NFCB, WRIR & N.C.P.
In July, volunteers from WRIR spent a weekend in Charlottesville at the regional summit for the National Federation of Community Broadcasters. The summit was a gathering of community radio stations throughout the country. WRIR volunteers attended breakout sessions on fundraising, programming, building diversity and hosting events. Said WRIR volunteer, Ceci Hull, “We learned a new abbreviation: N.C.P. meaning No Commercial Potential. That phrase summed up the attitude of all the radio stations at the summit! We wear it proudly.”
Melissa Vaughn, Volunteer Coordinator, VCPP Board Member and host of RVA Dirt’s Municipal Mania, said “Many of the participants at the conference were impressed with the way we do things at WRIR, specifically that we are all volunteer. They were shocked at the quality and volume of local newstalk that we produce, and were impressed with our social media style and fundraising premiums. Apparently, we have the coolest shirts in all the land!”
“The biggest takeaway for me was understanding where WRIR fits into the community radio ecosystem,” said Bill Lupoletti, VCPP Board Member and host of Global a G0-Go. “Yes, we’re a low-power FM station; however in terms of our programming, community engagement and fundraising, we’re more similar to long-established full-power stations. We met folks who are doing awesome things like Asheville FM in North Carolina and WSLR in Sarasota, Florida. But the number of stations with WRIR’s specs — no paid staff, on the air 24/7 and 365 days, 80 DJs, 20 locally-produced news/public affairs programs, carrying the top tier of nationally syndicated public radio shows — is exactly one. It’s WRIR.”
WRIR attended the regional summit thanks to a grant from CultureWorks and contributions made by our listeners during our 2017 on-air fund drives. National Federation of Community Broadcasters is a collective of community radio stations which help stations get on-air and advocates for policy at the government level. They have a knowledge base of resources that WRIR uses to improve our programming and mentor our volunteers. WRIR also thanks WTJU and Nathan Moore for hosting the summit.
