Ithaca Community Radio: Radio with a Purpose

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Our Mission

Ithaca Community Radio is a local initiative to create a community-owned and operated radio station to serve the communities of the Finger Lakes near Ithaca and Watkins Glen. The Finger Lakes community is home to not only a wealth of natural beauty but also talented, interesting people with knowledge and perspective on a wide range of topics—from arts and culture to agricultural practices, from yoga to yogurt-making. We hope to bring together the people, ideas, and spirit of our community through radio. We also aim to educate community members on how to be citizen journalists, allowing anyone learn the art of radio creation. This powerful communication tool is an essential part of a thriving democracy, and we hope to get as many people involved as possible.

Although our past efforts have focused on broadcasting WEOS's signal into the Ithaca area, our real mission has always been to build a community-owned and -operated non-profit radio station to serve the Finger Lakes community.

With our new broadcast licenses from the FCC, we are now building a broadcast station and producing shows locally. We'll air programs like Democracy Now!, Free Speech Radio, and local shows such as Unwelcome Guests.

We are currently in the process of constructing a studio for the broadcast of locally-produced and syndicated programming on our three frequencies: W201CD 88.1 FM, WRFI 91.9 FM and WINO 89.9 FM.


The Importance of COMMUNITY Radio

People often ask the question, "How is Ithaca Community Radio different than other public radio stations?" Well, the difference is in the name. Ithaca COMMUNITY Radio. Our programming will not only focus on the news, events, and art which occur every day in the Finger Lakes, but it will also be produced entirely by the members of the Finger Lakes community. That means YOU shape what goes on the air; YOU are the voice of Ithaca Community Radio. And while we'll still broadcast some of your favorite programming produced from other areas of the globe, our focus will be on what's happening in YOUR neighborhood.


Programming


What types of programs will Ithaca Community Radio broadcast? We will have a mix of locally-oriented and -produced shows as well as syndicated programs such as Democracy Now! and CounterSpin. There's a great abundance of talented and skilled people in the Finger Lakes region who can produce incisive, provocative shows. Local news shows, youth programming, women's issues, veterans' talk, eclectic music—there's no shortage of possibilities. Wouldn't it be great to have shows produced right here by your friends and neighbors? Given the challenges in our current world, it's essential for us to learn for each other through communication.


Radio Production Workshops


A key part of the Ithaca Community Radio mission is to teach the craft of radio production. In the Fall of 2009, we completed our first radio production class with great success. We've got more classes planned for the Spring and Summer of 2010. Check our Events section for updates and more information on future classes.

What is Community Radio?

Coming soon in this space

We'll have some information and links to some articles that help explain the differences between community radio and public radio.

What's happening

Connect to others in our community; read about and discuss how to create your Ithaca Community Radio


Community Events

Please visit our events page to find out what's happening in your community.


Updates & Discussions



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