WRYR-LP 97.5 FM Sherwood, MD

2004 NEWS

12/30/04

WRYR & SACReD File Open Meeting Complaint Against County

WRYR and SACReD filed a complaint with the Open Meetings Compliance Board today, claiming that Administrative Hearing Officer Stephen LeGendre illegally banned WRYR from taping and broadcasting a Dec. 9 hearing on the controversial Crandell Cove senior housing complex.

12/29/04

WRYR to Air 'Radio from Downtown'

Live radio returns to the Avalon Theatre on January 8, 2005 with "Radio from Downtown", which will include NPR regulars Karl Kasell and Susan Stamberg. The show with be the first of three anticipated for next year, and is to be taped for broadcast on WRYR. Read The Capital article for all the details.

12/2/04

WRYR to Co-Host 2005 NFCB Annual Conference in Baltimore

WRYR is proud to announce that we will be co-hosting the National Federation of Community Broadcasters 30th Annual Conference to be held April 13 - 16, 2005 in Baltimore. The Conference attracts representatives and supporters of community radio from across the country and provides informative sessions and numerous workshops to assist community radio stations in improving their operations. Further information can be found at the NFCB web-site.

10/24/04

MORE Low Power to the People

The San Diego City Beat has an article by Jeremy Breningstall reviewing the recent National Association of Broadcasters Conference in San Diego as well as the counter-convention effort 'Media EmergenC" which highlighted all that is wrong with big corporation radio today. The article features Mike Shay from WRYR.

10/18/04

Low Power to the People

In November of 2002, a number of media activists converged on the town of Opalousas, Louisiana to witness the building of the only Low Powered FM radio station licensed to a civil rights organization. KOCZ FM is owned and operated by the Southern Development Foundation and is at the forefront of a new wave of radio stations designed to serve the needs of local communities in the U.S. Listen to the audio documentary about KOCZ which won the Best of Festival Audio Documentary award from the Broadcast Education Association's Festival of Media Arts in 2004.

9/10/04

LPFM Barnraising in Portsmith, NH Next Weekend

Join the Prometheus Radio Project next weekend in Portsmouth for a Radio Barnraising to Build a Low Power FM Station in a weekend! During the weekend of September 10th-12th, hundreds of community radio organizers from New England, and all over the world, will gather together to bring a brand new community radio station to the air, as the Prometheus Radio Project partners with Portsmouth Community Radio for its sixth Radio Barnraising!

As volunteer technicians build everything from the studio to the tower, producers, engineers, and organizers from all over the United States and Canada will teach dozens of workshops on everything from how to record and edit a news show, to how to navigate the intricacies of FCC regulations. Earlier radio barnraisings have been with civil rights groups, farmworkers organizations, environmental groups, Native American tribes, and community groups.

9/3/04

LPFM TV Special on NBC Sept. 26

"LPFM: The People's Choice," a documentary set to premiere on NBC-TV stations Sept. 26, chronicles the history of Low Power FM. It includes interviews with former FCC Chairman Bill Kennard, Sen. John McCain and Rep Ed Markey, LPFM advocates and former FCC Commissioner Gloria Tristani, who is now working with the United Church of Christ Office of Communication. The church produced the program as part of its efforts to get McCain's bill to drop third-adjacent channel protections to allow more LPFMs on the air passed in Congress.

9/1/04

WRYR Featured in This Month's Chesapeake Life Magazine

The September/October 2004 issue of Chesapeake Life Magazine features a "Spotlight" on WRYR.

8/8/04

Blessing of the Fleet Festival - Great Day!

Beautiful weather, local craftsmen, and over 5000 folks turned out to watch as a 200 foot arc of water sailed over Parish Creek as the local waterman fleet sailed under for the third year of the revived Blessing of the Fleet Festival. Folks also saw waterman compete is contests, saw musicians play, and had a lot of fun. WRYR broadcast live from the event throughout the day. Click on the Festival logo to see great photos of the event.

2004 Festival Photo Gallery

7/25/04

Annapolis Low Power AM Radio Station Profile in The Sun

Radio Clay Street, 1600 AM, has only a quarter-mile range and uses 0.1 watts. But the station's operators see it as an opportunity to deliver a motivational message to the troubled Clay Street neighborhood of Annapolis and encourage residents to stay away from drugs and gangs. The Baltimore Sun profiles the station in an article in today's issue.

