Local volunteers and supporters of Williamsport Community Radio gathered the evening of May 27 at the Eagle Rock Winery, near the future home of our studio, we hope, at the Pajama Factory. The event was billed as a “fun-raiser” to kick off the start of the final year of building the new radio station. Megan Sheehan from Prometheus Radio in Philadelphia inspired us with tales of other community radio stations that have gotten on the air in spite of all odds. Nick Falvo and Steve Mendez combined forces to program and dj the evening, and local musicians John Grimes and Antares J. Barr gave a preview of the talents Williamsporters can expect to hear on the new station. Mayor Gabe Campana and State Representative Rick Mirabito stopped by to wish us well and offer their support. Gubernatorial candidate Dan Onorato sent his State College staffer Nick Custodio. Supporters from Sunbury and Lewisburg made the trek to the Pajama Factory to find out what it was all about, when our sound would reach their area, and what they could do to help. If you missed the festivities, there’s still plenty of opportunity to get involved in this ambitious project sponsored by the Williamsport Guardian.

In 2008, Williamsport Community Radio obtained a construction permit from the FCC to build a full-power radio station during one of the rare windows open for full-power FM NCE (non-commercial educational) radio licenses. We’re scheduled to be on the air by June 2011, at 88.5 FM, with programming that’s unique in north-central Pennsylvania: volunteer-powered, listener-supported, non-profit, progressive and educational. We’re a diverse group of local residents united in our desire to hear more diversity on the radio: new perspectives, alternative news, local music, different types of music.

The options for diversity are huge, since there’s so little now on the region’s airwaves. That monotony you hear on the radio is a natural product of the consolidation of commercial media. Clear Channel, Backyard Broadcasting, and religious conglomerates have gobbled up most of the available frequencies. Rupert Murdoch’s minions from Fox News dominate the radio news. Williamsport has plenty of country, top-40 and religious broadcasting–almost none of it is locally owned. We even have a surplus of public radio stations, all affiliates headquartered out of town, in Pittston, State College and Selinsgrove. Yes, WVYA has a studio downtown in the Community Arts Center, but how often is it empty, with the broadcast coming in via translator from WVIA in Northeast Pennsylvania? Studios at the commercial stations are often empty too, with their sound piped in from as close as Lewisburg or as far away as Florida.

So where can you hear local musicians or local concerts live? How often can you hear hip-hop, gospel, folk, bluegrass, or [you fill in the blank]? Where’s the local news on air? Where can local citizens or even politicians make their views known? Where’s the talk radio that’s not heavily slanted to the right? These are the gaps we aim to fill.

At a couple of recent weekly meetings, we debated what call letters to choose for the new station. “Debate” is perhaps too mild a word. Who knew picking call letters could be such an emotional issue? But maybe the passion is only natural, because most of us feel very strongly about what we want for this station, and the positive sounding four-letter words starting with “W” all seemed to be taken already, many of them by the U.S. Coast Guard, we were surprised to find. In the end we chose WXPI, because (1) it sounds like a real radio station, (2) it includes the symbolism of the mathematical “pi” which stands for the infinite variety of programming we can have, and last but not least (3) it should provide us with an excuse to have lots of pie-related events like pie-eating contests and pie-throwing fests, directed of course at our favorite politicians. But, all kidding aside, what are we really about?

Williamsport Community Radio is dedicated to the progressive values of community, peace, justice, democracy, human rights, respect for all people and the environment, social change and freedom of expression. Ambitious but worthy ideals, ones we don’t hear much about in the mainstream media. If you believe in these ideals, or even one of them, or if you just want to hear good music for a change, then read on…

How you can help... "Don’t hate the media. Become the media.” singer/activist Jello Biafra.

Your involvement will be what puts the “Community” into Williamsport Community Radio. Come to one of our weekly meetings at the Pajama Factory. The exact location is a bit of a moveable feast, but look for the sign on the glass doors off Rose St, next to the entrance to the courtyard. Williamsport Community Radio needs all sorts of volunteers, and if you don’t think you have skills to offer, we’ll provide the training. We need radio engineers, DJs, announcers, musicians, interviewers, people with opinions to share. We need people to do P.R., fundraising, programming, design for our website and literature. Most of all, we need volunteers with passion and energy. If you have a willingness to learn, we’ll train you to do all sorts of jobs connected with starting and operating a radio station. We won’t be able to pay you, but it should look good on your resume. And what with the recession still hanging on, and good jobs few and far between, why not work for free at something you’ll love? If you don’t have any free time, but you want to help, then please consider donating.

Free speech comes at a cost. From engineering and legal services to publicity and fundraising, starting a radio station can run tens of thousands of dollars. We’re counting on your support to create democratic media in our local community. Besides individual donors, we’re also seeking sponsors or underwriters for specific shows.

Steve Mendez, WXPI volunteer, DJ for Lycoming College radio for 16 years: “My vision of community radio is just that—community involvement. I want to see this entire community, the Susquehanna Valley, be involved, come together to be able to have a place to talk, a place to listen to great music, to have a place for local talent to do what they do. Also to give a chance for anybody, the churches, anybody local that doesn’t have a place to talk or do what they want to do. That’s the kind of radio station I have envisioned here for the Susquehanna Valley.”

Rick Mirabito, State Representative: “I hope what this radio station will be able to do is to empower citizens to know more about state government, empower citizens to be able to participate more. I’m hoping that this becomes a tool for people to understand their government better.”

Tara Knight, Williamsport resident: “I think it’d be really cool to have a different kind of radio station, with different music and local politics covered not just from a conservative viewpoint.”

Nick Falvo, WXPI volunteer, former student manager of Penn College radio: “There’s really only 3 or 4 groups that are controlling all the information that we’re getting. Community radio is really important just to give people that outside perspective, to let them know what’s really going on. Unless people have that outside avenue to get that information they’re just going to be lost sheep voting for two parties that are basically the same and not really doing anything about issues, just worrying about rhetoric. Worrying about gun control, worrying about abortion, worrying about gay marriage. These are important issues, but they’re not at the crux of what’s going on in this country. What’s going on in this country is we’re really being run by one party that calls themselves Democrats or Republicans depending on who they happen to be. They put out the information that they want you to know. That’s why I want to get involved.”