OUR MISSION: The Prometheus Radio Project builds participatory radio as a tool for social justice organizing and a voice for community expression. To that end, we demystify media policy and technology, advocate for a more just media system, and help grassroots organizations build communications infrastructure to strengthen their communities and movements. Meet some of the great groups we've worked with over the last 15 years, and let us introduce you to groups that applied during the 2013 LPFM community radio licensing window. Support our work at www.prometheusradio.org/donate
For Radio NOLA HIV, who hope to become WHIV-LP, saying the name of the station is a part of the mission. “HIV is, unfortunately, still a highly stigmatized disease. … But by just saying the word, or calling out the letters over and over again, WHIV, or HIV... it becomes de-stigmatized,” says MarkAlain Dery, assistant professor of medicine at Tulane University and medical director of a sliding scale HIV clinic. He cites the enormous stigma surrounding diabetes only 50 years ago, now significantly lessened due to the fact that people loudly and boldly give public name and recognition to the disease.
Dery and his colleagues formed the New Orleans Society for Infectious Disease Awareness (NOSIDA) in 2009 to raise awareness of the silenced HIV epidemic, which has hit New Orleans and neighboring Baton Rouge very hard; the two cities repeatedly rank at numbers 3 and 2, respectively, for new diagnoses. NOSIDA strives not only to erase the stigma and raise awareness surrounding the epidemic, but also to promote knowing one’s HIV status, explaining that one in five carriers of HIV are unaware of their infection, and that these cases account for 50-60% of new infections.
To promote HIV testing, NOSIDA hosts the annual “HIV Awareness Music Project,” a concert at which local celebrities and musicians promote testing through publicly simulating an oral HIV test, quickly swabbing the inside of their mouths with a Q-tip-like device to demonstrate that the test is painless, simple, and fast. Free testing is available on site at the events.
But NOSIDA wanted to diversify their outreach and employ new and more lasting strategies for raising awareness of, de-stigmatizing and getting tested for HIV. Dery, who has always had an interest in broadcast media, had been following the media coverage of Low Power FM licensing. But it wasn't until he saw Prometheus on Democracy Now! that he realized community radio would be the perfect tool for longstanding, local, and participatory community education for NOSIDA, and that applying for a low power station was possible even for an organization of their small size.
While NOSIDA has only five staff members, they have built a deep community network of doctors, legal professionals, youth, educators, musicians, artists, clinicians, and healthcare advocates. This network has rallied enormous community support for WHIV, whose full name, Radio NOLA HIV: Programming Dedicated to Human Rights and Social Justice, more accurately describes the diverse programming the station intends to feature.
While Dery says that New Orleans radio has some great local music, he believes that WHIV will fill a gap by providing a participatory forum for local political discussion. Plans include airing largely youth-oriented and youth-created programming, promoting broadcasting skills while providing space on the airwaves for peer-to-peer education about safer sex and healthy choices in a state where abstinence-only education dominates the high school curriculum.
In addition to public health-related broadcasts, Radio NOLA HIV will air Spanish language programming geared toward immigrant and undocumented communities. Dery says he has communicated with community members about broadcasting legal advice in multiple languages for populations repeatedly targeted by hate crimes and police harassment, especially undocumented and transgender communities.
Dery also hopes the station will be a lifeline for the city in case of another environmental disaster, and has taken preemptive steps to locate the transmitter in a building with a generator and make the antenna highly windproof, ensuring continued broadcasting ability in power outages.
“When I talk to people… there’s really more of a sense of disbelief, like, ‘Really? The people are gonna get a voice?’ ...And I think that any new voice that really focuses specifically on the community is a positive thing.”
Prometheus is proud to have supported Radio NOLA HIV through the 2013 LPFM application window. Supporting Prometheus allows us to continue to offer resources to groups like this and hundreds more nationwide. Join us today!
In case you missed the big news last week - Low Power FM applications are currently being accepted at the FCC and the deadline has been extended until November 14. Need help with your application? Email support[at]prometheusradio.org for assistance!
