2005 NEWS 

12/22/05

Queen of Sprawl  Puppet Auction Won By Brenda DeLalla

Brenda DeLalla, a longtime environmental activist and sometimes-thorn in the side of County Executive Janet S. Owens, had the top bid in an eBay auction for a 12-foot-tall likeness of Ms. Owens, dubbed the "Queen of Sprawl."

12/19/05

Catch a Jazzy Christmas on Desert Island Jazz

12/7/05

Infamous Queen of Sprawl Puppet Goes Up for Auction on Ebay!

Some said she couldn’t be bought (while others thought quite the contrary!), but here’s your proof — the Queen of Sprawl Puppet is for sale to the highest bidder.  Brilliantly crafted by gifted artist and famous “puppetista” Nadine Bloch, this colorful creature bears a striking resemblance to a certain county executive, and at 12 feet tall she towers above the crowd! Place your bid for this unique cultural icon today!

11/27/05

Teen Radio! Highlighted in the Baltimore Sun

Rob Steinberg, host of Teen Radio! continues to make news.  He is featured in an article in today's Baltimore Sun. Read the article by clicking on the button below.

11/25/05

Commentary on The WRYR Store by The Capital

The "Sources Say" column in The Capital today looks at the WRYR Store and the various WRYR and SACReD merchandise.  We think they didn't get the humor behind the WRYR 'thong'.  Any publicity is good publicity, right?

11/15/05

Teen Radio! Makes Front Page of The Capital

Rob Steinberg recently made it on the air at WRYR with Teen Radio!.  Today, Rob made the front page of The Capital in an article about his show and the partnership between WRYR and the Southern High School internship program.  Read the article by clicking on the button below.

11/3/05

Teen Radio! Launched by WRYR and Southern High School

WRYR is proud to work with the Southern High School internship program to launch Teen Radio!. Teen Radio! is hosted by Southern High student intern Rob Steinberg and airs Wednesday and Fridays from 2 - 3 pm.  Rob covers the Southern High School Dawgs sports news, schedules and scores, and also plays music, including 90's alternative, modern rock, classic rock, and rap.  Rob brings you information, issues, events, activities and hot topics making their way through the halls of Southern High School.

10/19/05

New Feature Program:  WRYR Presents...

WRYR has introduced a new feature program to our lineup.  WRYR will regularly air WRYR Presents... a collection of music specials, documentaries and radio theater, some of which you'll hear only on this community radio station.

Currently on the schedule are two programs:

   WRYR Presents...Radio from Downtown.  Radio from Downtown is an ongoing series performed live at the Avalon Theatre in Easton, MD and brings back radio theater at its best.  Your host, Van Williamson, takes you on a journey through music, talk and unique two-act plays with a "devilishly fun cast of characters".

   WRYR Presents...No Direction Home: Bob Dylan.  Adapted from the Martin Scorsese film of the same title, this radio documentary takes you through the early years of Bob Dylan's incredible career.  If you didn't see the film, catch the story here on community radio

Check out air times and details on our Programming Guide: 

10/14/05

WRYR Swag Now Available!

Now you can get cool WRYR merchandise to show your support for your favorite community radio station.  Yes, you can show off your support on t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, boxers and thongs.  Also available are toddler tees, bibs, teddy bears, and other great items.  WRYR receives proceeds from every sale, which are fully applied to support the operation of your community radio station.

To view all the great WRYR merchandise available, please check out the WRYR Store at Cafe Press.

10/11/05

Radio Station Barn Raising: Radio Free Urbana, WRFU-LP!  Nov. 11 - 13, 2005

Join the Urbana Champaign Independent Media Center, Champaign Urbana Wireless and the Prometheus Radio Projectfor another hair-raising, spine-tingling, electrically-charged weekend radio project!  Jump in with hundreds of volunteers from around the country as we come together to build a new radio station from microphone to antenna in three headlong days.  This barn raising will also be the grand opening of the new IMC space - the downtown post office - which was purchased by the IMC last May. No longer content to engage and enthrall scores of volunteers with a plain old radio barn raising, Prometheus and the UCIMC take on the mammoth task of building a radio station over the course of a singe weekend in stride.  This time, they're not stopping at the FM AIRWAVES; they're setting their sights on freeing the whole SPECTRUM for use by democratic communications as they look to the future of radio!  This barn raising round, will also include the build out of the Champaign Urbana wireless network. CUWin is a pioneering leader in community broadband services.  While some will construct the studio and raise the antenna to get WRFU on the air, others will set up access points to expand  this open source community wireless network!

