Wtmd

In letters and at community association meetings this week, neighbors of the Senator Theatre are voicing concerns over its possible takeover by Towson University radio station WTMD. Complaining that the university has not been a good neighbor in the past, they want assurances Towson officials will pay closer heed to their concerns once even more students start flooding the area. "There's certainly more of a potential for disruption in the area than when it was just a movie theater," says Debbie Jones, who has lived in the Lake Evesham community just north of the Senator since 1988.

The session starts with an addictive drumbeat. As 89.7 WTMD-FM program director Mike "Matthews" Vasilikos and air host Don Rogers watch Jeff Trueman thump the skins in the Towson University studio, their feet tap and their heads nod slightly. Their listeners are going to love this. The rest of the band, The Pale Stars, launches into the tune "Everything's Wrong." The best take, along with three other songs and an interview, will air Tuesday on WTMD's Baltimore Unsigned. The three-week-old program normally airs at 8 p.m. Mondays and features in-studio performances and conversations with local bands.

WTMD-FM, the public radio station based at Towson University, began airing newscasts from National Public Radio yesterday, when it became an NPR member station. The station, heard at 89.7 FM, is not changing format and will continue to air a mix of rock, country and blues. But its hourly newscasts now will come from NPR rather than Associated Press Network News. "WTMD is trying to grow as quickly as we can, and to be a part of the community in a valuable way, and we see NPR membership as another way to provide programming services and opportunities for our listeners," said WTMD general manager Stephen Yasko.

TOWSON Coach: Pat Kennedy, first season at Towson, 25th overall (416-311) Affiliation: Colonial Athletic Association 2003-04 record: 8-21 (4-14 CAA) Radio: WTMD (89.7 FM) Arena: Towson Center (5,000) Consensus CAA favorite: Old Dominion Consensus Towson prediction: 10th Starters lost: One Outlook: A tough assignment awaits Kennedy, a well-known coach who has taken Iona, Florida State and DePaul to the NCAA tournament and the Seminoles to the NIT championship game. He has virtually an entire roster returning, including Jake McCartney, who missed almost all of last season with a knee injury.

A classic game of switcheroo greeted listeners of Baltimore's 104.3 FM yesterday morning, as the radio station prepared to change its format from classic rock to smooth jazz. For two hours before the switch was made at 10 a.m., the station played artists as varied as Christina Aguilera, Frank Sinatra and Metallica while teasing: "B104.3. What will it be?" "The stunt worked," said Scott Lindy, operations manager for the station's owner, Clear Channel Baltimore. Or at least it got attention.

Get out the black bunting. Shut down the malls. For those among us whose thirst for easy listening is not easily slaked by a long trip in an elevator, there's bad news a-looming: WTMD-FM, Towson University's radio station, is changing its format. WTMD will be dropping the low-calorie jazz of the past 11 years in favor of what's called "triple-A" - adult acoustic alternative. So, so long, Kenny G, John Tesh and Yanni. Hello, the Dave Matthews Band and Tracy Chapman, Los Lobos and the Rolling Stones, Matchbox 20 and Shemekia Copeland.

Morgan State (0-1) at Towson (0-0) Site: Towson University Stadium Time: 7.30 Radio: WTMD (89.7 FM), WEAA (88.9 FM) Series: Towson leads 11-4 Outlook: There will be a lot of hoopla tonight surrounding Towson's debut in its new 11,198-seat stadium that is still under construction at an estimated cost of $31.5 million. Add all the natural implications of the local Morgan State-Towson rivalry and the stage is set for an interesting show. Both teams need a victory to inject life into their seasons, with Towson playing its season opener and Morgan trying to bounce back from a close, demoralizing loss to Gardner-Webb last week in its opener.

Today's game No. 15 Towson (4-4) at UMBC (3-5) Site: UMBC Stadium Time: 7 p.m. Radio: WTMD (89.7 FM) Outlook: These two neighborhood teams with all kinds of emotional ties are having down years, but that won't change their approach to this game. It is the first of a season-ending, four-game homestand for the Retrievers, who are showing some offensive punch lately behind sophomore midfielder Justin Smith, who has six goals and two assists in the last two games. Towson is still trying to figure out why the magic of 2001 is gone.