New community programs

WBCR-lp Wants You to rejuvenate local radio in the Southern Berkshires.
WBCR-lp 97.7fm is looking for new members to fill the local air waves with fresh and interesting content from our community. 

• Want to contribute to the station or learn more about local radio? Become a member
• Have an idea for a radio show, or just want to get on the air? Contact our program director, Jackie Kain (jackie.kain@berkshireradio.org).  All programmers need to become members.  Check out our membership page.
• Want to make a donation to help make it all possible? Please donate
• Aching to volunteer some time on a fun and meaningful project? Contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Asa Steady Hardcastle (asa.steadyhardcastle@berkshireradio.org).

We survived the pandemic! We have a Main Street Great Barrington studio, an FCC radio broadcast license, a viable non-profit organization, and a group of committed volunteers who work tirelessly to maintain the station.  Now we need new members who want to help chart the course for local radio in our community! Become one of those members, step up and into WBCR!

​NEW IMPERATIVES / INITIATIVES

Our goals are imperative if we are to be relevant and of value to our community during this critical time after the pandemic and beyond.

LOCAL JOURNALISM For over a decade, there has been a steady succession of local news outlets closing down, reporters being laid off, publication schedules cut, and resources tightened.

• Local journalism plays an indispensable role in American civic life as a source for critical information and a building block of social cohesion.
  
• Local journalism drives civic engagement.
  
• In May 2020, we opened the studio to seasoned programmers (one at a time, with ample time between shows) who did not require training on the equipment and with all COVID-19 precautions in place.
  
• We developed training videos and held online training sessions and created a YouTube channel for new programmers who feel they can tackle the rather steep learning curve to record at home, edit audio, and upload completed shows to our shared drive. Our volunteers provide one-on-one training and support to make this happen.

​To build our capacity for greater civic engagement, we plan to do the following:

• News & Current Affairs: We are seeking to create a dedicated news team within the station partnering, for example, with our local on-line newspaper, the edge, and Orion, a quarterly magazine published in GB focused on climate change. The goal – heightened coverage and increased awareness of critical local issues with resonance across the region.

• “Story Box (wt)”: A microphone for the community, a mobile soapbox, is a form of community- based history and storytelling. The digital and physical rig for “Story Box” is a home-grown invention that is essentially a mobile and site-based sound-gathering and archiving system. Push a button and record your thoughts.
• Live streaming & remote reporting: Needed is upgraded equipment and software solutions for live-streaming events, meetings, and performances – ranging from coverage of a protest at Town Hall or this week’s Farmer’s Markets — to an intimate audio portrait of the Housatonic River struggling with its legacy of PCB pollution or the experience of a Jacob’s Pillow dance “pop-up” performed across the county.  

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

• CTSB. For the past two months CTSB-TV (Community Television for the Southern Berkshires) and WBCR-lp have been in conversation about how we can work best together, share our resources and strengthen the reach and impact of community media. We have begun sharing the audio from live performances at CTSB, and plan to add more coverage and live-streaming of local events as our partnership develops. Our combined skills and platforms will strengthen both local media organizations.
• Radio Plays @ Simon’s Rock: WBCR-lp recently broadcast a new production of the 1940’s radio play, Sorry, Wrong Number by Simon’s Rock theater students – as a “pilot” for a series of theatrical productions made for radio. This suggestive partnership with Bard College at Simon’s Rock in Great Barrington is wide open and unscripted.

​PODCASTING. As part of our studio upgrade, we intend to develop a podcasting program and platform that includes training, production studio(s), a publishing platform, underwriting/advertising to support our programs, and special events.

• Youth Outreach: We hope to launch next school year a Youth Podcast competition, working with after-school programs and Railroad Street Youth Project.
• Community Thought Leaders: Our community includes thought leaders in a wide variety of fields, from agriculture, climate leadership, arts, technology and culture. We would like to provide a forum for thought leaders to air their programs on local radio. 

training

​Visit the training page to find out more information on becoming a programmer