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Announcement :: Media |
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Come to the Barnraising of RADIO FREE URBANA - Nov 11-13 |
Current rating: 0 |
by UCIMC & Prometheus Radio
(No verified email address) |
10 Oct 2005
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The Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center (UCIMC) proudly announces the first on-air date of its new low power FM station, WRFU, and the grand opening of its Media & Arts Center in the post office building in downtown Urbana.
The UCIMC is collaborating with Prometheus Radio Project, a national grassroots radio organization, the weekend of November 11-13, 2005 to host a radio station barnraising. The barnraising is the ninth such community effort that Prometheus has sponsored in collaboration with up and coming Low Power radio stations, and the first ever in the Midwest!
This weekend event will feature the construction of the entire station with the help of hundreds of volunteers from around the country. The end product will be a fully functioning radio station that will go on air November 13th. |
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The conference will include workshops and training sessions by local and national radio gurus on various topics of interest. This barnraising will tie in a community wireless project organized by Champaign Urbana Community Wireless Network (CUWiN). CUWiN is a groundbreaking local non-profit group dedicated to creating open-source, open-architecture wireless solutions at home and abroad, so more people can have free access to internet connections.
Most importantly, the barnraising is a way to build strength and unity within the community radio movement among different groups around the country.
Low power stations became available from the FCC to community groups, like the UCIMC, in 2000 because groups like Prometheus advocated for more community access to the airwaves.
The UCIMC, formed in 2001 after the 1999 WTO protests in Seattle, has been integral in providing our community with democratic access to media resources. This is accomplished via their various working groups (video, PublicI newspaper, etc), and now low power radio can be added to their list of ways to help people “become the media.”
With the purchase of the old post office building in downtown Urbana (202 S. Broadway), the IMC hopes to be an even more prominent and visible force in the community. The new building features a “books to prisoners” library, artists’ collective, various private businesses, and will soon boast a large non-smoking all ages performance venue…and that is just what has come on line since the purchase in May! The sky is the limit to what this community center can offer to Urbana-Champaign!
Radio Free Urbana will broadcast at 100W out of the new IMC building and will reach the populations of Champaign and Urbana. The program schedule will feature an eclectic mix of talk, music, and radio drama that will include shows such as food commentary, Chicano issues, drum n bass, and sound art. Members of the community, thanks to a public access format, will provide these programs. “Our goal is to strengthen the community’s voice by offering more public options to a genre of communication dominated almost exclusively by private corporate interests,” said Lynsee Melchi, WRFU Outreach Coordinator.
Come join us in bringing this great project to our community! Local volunteers are especially needed. People of all levels of radio experience are encouraged to attend. If you do not know a thing, don’t worry! Please come prepared to learn from some of the best radio minds in the country!
You Be There! We'll Be There!
For info or to register, visit http://www.prometheusradio.org
Registration is $125 for the full weekend, all meals included (coming straight from local farmers who support local radio! RFU folks are canning fruits of the harvest as we speak!) No one will be turned away due to lack of funds.
Free housing available if you register by November 1 and are not too fussy about where you lay your head.
Discounted and other slashed rates available, so no excuses!
We have phones too! (215) 727-9620. |
See also:
http://www.prometheusradio.org/
http://www.radiofreeurbana.org/
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This work is in the public domain. |
