Class 2003
County Achievement Awards
Hampshire County
Carol Moore Cutting
Carol Moore Cutting started WEIB radio, 106.3 Smooth FM, in 1999 in Northampton. The station sends its "cool jazz, smooth sounds, and a touch of soul" throughout western New England, covering Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, and New Hampshire.
A native of Alabama, Carol earned her bachelor's degree at Tuskegee University, where she took to heart the philosophy of the institution's founder, Dr. Booker T. Washington: "Every person who has grown to any degree of usefulness, every person who has grown to distinction, almost without exception, has been a person who has risen by overcoming obstacles, by removing difficulties, by resolving that when he has met discouragement, he would not give up."
Carol completed a master's degree at Springfield College nearly 30 years ago, and began her decade-long quest to receive permission from the FCC to establish an FM radio station. She is one of the first women in Massachusetts, and the first African American, to continuously operate a radio station, a significant achievement in a time when large broadcast companies are operating multiple facilities throughout the country. Carol's locally-owned and operated station features "The Cutting Edge Blend," a popular mix of smooth jazz and urban adult contemporary music.
Carol serves on numerous committees and organizations in the area, and has been featured in magazines including Black Enterprise Magazine. She has lectured internationally and appeared on panels throughout the country. Carol believes strongly in a sense of community, and continues to promote positive participation in community activities.