Every December, VMFM 91.7 broadcasts Yuletide tunes from the Marywood University campus to the community and around the world.
This year, the seasonal station, known today as Christmas 91.7, is marking 25 years of playing all kinds of holiday music.
The first festive tunes went on the airwaves on VMFM 91.5 on Dec. 16, 2001, originally called “VMFM 91.5 Your Holiday Alternative.” Studio engineer Mary Ruddy, who was the student station manager at the time, said that year was the first the station had computers that allowed them to be on air 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Having that capability gave station management the idea to remain on air while students were away.
“Previously the alternative was that we weren’t on the air, so now we’re just going to play Christmas music because its fun to do. And who doesn’t like good Christmas music in December?” he said of the station’s decision to broadcast Christmas tunes.
Initially, station staff played CDs of Christmas music, some of which Ruddy brought in himself, but they now play the music digitally. It was renamed “Christmas 91.7” in 2011.
The music typically starts in early December, when the tree in the Rotunda of the Liberal Arts Center is lit, and goes until New Year’s Day. Christmas music is also played on Jan. 6 and 7 for Orthodox Christmas, which Ruddy said people appreciate.
“We get emails … social media comments thanking us for doing that,” he said.
The type of holiday music that airs is broad, from top hits, to classic Christmas carols by artists like Bing Crosby and instrumental music, with genres like country and gospel included.
“It’s an eclectic mix of music,” said Ernie Mengoni, the university’s director of broadcast operations.
They said the station’s setup as a college radio station allows it to play both popular and lesser-known holiday music.
“You will definitely hear more of a selection of music on VMFM than the commercial stations,” Mengoni said.
The Christmas music was initially played in the lower level of the former Learning Resources Center, moving to the lower level of the Learning Commons in 2016. The radio station moved to the first floor of the Learning Commons in August as part of the Main Street Marywood initiative.
Ruddy likes seeing the Christmas decorations on campus through the windows that surround the station, particularly during the tree lighting, while Mengoni said the snowy landscape and decorations add to the seasonal flavor.
“When we had that Christmas tree lighting and there were people all over the place, it was great to be able to look out and see everyone out there enjoying celebrating,” Ruddy said.
Ernie Mengoni, director of broadcast operations at Marywood University, shows some of the first Christmas CDs played over the air in 2001 during the holiday season. (Christine Lee/Staff Photo
Ernie Mengoni, director of broadcast operations at Marywood University, shows some of the first Christmas CDs played over the air in 2001 during the holiday season. (Christine Lee/Staff Photo
Ernie Mengoni, director of broadcast operations at Marywood University, and Mark Ruddy, alum and studio engineer at Marywood University, pose for a photograph in the university’s radio station 91.7 VMFM in Dunmore Wednesday, December 17, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
The outside of Marywood University’s radio station 91.7 VMFM in Dunmore Wednesday, December 17, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Ernie Mengoni, director of broadcast operations at Marywood University, shows some of the first Christmas CDs played over the air in 2001 during the holiday season. (Christine Lee/Staff Photo
Mengoni said the reception to the Christmas music has been positive, and over time they have gotten the campus involved with it — allowing students, faculty and administrators to record a Christmas greeting that is broadcast on air. Audio clips from Christmas movies and television specials are also played.
“The campus, I think, really loves the idea and likes to participate,” he said.
Mengoni said the variety of holiday music is what people like most about Christmas 91.7.
“You’re not listening to the same 50 Christmas songs over and over again,” he said.
Mengoni likes Christmas music from the 1950s and ’60s, while Ruddy likes the instrumental music, which he said evokes memories of Christmases past.
The station gets its most listeners on Christmas Day and Christmas Eve — so much so that Mengoni said they have had to pay for extra streams. The station reaches around 200,000 households from Carbondale to Wilkes-Barre, but with the music available online and with the TuneIn radio app, they said people have listened from as far away as Switzerland, Italy and Germany.
Ruddy said playing Christmas music was once just something to fill air space during the holiday break, but now people look forward to it. They started airing the Christmas music to coincide with the tree lighting in 2015. The music continued playing in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, which Mengoni said meant more to people that year given the uncertainty of the situation.
“People were just looking for something to be happy about, so I think the Christmas season was certainly that excuse just to be happy and to celebrate,” he said. “I think Christmas was a little bit more special that year just because of what everyone was through that year.”
Mengoni said having the music on the radio makes it accessible to older individuals who might not have internet or smartphones.
Ruddy marked the 25th anniversary of playing Christmas music on the radio station by playing some of the first Christmas songs that were aired 25 years ago on Dec. 13. But they keep talking on air limited.
“We try to keep it uninterrupted,” he said. “We try to keep anything special down to a minimum just so it’s more music. It’s more about the music than it is anything else.”
Mengoni and Ruddy hope the Christmas music will continue for a long time as it fills a need in the community for those who might not have the technology to listen otherwise.
“It’s grown so much over the past 25 years, especially the past few years here, that it’s kind of hard to imagine the campus without it at this point,” Ruddy said. “I just hope it continues to be embraced by the Marywood community and administration.”