Thank you so much for your support of our campaign! Thanks to your generosity, we raised over $6,000 which will help our technical and engineering team provide direct support to fledgling community radio stations through materials and resource creation and one-on-one application trouble-shooting.
Prometheus has been able to provide the kind of support we do because people have believed in our vision of a world in which the media is not a means to limit democratic participation, but a way for communities and movements to express themselves and struggle for justice. We imagine a nationwide community radio infrastructure made up of hundreds of independent, locally-orientated stations, part of a global movement to put media in the hands of the people. With your help over the last month (and for some of you - over the last 15 years!) we are getting closer to that moment.
For the last 30 days, we've been sharing stories about groups we've helped build stations with or groups who are going to apply during this next round at the FCC. They are just a small fraction of the vibrant spectrum of communities using radio to further social justice missions and cultural preservation. We hope you've been inspired by their work and our partnerships to wield the power of radio!
While this Indiegogo campaign has ended, the need to support this work is never over. We have a lot of work to do over the next few months, and as stations begin to receive construction permits, we'll have another stage of exciting work to organize around. Your support will continue to be crucial and highly valued. We're glad you're on board.
Thank you for being a part of this transformative time for community radio!
With sincerest thanks and appreciation,
Julia & The Staff at Prometheus
ps- Still feeling inspired to spread the word and support? Please visit www.prometheusradio.org/donate to keep the flame alive! Thanks!
I’ve got another flashback for you as JJ Tiziou Photography celebrates its 10yr anniversary: How one simple invitation and one intense weekend in Florida set me on a path that I never could have expected…
JJ Tiziou is a longtime friend and supporter of Prometheus. Read his excellent recap of Prometheus' barnraising with the WCIW (that we profiled here) through the documentarian's lens.
If you haven't donated to our campaign yet, now's the time! Every dollar raised goes to providing direct support to the next wave of community radio stations. You can support a truly diverse media landscape and radio dial. Make it happen! Donate today! Thank you!
In August 2006, Prometheus collaborated with PCUN (Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste - Treeplanters and Farmworkers United of the Northwest), for our tenth radio station barnraising to build KPCN-LP Woodburn, OR. Local volunteers from Portland's KBOO and Indymedia were joined by national and international volunteers from Central and South America, and gathered in the Willamette Valley of Oregon to make a long-standing dream of PCUN's come true!
PCUN's mission is to offer support and fight for the rights of the employees of the Willamette Valley's many farms - employees who generally work long hours for low wages, with no overtime pay, paid breaks, seniority, job security, or other benefits. Seasonal workers are often housed in squalid labor camps owned and operated by growers or labor contractors, and are often exposed to a variety of pesticides that are used to protect the crops.
For the past twenty years, PCUN had wanted to have a radio station of their own. They started out paying $250 for an hour long program on an AM radio station in Woodburn. PCUN used their radio program to organize demonstrations and mobilize farmworkers and supporters for their various campaigns. However, due to local politics and in breech of PCUN's contract, PCUN's program was taken off the air immediately after a listener informed the radio station owner (who was an acquaintance of a local grower) of the contents of PCUN's program.
Outraged by the lack of the AM station's adherence to their contract, PCUN filed a law suit against the radio station and won, which allowed them to remain on the air for two more weeks. During those two weeks, PCUN informed their listeners that they'd be moving their radio program to Portland's own KBOO. PCUN's program on KBOO's airwaves was a huge success in Portland, and PCUN found themselves organizing events there.
Although PCUN was glad to move its listeners to action, they found themselves getting stretched too thin to be as effective as they could've been in their hometown of Woodburn (which is thirty minutes south of Portland). "We had to rethink the program on KBOO, and we decided we'd have to discontinue it and bring our energy and focus back to Woodburn", said Ramon Ramirez- President of PCUN. So when they had an opportunity to go for a local LPFM in Woodburn, PCUN focused their efforts on starting a station there.