Dozens of radio workshops and station building will take place at the sparkling new IMC space in Urbana's former Post Office Building. Radio Free Urbana, WRFU-LP, 104.5 FM will be born on Sunday, November 13th!  All skill levels are encouraged, from engineer to nowhere near, and no one will be turned away for lack of funds! You Be There!  We'll Be There!  For info or to register, visit:

 
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!)  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!  Call Prometheus, they have phones too! (215) 727-9620.

9/30/05

300,000 Anti-war Protesters Missing in D.C. Found on Community Radio

WRYR will be REBROADCASTING our coverage of the March on Washington, which includes speakers, interviews, music and other items from the event.  We invite you to join us by listening to the airwaves or picking up our internet stream of this broadcast at Noon EDT this Saturday, October 1st.  This rebroadcast has been edited  down to 2.5 hours.

Coverage of the event was minimal on mainstream media, according to FAIR:

From Fair and Accuracy in Reporting  (FAIR):

"But the corporate media was nowhere to be found. The demonstration was lost on CNN. It was buried on MSNBC. It barely escaped a muffle on NBC’s “Meet the Press” and the old, reliable NPR (National Public Radio). If you had been watching C-SPAN, you would have seen the speakers (but not the march), but how many people watch C-SPAN? The media failed to cover the largest antiwar demonstration in America since the Vietnam era. That’s not happening in “The Twilight Zone.” That is reality today. "

9/21/05

WRYR to Provide Live Coverage of Anti-War Demonstration in Washington, DC

WRYR-LP 97.5 FM will be covering the anti-war demonstration this Saturday in Washington, D.C. live starting at Noon.  This will be the largest, most involved remote broadcast in WRYR history, with six roving correspondents!  We will be feeding other several community radio stations around the nation with our full live broadcast.  We will broadcast all of the speakers live from the event as well as the sounds and music, along with numerous interviews.  Garland Nixon will be hosting the broadcast from the WRYR studio.  Additionally we will receive live reports from Green Festival in Washington, D.C. and Rico Newman will be checking in from the Chickahominy Tribe event in Charles City, VA. Additional information on the event can be found at United for Peace and Justice.  You can listen to the WRYR broadcast over the airwaves or over the internet.

9/13/05

Low Power FM Radio Station to Serve Families Displaced by Hurricane Katrina

The Katrina Aftermath Media Project radio, KAMP 95.3 FM, was launched today at noon at the Houston Astrodome by relief volunteers and independent media organizers.  This 6 watt radio station received an FCC license to serve the people and families currently living at the Astrodome and adjacent buildings.

9/2/05

Former South County Resident Writes to the Bay Weekly

Eric Bast was born and raised in Galesville, but the Army took him to Colorado.  He keeps in touch with what's happening in South County by reading the Bay Weekly and listening to WRYR over the internet.  Eric wrote a nice letter to the Editors of the Bay Weekly.

8/7/05

Great Day at the Blessing of the Fleet 2005

Anchor tossing was one of the highlights of the Blessing of Fleet Festival yesterday in Shady Side, revived in 2002 after a long hiatus. Events included the blessing of the waterman and their boats, a boat docking contest, an anchor tossing contest, and also featured craftsmen, music, food and a variety of bay-related organizations.  Despite the punishing heat, organizers said the event drew more than 2,000, many of whom arrived by boat.  WRYR was broadcasting live the whole day from Discovery Village.  Check out some pictures of WRYR's remote at the Festival in the Blessing of the Fleet 2005 Photo Album.

7/25/05

Blessing of the Fleet Festival 2005

Once again, WRYR will be broadcasting live from the Blessing of Fleet Festival at Discovery Village.

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.

When:  Saturday, August 6th, 2005
Where:  Discover Village, Shady Side, MD (directions)
Cost:  FREE!
Parking:  Free off-site; On-site $5

The "Blessing of the Fleet Festival" was nationally televised on the  MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour 1/08/2003
View past festival photos

7/20/05

Bills to Protect LPFM Introduced in Both the House and Senate

On June 9th, LPFM supporters around the country were joined in spirit by fierce rock stars the Indigo Girls, Congresswomen Louise Slaughter (D-NY), Janice Schakowsky (D-IL), and Mary Bono (R-CA), in advance of Slaughter's introduction of LPFM legislation that would protect, expand, and support the service! You can read more about the event by clicking on the link below, and stay tuned to learn more about how you can fight to expand LPFM.

On the 5th Birthday of the creation of the LPFM service, Senators McCain, Leahy, and Cantwell introduced Senate bill 312, the Local Community Radio Act of 2005. You can read more about it by clicking the link below and then get your legislators to get on board!!