7/23/04

Senate Commerce Committee Passes Historic Bill to Expand Low Power FM Community Radio!

Grassroots Organizing Leads to Major Victory, One Step Closer to LPFM Service in America's Cities

The United States Senate Commerce Committee voted to approve a major bill on Thursday, opening the way for Congress to substantially expand the number of community media outlets in the United States. Senate Bill #2505 is designed to allow thousands more Low Power FM Community radio stations to reach Americans in cities, and all across the country. The bill, designed to 'implement the recommendations of the Federal Communications Commission regarding Low Power FM' (LPFM), was introduced by Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT). This unusual bipartisan partnership, and this successful movement of the bill into the full Congress, came about as a result of the enthusiastic and energized grassroots advocacy of Americans frustrated with the poor quality of media across the country.

7/13/04

Blessing of the Fleet Festival August 7th

Last year over 4,000 people showed up to celebrated the return of a lost South County tradition. The "Blessing of the Fleet Festival was by all accounts a huge success as thousands rediscovered the magic of the bay and our working watermen. This year's Festival promises to be every bit as exciting so come on down. Discovery Village has again teamed up with the Anne Arundel Waterman's Association and the local community to recreate the historic "Blessing of the Fleet" in Parrish Creek.

Join the party this year and help us celebrate a great South County tradition.

Date: August 7th
Location: Discovery Village, Shady Side (directions)
Time: Noon to 5pm
Admission: FREE
Parking: FREE off-site. On-site $5.

WRYR will be broadcasting live from the festival. Don't miss this treasured South County tradition. Lots of good food, great music, kids games plus fun for all the family.

6/24/04

Federal Court Directs FCC to Reverse Media Ownership Rules

In a lengthy decision of over 200 pages, the Third District Court today told the Federal Communications Commission that its attempts to further deregulate the American media system are unjustified. The court determined that the FCC relied on "irrational assumptions and inconsistencies" in determining the new cross-ownership caps, and ordered them to make a new decision that takes seriously their duty to regulate media to preserve the public interest.

6/6/04

McCain/Leahy Introduce Bill To Allow Thousands Of New Community Radio Stations

On June 4th, members of Congress introduced legislation that could allow the licensing and construction of thousands of Low Power FM (LPFM) radio stations in America's cities. Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain introduced the legislation, and Senator Leahy co-sponsored it. The bill is designed to remove barriers from the FM broadcast spectrum that have previously prevented community groups from building LPFM stations, especially in cities.

6/1/04

Roanoke College Skipjack Web-Site

Twelve students from Roanoke College participated in an intensive learning class in May aboard the Skipjack H.M. Krentz to study the Chesapeake Bay and its crab and oyster fisheries. The students spent many class and hands-on hours preparing: learning to navigate; tie knots; learning the parts of a ship; the history of the bay as well as its current conditions; and why the bay is such an invaluable resource we need to protect. As the group spent over a week traveling, a new classroom was discovered, the bay itself. While aboard the Skipjack H.M. Krentz, captained by Ed Farley, touring museums, and spending time with natives of the bay, students were given a chance to explore the beauty of the Chesapeake first hand. This program was more than a biology lesson; this program is why these students now have a new appreciation for the entire of the Chesapeake Bay, its waters, its creatures, and its people. The students created a web-site to share their experiences.

5/27/04

NBC Film Crew to Make Documentary on Spokane LPFM

Spokane's only independent, non-commercial community radio station will be featured in a national documentary on Low Power FM radio.

5/17/04

College Students on Skipjack Visit South County

A visit by the Skipjack H.M. Krentz to southern Anne Arundel County on May 19 will deliver a class from Roanoke College to the West River Methodist Camp for a day steeped in Chesapeake folklore and music. Part of an intensive three-week course entitled "Watermen of the Chesapeake", the West River layover is one stop on a tour of Maryland that includes the upper Eastern Shore and the Shady Side Peninsula.