But those weren't the only lessons learned when it came to the value of owning your own media outlet. PCUN had approached the Spanish television giant Univision to place an ad promoting the Day of Immigrants Rights on May 1, 2006. The nationwide call to action asked that demonstrators NOT go to work, to school, or make any purchases on that day as an act of solidarity with the thousands of other demonstrators across the country. PCUN was told that they could buy an ad, but that Univision wanted to censor the content of the ad. PCUN knew that they needed to have a place where they could not only promote but control their message.
PCUN has since used their radio station, KPCN, as an organizing tool to further their strategizing efforts in winning rights for the farmworkers who feed us all. PCUN, which is an umbrella organization for several other local groups in Woodburn, has involved those groups in the programming of KPCN. Their current programming schedule offers a wide array of shows: there are LGBTQ community discussions, a women's talk show covering issues around health and well-being as well as domestic abuse, a show geared towards the music and traditions of Oaxaca, and an interview-styled show that seeks to inspire listeners with stories from the human rights movement.
Prometheus was honored to work closely with PCUN and KPCN as they fulfilled their mission to be the Voice of The People through the power of radio.
What could your community do with its own radio station?
For fifteen years, Prometheus has been helping to expand the field of community radio - through our advocacy and policy work, through demystifying the bureaucratic process of applying for a license, and through building community radio stations. With your support today, we can do even more during the next wave of licensing.
Please show your support today and donate! Thank you!
The Mutual Musicians Foundation is where live jazz has had a home in Kansas City for over nine decades. With the "longest running jam session in the world" happening inside and many other nods to early 20th century Jazz culture, this organization is striving to keep their culture and history alive.
Kansas City is home to a big part of jazz history. According to Anita Dixon—who is spearheading the Mutual Musicians Foundation’s radio project—Kansas City is credited with birthing the swing era and the ensuing three decades of the original art and music. Jazz is a huge part of the city’s history and yet, they still do not have a radio station to tell that story and preserve it.
“Kansas City, known for Count Basie and swing music... does NOT have a station that is dedicated to the music. It is outlandish! It's ridiculous...to turn on a radio when [you] come to Kansas City and not hear the music that you came to hear, cause it's just not there.”
This is why there is a strong need for a community radio station in the city, not only just for the preservation of this rich culture and history, but for the opportunity to let it flourish.
The Mutual Musicians Foundation has been in operation for 93 years, and has been advocating for the city’s jazz heritage through events and public education. Innovative and effective, they held a ‘Pianothon’ fundraising event where they invited pianists from all over the nation to come to Kansas City and perform. It raised not only the profile of the organization, but $5,000 in contributions. Through these kind of events they've been able to expand their programmatic work, which in turn has benefited their community. One of their proudest impacts in the community has been supplying free music lessons to those who wouldn't be able to afford them otherwise.
The Mutual Musician's Foundation is also part of a grassroots network of organizations who are bringing mesh broadband networks to their community as well. They see the need for all aspects of the community to have access to information, dialogue and entertainment.
The community that Mutual Musicians Foundations serves is comprised of many different cultures and backgrounds, even within the small radius that they plan on broadcasting in. The planned coverage area includes Vietnamese, African-American, Somalian, Laotian, and Hispanic communities, and the Foundation plans to provide programming as diverse as these neighborhoods. Once they are on the air, there are hopes for a variety of world music programs, educational talk shows for everyone, and definitely a program dedicated to local music from Kansas City.
Prometheus has been helping the Mutual Musician's Foundation prepare to apply for a low power FM license so they can fill the cultural gap in Kansas City's media landscape. What could your community do with its own radio station?
Supporting Prometheus allows us to provide crucial technical and engineering expertise to groups who are taking advantage of the largest expansion of community radio in decades. Your donation today helps us get more groups through the application process.
Please donate today! Thank you!
Video of the BMW3 performing live at the Mutual Musician's Foundation
The communities of New York's Greene and Columbia counties are nestled in the Upper Hudson River Valley and are the home-base for one of the most innovative community radio stations in the country. WGXC 90.7 FM works to "make radio that is a transformative platform for information, experimentation and public engagement" and Prometheus was honored to participate in the barnraising for their station.
