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The next deadline to apply to produce/host a new show on WBCR-lp is April 1st. Orientation and training are scheduled during May and June. New program producers will go live July 1st with the start of the summer program schedule. Anyone can do it! Apply online at http://www.berkshireradio.org/index.php/programs/application/.
→ Posted on Fri. March 5th, 2010 by biotic.
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February 18, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Federal Communications Commission Tuesday granted a full-power broadcast license to WBCR-LP 97.7 FM, the all-volunteer low-power community radio station located in Great Barrington. In 2007 the FCC provided a rare opportunity for the licensing of non-commercial radio stations, and WBCR-LP applied to upgrade its status to full-power.
Besides allowing WBCR-LP to broadcast a much more powerful signal covering a dramatically enhanced geographic area, the full-power designation also removes the risk that the community radio station could be “bumped” from its frequency sometime in the future by the expansion of a nearby full-power station. In short, the switch to full power status will establish WBCR-LP as a bonafide regional radio station, broadcasting into parts of three states.
WBCR-LP and its volunteer members now have a three-year window to raise funds and make necessary upgrades to the station’s equipment to begin broadcasting with a dramatically stronger signal, at the new frequency of 89.5 FM and most likely with new call letters as well. The station’s over-the-air broadcast signal currently reaches only a few miles outside of Great Barrington; the new signal will extend north through Pittsfield, throughout most of Columbia County to the west, east to Westfield and south throughout much of northwestern Connecticut.
“This is something we’ve been working toward for several years,” says station board president Paul Rapp. “Having a regional signal will create a lot of great opportunities and contribute immensely to our mission of community-based media access. First off, the challenge will be raising the money for the transition.”
A committee of station volunteers is currently creating a business plan with projected costs of the transition, and Rapp said that the necessary engineering services and equipment upgrades needed for the switch will be a significant expense, with the station’s fixed running costs doubling or tripling from the current level of $3500 per month. Other committees will grapple with issues relating to maintaining the station’s community and identity while dealing with the inevitable influx of new programmers and connecting with a more expansive geographic area.
“Right now our schedule is jam-packed from 6 AM to midnight, seven days a week,” said Rapp. “We’ll need to consider how to continue to cultivate our open-access mission when our listening area increases exponentially, and more and more people from the region want to be on the radio.
More information about the station’s transition to full-power, and associated fundraising efforts and events will be announced in the coming weeks. An extensive publicity campaign is planned to introduce the station to its potential new broadcast area, and to recruit new volunteers and programmers.
Meantime the station continues to broadcast its low-power signal at 97.7 FM and streams worldwide at berkshireradio.org.
WBCR-LP is operated by the Berkshire Community Radio Alliance, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit membership organization. The station has no paid staff, is committed to community access to the media, and allows anyone who wishes to be on the radio the opportunity to have a radio program. Currently, over 100 volunteer programmers present the most varied schedule of radio programs imaginable each week at 97.7 FM. WBCR-LP has been on the air for over five years. More information about the station, as well as an internet stream of the station’s programming, can be found at berkshireradio.org.
→ Posted on Thu. February 18th, 2010 by paulrapp.
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We’ve been in the news recently regarding our fight for a grant from the Great Barrington Cultural Council.
The Berkshire Eagle Editorial supporting us can be found here.
And the WAMC piece about us getting a grant can be found here.
→ Posted on Wed. January 20th, 2010 by paulrapp.
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You can get in on the party that’s going online. More on everything.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/97.7FM
Twitter: http://twitter.com/wbcr
→ Posted on Mon. October 26th, 2009 by biotic.
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Berkshire Community Radio is pleased to offer the Berkshire community an outlet to announce events, causes and all sorts of interesting things. It’s our Public Service Announcement Blog. Anyone can post a message from our homepage at http://www.berkshireradio.org. The link is on the left-hand sidebar. Write the post as you would like it to be read aloud over the radio. As a non-commercial station we can’t announce prices, so please leave them out of the post. It is really as simple as that.
A second advantage to the blog is that your message will be available at Berkshireradio.org for viewing online.
Berkshire Community Radio - You are us and we are you.
→ Posted on Fri. July 31st, 2009 by biotic.
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ANNOUNCE is a low volume list that will send announcements for station events. DISCUSS is a list for those interested in group discussions about station business.
WBCR-LP · P.O. Box 152 Great Barrington, MA 01230· ph:413-644-9797
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