5/1/04

New Programming: Featured Artists & Music Blocks

Beginning in May, WRYR is pleased to bring you new programming to its schedule. The Noon-time hour will now contain "Featured Artists" and "SACReD Music Blocks". These programs are also repeated at 11 pm and Saturday evenings beginning at 9 pm. Each month WRYR will bring you two new Featured Artists, while the Music Blocks are rotated bi-monthly. The kick-off Featured Artists are Santana and The Who, while the first Music Blocks are 80's Rock and Rockin' R&B. The extensive WRYR music library ensures that you'll never hear the same show twice, so tune in every day. Check out the WRYR Programming Guide for details.

4/26/04

Wired Covers the NFCB Conference

Wired magazine has an article covering the NFCB annual conference held in Albuquerque, NM last week. The article highlights Low Power FM stations and mentions WRYR.

3/24/04

Now is the Time to Bring LPFM to America's Cities

Senator John McCain will introduce a bill that will give community radio a new round of licenses!

Click here to fight for Low Power FM today!

The FCC finally made its recommendation to Congress to expand the Low Power FM service. If they expand the service, it will reach thousands more communities across the US. Now that that we've jumped through that hoop, the last battle will be in Congress. They are the only people standing in the way of the expansion of the Low Power FM community radio service. Does your Senator know what you think about Low Power FM?

The big broadcasters are making the rounds in DC, talking to the representatives, making their demands clear. Big broadcasters usually get their way, because they have money to spread around. Folks think they are too big and too rich to fight. But this time, we know we can beat them, if we all get active! We have beaten them before. It's up to all of us to let Congress know that their constituents want Low Power FM now. It's up to all of us to let them know -- we want to start building stations in our communities, large and small.

Organizations are working in Washington to bring this legislation to a vote. Media Access Project, Free Press, the Future of Music Coalition, the NFCB, and Prometheus have been meeting with Senate staff, and we are getting a great reaction so far. But we can't move this new legislation off their desks without a show of support from grassroots groups around the country. Ready to ask your legislators for more Low Power FM?

You can find all the tools you'll need at the Prometheus Radio's legislative action center, via the link above. The legislative action center contains all the background information, statistics, sample letters/phone scripts, and contact information you can use to tell your elected representatives to let LPFM into your communities. And, if you're an existing community station, it has links to tools you can use on your station. Get your listeners to stand up for community radio!

3/13/04

WRYR Tops The Capital's Online Poll!

Voters in this past week's online poll by The Capital indicated that the radio station they listened to the most was WRYR. Take a look at the poll results.

3/11/04

SACReD & Shady Side Boys & Girls Club Work Together

The South Arundel Citizens for Responsible Development (SACReD) and The Shady Side Boys and Girls Club met to work together to find a location for more ball fields. Read the article in today's issue of The Capital.

Governor Ehrlich Wants Ball Fields at Nike Site, Not Smith Farm

Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. said yesterday that he will try to speed construction of ball fields on an abandoned Nike missile site near the Bay Bridge, even as work on athletic fields continues at the Smith Farm site. Read the article in today's issue of The Capital.

3/6/04

Smith Farm Destruction Temporally Halted, But Will Continue

Brave opponents to the County bulldozing the Smith Farm for ball fields put a temporary halt to the destruction by risking life and freedom in putting their bodies in front of the bulldozers. An injunction temporarily halted the work, but an emergency hearing resulted in the judge dismissing the injunction. A detailed hearing is scheduled for Monday. Read the article in today's issue of The Capital.

3/4/04

Bulldozers Are Rolling at Smith Farm

Janet S. Owens, Anne Arundel County Executive, is defying the wishes of Governor Robert Ehrlich and Comptroller William Schaefer and is proceeding with the destruction Smith Farm to construct ball fields. Articles in yesterday's issue of The Baltimore Sun.

3/3/04

Anne Arundel County Office of Environmental & Cultural Resources Letter to the Department of Recreations & Parks

The Anne Arundel County Office of Environmental and Cultural Resources sent a letter to Dennis Callahan of the Anne Arundel County Department of Recreations and Parks recommending that Franklin Point Park remain in its natural state and to preserve and protect this resource to the maximum extent possible. The letter recommends that the Dept. Recs and Parks investigate and identify alternative locations for ball fields. The letter also recommends that the Dept. of Recs and Parks improve the existing ball fields at Shady Side Park.