In September 2010, Prometheus joined forces with radio activists from around the country to participate and share our know-how - from engineers and carpenters to community organizers and musicians and to lawyers and policy advocates. We had over 35 workshops on everything from radio theater to FCC compliance. Taking a tip from the station's motto ("Hands On Radio"), everyone learned new skills and put them into action--from building audio cables to recording station IDs to making coleslaw for 200 volunteers. The event culminated in a fantastic parade through the streets of Hudson and a balloon-lifted transmission experiment.
Once WGXC was on the air, their vision fully bloomed. Their programming schedule is a mix of content from other outlets like Al Jazeera, Free Speech Radio, and “Democracy Now!” as well as local reporters and outlets. Musically, it runs the gamut from experimental to jazz to oldies, and also features teen programming, radio theater and comedy. The schedule has something for everyone, with thoughtful consideration given to coverage of local events, both big and small. In all areas - WGXC strives to push against the boundaries of radio and develop an interesting and creatively exciting place for their community to express themselves.
It helps that WGXC is led by a strong community group with a powerful vision. Founded by arts organization The Wave Farm (formerly Free 103.9), WGXC promised to bridge the many diverse communities in Hudson and Greene Counties. With a governing Radio Council with representatives from many of those communities, as well as months of local outreach to create a vision for the new station, WGXC has been a wild success.
They are currently in the middle of their own fundraising efforts, and we encourage you to check out their site and programming!
Prometheus is going to help build the next wave of community radio stations, but we need your help to do it. Will you donate $25 today to help us build the future of community radio? Thank you!
This October, Asheville FM will launch a bid for a Low Power FM (LPFM) license to bring their particular brand of community radio to the terrestrial airwaves.
In 2009, Kim Roney and Greg Lyon, along with about 40 volunteers would meet at Laurey's Catering, in downtown Asheville, NC to talk about radio and broadcasting. These meetings became regular and Friends of Community Radio – as they had come to call themselves – realized they had the talent, the drive, and the equipment to start their own station.
They were able conceptualize an internet radio station first as it was the most accessible option at the time. Once their plans were solid, they rented a studio and were able to get it outfitted with the help of friends and volunteers.
They currently have over 40 different programs in rotation on their schedule, serving a wide swath of musical tastes and informational needs. From an old time country program airing long lost vinyl gems, to a show focused on literary performance and review, to film critique, gardening tips, talk shows in English and Spanish, local news and more - Asheville FM seeks to:
"...add to and reflect the rich stew of arts, culture and community involvement that is Asheville. We want to hear music, news, and the unusual all produced right here in our neck of the woods. We want to hear sounds from around the world, discerned and distilled just for us by our neighbors. We want to help make connections between diverse groups and support the local economy of ideas. We believe people from all parts of our community should have a chance to let their voice be heard."
Four years from its humble beginnings and Asheville FM's internet outpost is successful. But they're not done yet. With October's LPFM filing window right around the corner, Asheville FM is preparing to launch a terrestrial signal to reach even more people.
The Asheviille community is made up of around 80,000 people in the western half of North Carolina. In a historically recognized "red state", Asheville is a “little 'blue' nugget.”
“There is not a lot of that (perspective) being heard,” Roney says while Lyon adds in, “The stuff we’re doing is just not done on any other outlet."
Not everyone in town has internet access though, and there is a desire to reach incarcerated members of the community as well.
With a terrestrial signal, more of Asheville's population will be able to listen in and participate.
Asheville FM has a lot of community support to get its signal up and onto the airwaves. Prometheus wishes them the best of luck in their pursuit of a LPFM license!
What would your community do with its own radio station? Supporting Prometheus allows us to provide more resources to groups all over the country and help them get their share of the air.
Please donate today and support the next wave of community radio stations! Thank you!
