Independent radio is on the rise.

I know – hard to believe, right? New technologies and media outlets are popping up all around us every day, and yet, the communities that support independent radio around the country have only grown stronger. In an era of constant change and uncertainty, you (and the community around you) have refused to give up on the magic that emanates from local independent airwaves, and because of that, WPRB has never been in better shape to continue growing and engaging with its listeners.

In the spring, we took a huge leap forward in our fundraising capabilities by introducing monthly sustaining pledge options. Now that we’ve established a budding assemblage of consistent support, new doors have begun to open up for us. We’ve done away with outdated technology (the kind that you’d find in your grandpa’s attic) in favor of digitized and reliable new systems for on-air announcements and media, minimizing the technical malfunctions and complications that have hindered our broadcasts in the past. We’ve also opened up room in the budget for more live shows, like the one we hosted earlier this month with big names like James Chance along with the local presence of Thin Lips, Sea Slug, and Human Adult Band. On top of all of this, our staff has grown steadily for the past few years, and we have a nearly unprecedented flock of new voices on the air this season. With your help, we’ve extended our dedication to local communities beyond just our airwaves and solidified the bridge between our dark, dusty basement and your very own backyard.

As always, celebration of positive progress here at WPRB is short-lived and followed closely by ambition for whatever’s next. Your support continues to fuel our hard work to keep the station running and growing, and the most daunting task on the table right now is the digitization of our physical music library. WPRB is home to tens of thousands of vinyl records and CD’s, collected over the course of half a century, each with a handwritten review on its cover from one of the many DJ’s you’ve known and loved over the years. The library (or “the stacks”, as we call it) is the backbone of our erratic programming and curatorial wizardry, and it’s slowly but surely reaching its physical limitations, both in space and in longevity. Converting all of this media to a single digital repository requires heavy-duty technological resources and in-depth strategic research, not to mention hundreds of hours of elbow grease. A project as monumental as this one requires support from each of WPRB’s most dedicated listeners, which is why we’re asking for your support again this fall to supplement our steady (and growing) monthly patronage. If you haven’t joined our family of monthly donors, now is the time! If you have, your additional one-time pledge or increased monthly patronage for this drive will help to push this crucial project forward even further.

Our Fall 2018 Silent Membership Drive will be
Monday, October 15th through Sunday, November 11th.

You can make your tax-deductible pledge between the above dates by visiting pledge.wprb.com. In return, our thank-you gifts this fall once again feature designs created by your fellow listeners and local artists, a reminder that every member of the WPRB family is an essential one.

As we continue to grow and evolve as a station and as a community, more important to us than any dollar amount is your continued listenership to WPRB. More broadly, we hope you’ll continue to keep an open mind and an open ear to independent media, and keep seeking out the unheard.

Thanks for listening,
Bobby Lussier
Station Manager, WPRB 103.3 FM