2/27/04

Anne Arundel County Recs & Parks Documents

Download and read these documents related to the AA County Department of Recreations and Parks planning of the Shadyside area parks, including Franklin Point Park. These documents include the results of the Deale/Shadyside and South County area Recs & Parks Needs Survey completed in 2000, as well as the report on the environmental analysis the five Shadyside area parks. Note that the Environmental Analysis Report button is a link to the County web-site (scroll down the page), as the file is 60 MB in size.



2/26/04

FCC Vindicates Low Power FM Radio

The Federal Communications Commission released a major report on February 20th concerning its Low Power FM radio service. After years of waiting, the FCC is finally making its recommendation to Congress that they remove the third adjacent frequency restrictions that keep Low Power FM radio out of most American communities, especially out of our cities. This act will open the doors to dozens, if not hundreds, of new potential community radio stations in the United States, more essential than ever in a time of increasing media consolidation and decreasing access to the airwaves.



McCain Praises FCC Recommendations on LPFM

U.S. Senator John McCain, Chairman of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, applauded a report to Congress from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) concluding that statutory limitations placed on Low Power FM stations are unnecessary to prevent interference and recommending that Congress eliminate these limitations.

2/20/04

Franklin Point Park Public Meeting February 25, 2004

You should plan to participate in the public meeting Wednesday, February 25th, 2004, to discuss the final draft of the plan for Franklin Point Park.

What’s at Stake?

As the plans for Franklin Point Park move into the FINAL draft stage, the County's Department of Recreation and Parks is attempting to IGNORE the recommendations of the County-appointed citizens Committee, and push forward with planning for ball fields as the ONLY option for the park. It had been previously AGREED to by the County and the Committee that the plan would present two options, one involving ball fields, and one leaving the park as a nature preserve with passive recreation only -- a place for walking and canoeing.

You need to attend this meeting to help put a stop to this railroading of the planning process. This is your chance to support passive recreation for Franklin Point -- a vision for the park that represents the State’s intent when they joined the County in purchasing the property from developers four years ago. Your neighbors worked hard to save this property from development. Now its your turn to help stop the County from going back on its word and against the wishes of the citizens Committee.

A similar victory of the people over inappropriate ball fields just occurred at the Smith Farm property on the Broadneck Peninsula. There, the county had attempted to go back on its word that it would build only an equestrian center at the site. On February 11, the ball fields plan was shot down once and for all, after great public outcry and outraged testimony from the woman who originally transferred the land to the county--and who had the letter from the county, in her hand, promising no ball fields. WE TOO MUST HOLD THE COUNTY ACCOUNTABLE, AND THE
NO-BALL FIELDS VICTORY AT SMITH FARM PROVES WE CAN DO IT!

This is the most crucial moment to date in the planning for Franklin Point Park -- the importance of this meeting cannot be overstated.   You NEED need to attend the meeting on February 25th, 7 PM, at Shady Side Elementary School! Additional parking will be made available around the corner at Discovery Village.

WRYR will be at the meeting to record the proceedings to ensure an accurate record is on file. The County conveniently does not take minutes of the meetings.

2/12/04

Shady Side Watermen To Be Featured on Outdoors Maryland

Maryland Public Televsion's "Outdoors Maryland" will include a piece on the Chesapeake watermen and focus on those in the Shady Side, MD area. The piece will be part of Show #1603, which airs this Tuesday, February 17th, at 7:30 pm, and again on Wednesday, February 18th, at 6:00 am and Saturday, February 21st, at 5:30 pm. Click on the link below to see information about this show.

2/7/04

Tom Wisner To Be Featured on Outdoors Maryland

Tom Wisner, Bard of the Chesapeake, and host of Chesapeake Country on WRYR, will be featured on Maryland Public Televsion's "Outdoors Maryland" this Tuesday, February 10th, at 7:30 pm, and again on Wednesday, February 11th, at 6:00 am and Saturday, February 14th, at 5:30 pm. Click on the link below to see information about this show (Show #1602).