In November of 2005, Prometheus partnered with The Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center to hold a barnraising for WRFU 104.5. Housed inside the town's large post office, the Independent Media Center plays host to many different organizations, like spokes on a wheel, all of them connecting different aspects of the community into one space. Whether it is their Books to Prisoners program, bike works space, Makerspace, community library, or the public show area - the UC-IMC has space for all, and that includes the "Come One, Come All" styled community radio station WRFU.
Their mission: "WRFU is a progressive radio station collective committed to social justice, focusing on public affairs issues and the arts. WRFU airs opinions and debates in an open and diverse forum that focuses on educating and empowering the public. WRFU provides an accessible venue for an eclectic mixture of arts programming."
With support and donations from the community, WRFU was able to boost their signal by installing a new tower in 2012. Their signal now reaches further and brought new interest and involvement from even more people outside of Urbana. Programming on the station ranges from music showcases to environmental and political talk shows to a show designed for incarcerated listeners.
What could your community do with its own radio station? Supporting Prometheus now allows us to continue to help new stations get on the air and flourish. Please donate today and support the next wave of community radio stations! Thank you!
About the video: Six years of planning culminated in an intense weekend where volunteers from all over the country teamed with community members in a weekend of workshops and construction to build and launch the radio station. Thanks for JJ Tiziou for this video animation of photos from the original barnraising.
Within the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, there exists twin neighborhoods– Frogtown and Phillips, both of which serve as gateways and as homes to recent immigrants and refugees. Though these two Twin Cities communities are separated by the Mississippi River, they mirror each other in many aspects.
Working diligently within these two culturally rich neighborhoods for the past eight years has been the Main Street Project. The Main Street Project runs programs focused on building the capacity of people in the community to create and shape their own media. One way they do this is by providing groups in the community with portable studios. These innovative studios come with everything necessary to create a podcast and can be rented for free and for any amount of time needed. The creation of these podcasts is just the first step in transforming the negative light in which the media typically portrays Frogtown and Phillips.
The historic opportunity to start for a radio station has ignited the Main Street Project to launch Twin Cities Community Radio to bring low power radio to the Twin Cities. Their vision for a station is community focused. In an area where the media noticeably lacks language diversity, bilingual programming is an absolute must for this station. But that is the not the only thing on the menu - strictly local music and talk radio where the younger and older generations meet and discuss relevant problems will also be heard. These older generations include American Indian Elders, as the Twin Cities is home to the highest concentration of urban American Indians. This collaboration should create unique and intriguing programming to listeners in the Twin Cities.
The Main Street Project has been at the forefront in making the opportunity for new stations known to communities outside of the Twin Cities. Throughout the last few years the Main Street Project has been reaching out to various organizations about the upcoming opportunity of low power radio, holding online presentations for groups across the country. There has also been a plethora of in-person community meetings discussing the approaching opportunity. There is a common emotion that ends each meeting hopeful and excited.
Danielle Mkali, an organizer with the Main Street Project, discusses the potential lasting effects of the establishing of a local radio station, “It's been so inspiring to think that we can build a public institution together that would impact people positively for generations to come, in a time where people talk about resources being so scarce.” The community support for Main Street Project is without a doubt overwhelming. This organization will further inform and empower by reaching a larger audience as they move onto their local airwaves. What better way to continue the fight?
Prometheus is honored to work with Twin Cities Community Radio & The Main Street Project to help get them on the air during the next low power FM application window... and with your help today we’ll be able to do the same for many other communities nationwide!
Please donate today and support the next wave of community radio stations! Thank you!
"Unbuckling the Bible Belt With Progressive News and Music"
In April 2005, Prometheus was honored to hold our seventh "barnraising" with WRFN in Nashville, TN. This video is a great peak into how our barnraising method gets put into practice - There's a lot mud, sweat and tears!
WRFN has been a strong presence in the community for almost nine years, and they are in the process of applying for a translator to boost their Low Power signal so that people outside of Nashville can get an earful of their truly progressive programming.