6/27/05

National Geographic Story on Saving the Chesapeake Bay Features Tom Wisner

National Geographic's feature story is by Tom Horton on "Why Can't We Save the Bay?"  The story features audio clips from Tom Wisner, the host of "Chesapeake Country" on WRYR.  Check out the story.

6/26/05

10th Annual Grassroots Radio Conference, and Prometheus' Eighth Radio Barnraising! August 4th-7th, Florence, MA

They're gearing up for the biggest barnraising ever! Grassroots radio producers, organizers, allies, and friends will descend upon the Florence Community Center, at 140 Pine Street in Florence, Massachusetts, for the intergalactic multidimensional merger of the 10th Annual Grassroots Radio Conference and the 8th Prometheus Radio Barnraising!

        August 4th-7th
        Florence, Massachussetts
        Florence Community Center, at 140 Pine Street in Florence, MA

There are discussions with Smith College to provide housing for participants, and have reserved 100 beds there so far. Spaces are being secured across Florence -- large rooms for plenaries and eating, and smaller rooms for workshops and tech working spaces.

There are some ideas and proposals for adjunct and partnered activities, such as the Pacifica TechTalk conference, a free radio tech workshop, AMARC North America would be another possibility too.

If you are fool enough not to come to the greatest community radio event in memorable radio history -- go back to the second dimension, you foolish rectangle, you!

If you have any major, minor, or miniscule questions or concerns about the Grassroots Radio Conference and Radio Barnraising, email Margo Robb at margo@prometheusradio.orgtoday!

Hot Links for the Grassroots Radio Barnraising!

Learn about Valley Free Radio!
Registration Page
Look at the Studio Location and Barnraising Site for WXOJ-LP!
Draft Workshop Schedule -- Coming Soon!
Hotel Options Page!
Rideshare and Homeshare Boards
Solidarity Fund

4/6/05

WRYR Featured in USA Today

"Tiny Radio Stations Have Big Voice" - USA Today takes a look at Low Power FM radio and features WRYR prominantly in the article.

3/22/05

FCC Releases a Second Order on Reconsideration & Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for LPFM Stations

The FCC released the Second Order on Reconsideration, in which they modify the rules governing minor changes and technical minor amendments for LPFM stations.  They also clarify the definition of locally originated programming for purposes of resolving mutually exclusive LPFM applications.  In the Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the FCC is seeking comments on a number of technical and ownership issues related to LPFM.  The FCC believes this proceeding will result in an improved LPFM service, while maintaining the integrity of the FM service.

3/18/05

FCC Imposes Temporary Freeze on Translator Licenses

Today the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) put in place a temporary freeze on processing translator applications while the FCC considers what actions to take to address LPFM concerns.  LPFM advocates want LPFM stations given priority over translators.  But the FCC has thousands of pending applications for new translators. If the FCC grants the translator applications, there will be no space for new LPFMs if Congress passes the pending legislation. 

Last week, on behalf of Prometheus Radio and others, the Media Access Project asked the FCC to investigate whether three individuals who applied for over 4,000 translator licenses violated federal law by selling some of their free licenses for more than $800,000. The three individuals used "dummy" companies based in Twin Falls, ID to disguise their conduct from the FCC. Monday, an attorney for the companies filed a motion denying wrongdoing and asking the FCC to dismiss the request for an investigation. MAP opposed the motion. The request remains pending, unaffected by today's FCC action.

3/10/05

WRYR Featured in the Bay Weekly

This week's issue of the Bay Weekly features a story on WRYR, as well as Clay Street Radio, a low power AM station in Annapolis.  Check out the article. 

3/9/05

Low Power FM Advocates Fight to Preserve Slots for Local Broadcasts

Upon learning that three individuals have improperly obtained some 4,000 FM non-commercial radio station authorizations free of charge for the purpose of resale for profit, a coalition of Low Power FM (LPFM) radio advocates have filed an emergency petition calling upon the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to impose an immediate national freeze on the authorization of new FM translator stations. The groups explained that each permit which is misappropriated in this scheme for importing the programming of a distant radio station deprives a community of the opportunity to create a new, community based LPFM station.

3/2/05

WRYR to Co-Host 2005 NFCB Annual Conference in April

As we reported in December, WRYR will proudly represent LPFM stations as the co-host of 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.

2/17/05

2/16/05

2/15/05

2/8/05

1/27/05

1/25/05

1/24/05

1/19/05

1/12/05

1/3/05

1/1/05

Editorial by The Capital Supports WRYR & SACReD

The editors of The Capital "don't understand why a county administrative hearing officer is obstructing an effort to record public hearings" and state that "broadcasting such hearings is a public service".  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.  Read the editorial (scroll to the bottom of the page).