2/5/04

WRYR Provides The Capital Audio Recording of Franklin Point-Shady Side Parks Master Planning Committee Meeting

Today's Capital has an article on the Franklin Point Park planning proposals which cites a recording of the January Franklin Point-Shady Side Parks Master Planning Committee meeting made by WRYR-LP. The Anne Arundel County Department of Parks and Recreation is putting forth two proposals for Franklin Point Park, both of which include plans for ball fields. This is contrary to the two proposals mutually agreed upon by both the County and the Committee members at the January meeting of the Committee. This contradiction is evident the audio recording of the meeting in which the agreement was made. You can listen to the meeting by clicking on the files below.

Listen to the Franklin Point-Shady Side Parks Master Planning Committee Meeting

WRYR-LP recorded the public meeting held on January 13, 2004 to discuss the planning proposals for the parks in the Franklin Point and Shady Side area. You can listen to and download the recording of that meeting. The meeting is broken into five mp3 files, with each file covering about 20 minutes of the meeting and having a size of about 5 MB. The portion of the meeting covering the final two proposals agreed upon by both the County and the Committee is near the end of Part 5.





1/21/04

Donate Online to WRYR

You can now donate directly to WRYR using PayPal. You can use your credit card or a bank transfer and immediately complete a donation to your community radio station. Of course, you also still have the option of mailing in a donation, just download the form.

1/21/04

Hurricane Isabel Help Fair

The Anne Arundel County Office of Community & Constituent Services will host a Hurricane Help Fair. A panel of experts will be assembled to answer your questions about insurance, permits, well water, mold, and much more. Activities for kids will be provided, too.

Thursday, February 5, 2004
The Kiwanis Club
1425 Snug Harbor Road
Shady Side, MD
Doors open at 6:00 p.m.
Ask your questions of the panel members from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

The Help Fair is free and everyone is welcome. For more information or immediate assistance, please contact Isabel Outreach at 410-222-1068.

1/20/04

WRYR Begins Airing Free Speech Radio News

Beginning this week, WRYR will be airing daily editions of Free Speech Radio News at 9 am every day. Some information about Free Speech Radio News:

FSRN is the only daily half-hour progressive radio newscast in the U.S. It is owned and managed by news reporters. FSRN is an independent broadcast news organization born in January 2000 as the result of a strike by 43 reporters who formerly worked for Pacifica Network News (PNN). It was created in defiance of the Pacifica Foundation's former Board of Directors and staff who had censored PNN staff for reporting on the Pacifica conflict, and who were attempting to "mainstream" the news at Pacifica. Since that time, FSRN has expanded to over 200 journalists who report from 40 states within the U.S. and 57 countries around the world-including Israel/Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Argentina, Mexico and Nigeria. Any journalist may pitch a news story to FSRN and every reporter who produces a story gets paid. FSRN actively recruits and trains people throughout the U.S. and around the world resulting in an ever-expanding and broadened reporter base.

FSRN supports peace and social justice. It emphasizes decentralized production, and the collective input of Pacifica stations, affiliates and other community media. The FSRN steering committee strives for diversity in ethnicity, gender, class and sexual orientation in the staff and reporting pool. FSRN is administered by Pacifica Reporters Against Censorship (PRAC), a newly incorporated not-for-profit, 501(c)3 tax-exempt corporation. FSRN is negotiating for union affiliation. (http://www.fsrn.org)

1/8/04

Bay Weekly Article on Dr. Gustave Jackson

The current issue of the Bay Weekly features a nice article on Gus Jackson, a friend and on-air volunteer at WRYR-LP who recently passed away. You can read the article here:

1/3/04

In Memory of Dr. Gustave Jackson

We here at WRYR were extremely saddened to learn of the passing of Dr. Gustave Jackson on New Year's Day. Gus touched communities worldwide and ours in particular. Gus was the host of Environmental Justice on WRYR which aired Saturday mornings. Gus succumbed to Malaria that he had contracted while in the rainforest working on environmental and justice issues.

A memorial service will be held at the Howard University Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel, 2371 Sixth Street, N.W., Washington D.C., 20059 at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 10, 2004. The service will be followed by a repast at the Howard University Blackburn Center. Please email WRYR if you have any questions.



WRYR-LP 97.5 FM radio is owned and operated by WRYR Community Radio, Inc.

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