"We believe that since the airwaves belong by law to the public, the public should have access to them. We believe that we have as basic a right to speak on the radio as to listen. And we have a unique opportunity.
WRFN is the only outlet in middle Tennessee area offering broad-based media education and training to the community at large. And it's all free-of-charge. Money or lack thereof should never dictate who has access to the media. Through WRFN, everyone can find their voice, and use it.
Radio Free Nashville programs a mix of news, information, talk and call-ins shows, and music. Though each day has some consistent elements, no two days are exactly alike. Some of the programming is of national origin: Radio Free Nashville is a Pacifica network affiliate, and broadcasts Democracy Now, Free Speech Radio News, Counterspin and other network shows, as well as Progressive Magazine Radio, Voices of our World and other independently produced programming from around the world. But the bulk of programming is locally produced.
Each programmer comes to Radio Free Nashville with a different skill level. Radio Free Nashville teaches programmers how to do their job, as well as the other jobs required to run a radio station. Over 140 community programmers have been trained, with over 90 currently on the air."
WRFN had to fight for years to finally get on the air, even after they had been awarded a construction permit. Prometheus was able to support the team behind WRFN, and with your help today we'll be able to do the same for many other communities nationwide.
Please donate today and support the next wave of community radio stations. Thank you!
“The greatest forms of art, like the greatest forms of democracy, flourish within the free and unfettered exchange of ideas.”
Prometheus is proud to introduce to a major player in the upcoming low power FM licensing window – ARTxFM. Hailing from Louisville, KY this group has been honing their production skills since 2010. By 2012, they set their sights on bringing a terrestrial signal to their community with an “emphasis on broadcast arts and a commitment to medium specific experimental programming.”
What does this foray into freeform sound like? It’s an impressive program schedule that pulls from all corners of the community. From a show called Acentos, that “explores the arts through the eyes and perspectives of Spanish speakers” to Louisville’s only all hip hop show to a show dedicated to reviewing historical moments through the music that was created during that time, ARTxFM has programming that is challenging, rewarding and refreshing. They have fully embraced the tools of modern audio sharing – and as such, you can check out archives of their programs on their site, and tune in from your mobile device as well!
So with all of this working so well, why radio right now? Says ARTxFM:
“An FM broadcast would help us serve our local community in new and exciting ways. We will work hard for the opportunity to freely and widely distribute our programming to those in our community who might not have personal computers or roving data plans. While we appreciate online technology, there is nothing like the magic and freedom of FM radio broadcasting. We at ARTxFM look forward to working with the Prometheus Radio Project…to diversify the media landscape and collectively improve the FM dial.”
ARTxFM has a dedication to keeping their station relevant and a reflection of their community – and as such, they have garnered local support from many different corners of the cultural, artistic and civic community. Their partnerships with local organizations cross missions and methods – with inclusion from local historical associations and art museums as well as The Jewish Community Center and The Kentucky Center for African-American Heritage, just to name a few.
Not content to just hunker down in the studio that they operate from 24 hours a day – the ARTxFM staff keep an impressive public events calendar and have participated in local DJ showcases, international radio projects, and experimental music festivals. They know that being a true community outlet means being active in and promoting the Greater Louisville area, and ARTxFM has done its part to raise Louisville’s profile.
When asked what the ART part of ARTxFM is all about, they have a wide net where anyone can find a place to contribute and participate:
“Our definition of artist is broad. It includes painters, performers, writers, athletes, filmmakers, philosophers, scientists, and more -- the trained and untrained, the local and the superstar. ARTxFM functions with the belief that the greatest forms of art, like the greatest forms of democracy, flourish within the free and unfettered exchange of ideas. “
ARTxFM sees the value in reaching even more people in their community through the excitement of the arts and through the power of radio.
What could your community do with its own radio station? Join Prometheus and help us support the next wave of community radio stations. Thank you!
