMU officials. [An article about the history of WEMC will be published shortly on the EMU news site.]

From its transmission tower on the crest of the hill west of EMU, WEMC’s signal can reach up to 88,000 people who live within a 25-mile radius of the university. WEMC is also streamed online, and through a new smartphone or tablet app.

Discussion on “Mel Lee and Jan Hill, longtime WEMC and WMRA broadcasters, set to retire this week”

  1. As much as I appreciate classical music, I will miss these two programs from WEMC’s Saturday morning line-up. Bidding farewell to The People’s Pharmacy and the Folk Sampler was hard enough! I hope that the WMRA/WEMC team will consider restoring similar programming on Saturdays. And please, PLEASE–don’t mess with Sunday mornings!

  2. Mere words can’t express my sadness at seeing these two veteran “boss jocks” concluding their respective long runs of rare air fare on WEMC while at the same time offering a heartfelt “THANKS” for the legacy of great, unique local programming to the central Shenandoah Valley. I especially commend your steadfast commitment to quality local programming, which is the part I hate to see happening – the loss of two distinctive shows that you did so well for so long – when if anything both WEMC and WMRA should be offering more of, such as John Horst’s “Mostly Mennonite, Mostly Acapella.” I would be at your open house/farewell celebration on Saturday but, alas, O Lord, I’m stuck in Lodi again and thus will be with you in spirit. Well done, you good and faithful public servants, and blessings as you move on. May you have many more magical musical moments and no dead air! – jim b., WEMC air personality (long on air, short on personality) emeritus

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