Meet WSCA 106.1 FM - "Truly Independent Radio & The People Who Love It That Way"
In September 2004, Prometheus joined the team at WSCA in Portsmouth, NH to help them build their station. WSCA had already been drumming up support for their station for four years. What began as signs around town promoting meetings about starting a station, culminated in one of the largest barnraisings we've ever held - over 250 volunteers came to help WSCA flip the switch!
But of course - things are never just that simple. The town of Portsmouth, like so many across the country, had to fight to win airspace for their community radio station. Senator Judd Gregg (from New Hampshire), a Republican elected to office in 1992, waged a strong fight against Low Power FM when Prometheus won the Low Power radio service in 2000. Under the direction of huge corporate broadcast lobbies like the National Association of Broadcasters, he led the battle in Congress, convincing legislators to limit the service, and keep it from reaching America's biggest cities. In the end, we prevailed in proving that the corporations' claims of interference were unfounded, and eventually won even more legislation that expanded the LPFM service to reach thousands more communities just like Portsmouth. It was during one of our early wins that WSCA was licensed and began to prepare to broadcast.
WSCA is an integral part of their seacoast community as a resource to the non-profit, arts and cultural scene in Portsmouth. They have a robust team of volunteers that produce a mix of programming that reflect the cultural, educational, artistic, civic and business fabric of the listening community. Public affairs, political talk radio, shows discussing environmental concerns, and even an animal health discussion show all make appearances on their schedule. Musically speaking - the community at large is evident: shows dedicated to blues, rock, hiphop, metal and showtunes, among many others are present! WSCA doesn't just stay in the studio though - they are often out in the community, participating in events such as last weekend's "Clean Up The Beach" in Rye, NH where they were one of a handful of local organizations sponsoring the event.
Clearly - the formula is working. WSCA just celebrated their 9th anniversary! We wish them continued success! WSCA fought to have a place where neighbors could join together to share music, insights and information. What could your community do with its own radio station? Join Prometheus and help us support the next wave of community radio stations. Donate today! Thank you!
We are proud to introduce you to CHIRP, the Chicago Independent Radio Project, who has been a longtime ally of Prometheus through many policy fights and public awareness campaigns. CHIRP has also established themselves as a strong and engaged presence in Chicago through a robust events calendar and through their online presence and podcasts.
Formed in 2007 to “bring a truly independent music- and arts-focused community radio station to Chicago,” CHIRP eventually created an online streaming presence in 2010. Very quickly, the volunteer base grew to 160 people who handle all DJ and reporter duties, technical support needs, organizational development and fundraising.
Their broadcast schedule is live 365 days a year from 6am-midnight and populated with programming that cannot be found on commercial radio, and stories and interviews from artists and activists as well as a growing news department.
From CHIRP’s site: “At a time when corporate-owned radio grows ever more bland, repetitious, and commercialized, community radio is more important than ever. The volunteers and staff at CHIRP are true believers in radio that is diverse, exciting, live, and locally-based. Community radio is non-commercial, and is created by regular people from all walks of life, not just broadcast professionals. It is committed to playing music the big stations won’t touch, and to focusing on the vibrant culture of a community that often flies under the radar.”
But they don’t just exist in the electronic corridors of the internet – CHIRP presents numerous events throughout the Chicagoland area, and they established a record fair in Chicago that has just celebrated its twelfth incarnation!
Prometheus is proud to have worked alongside CHIRP on the policy fight that opened up the airwaves for the Low Power FM licensing opportunity this coming October. We’re also proud to have provided technical and engineering support to CHIRP and hundreds of other groups in preparation for this historic moment.
CHIRP excites and entertains its listeners while drawing connections across neighborhoods and different perspectives. What could your community do with its own radio station? Join Prometheus and help us support the next wave of community radio stations. Donate today! Thank you!
(Heard in this clip from CHIRP Radio's "Person of Interest" Interview Series)
Who: Karisia Marinese
Location: Logan Square
"You just say what you feel, but you don't think for a second that it's actually gonna touch somebody."
From the Fields to the Airwaves, the CIW Leads in Organizing the Power of the People
One of the strongest examples of the power of radio and its ability to reach deep into a community and provide true access and life-changing information can be seen in WCIW - the Low Power FM station Prometheus helped to build with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers in Immokalee, FL in December 2003.
The CIW is a collective of migrant workers, hailing from Mexico, Guatemala, and Haiti. Representing over 2500 members, the CIW fights for "a fair wage for the work we do, more respect on the part of our bosses and the industries where we work, better and cheaper housing, stronger laws and stronger enforcement against those who would violate workers' rights, the right to organize on our jobs without fear of retaliation, and an end to indentured servitude in the fields."
The CIW understands how important access to media outlets can be when organizing for more rights, and spreading the word locally. The farmworkers of Immokalee live in small trailers, sometimes with up to ten people sleeping and living in these tight quarters. Before the workers built and organized their radio station, they'd knock on the trailer doors to encourage neighbors to come to their weekly Coalition meetings. Thirty to fifty workers would come to these meetings, and strategize on how to secure more rights for themselves and their fellow workers. Now that the community can broadcast on WCIW, hundreds of workers attend these important meetings.
Through this kind of organizing and ability to spread information, the CIW has been able lead several successful campaigns and boycotts over the last ten years against some of the largest corporations in the country. Their most recent campaign involves getting Publix Food Markets to join the Fair Food Program which fights for wage increases, zero-tolerance response to sexual assault and forced labor, and the ability to register complaints with employers, among many other facets.
WCIW is housed in the same lot where hundreds of local workers board buses before dawn, each morning, to travel to their work in the tomato fields of Southwest Florida. They broadcast life-saving and empowering information to one of the most under-represented populations in the country. Read more about their excellent work!
What could your community do with its own radio station? Join Prometheus and help us support the next wave of community radio stations. Donate today! Thank you!
For residents of the town of Troy in upstate New York, the Sanctuary for Independent Media is the only place they can go to hear an anti-consumerist gospel choir, a lecture on race and media from a celebrated journalist, or a free jazz and electronica duet. But if the New York Media Alliance can get their low power station on the air, all of these events and more will be available to any of Troy's residents with a radio and an interest in community arts.
Founded in 1977, the New York Media Alliance (NYMA) is an advocacy group for media arts and artists, though its primary project is its community arts center, known as the Sanctuary for Independent Media. In this century-old church, the group has built audio and video production studios, as well as a performance space for visiting artists. While the board at the NYMA initially believed that their proximity to the state capitol Albany would allow them to spend most of their energy on media advocacy, they quickly found that they would first need to build a movement before they could start winning legislative victories.
“When we arrived, there was such a low level of awareness about community media and media arts that it made more sense to actually start doing it first and to try to develop a grassroots constituency and then increase advocacy once people have a better idea of what this is about,” said Media Alliance director Steve Pierce.
Along with their production studios and performances, the Sanctuary also promotes community media by holding film screenings, media workshops, and discussions led by artists and activists. With a low power radio station, NYMA plans to continue to offer this combination of music, education, and public affairs in its programming, allowing them to reach many residents who may have missed out on their events.
“Because this is one of the most economically disadvantaged neighborhoods in upstate New York, there's a large group of people here who aren't reached by conventional television or print media or email, so radio presents a different outreach strategy and would allow us to find people who are otherwise unreachable,” Pierce explained.
Although Pierce acknowledged that a radio station with a target audience of underserved listeners may struggle to find to financial support, he also noted that the NYMA has thrived for over three decades by relying on meaningful contributions from hundreds of volunteers who appreciate the opportunity to uplift their community. With the power and reach of radio amplifying their efforts to build a movement through community arts, Pierce remained confident that getting on the air would be transformational in building their infrastructure for community organizing.
“Because low power radio is relatively cheap and offers great flexibility, we could run this station while continuing our other efforts as well,” Pierce said.
Prometheus is helping The New York Media Alliance seize the Low Power FM licensing opportunity. What could your community do with its own radio station? Join Prometheus and help us support the next wave of community radio stations. Donate today! Thank you!
