An update regarding Radio Free Queen City WVQC

We received a press release from Katie Finnigan at WVQC-FM. You'll recall that we were the first blog in the Tri-State to tell you about the station, set to launch at 95.7FM in August.

The station is kicking off the first fund drive, which seeks to raise $127,000 by the time the station launches August 1st. They've also launched their website at http://www.wvqc.org.

Here's the press release in it's entirety. Again, thanks to Katie Finnigan for keeping us in the loop!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



Contact: Katie Finnigan

Tel: 513-651-4171 ext. 11

Email: Katie@mediabridges.org





RADIO FREE QUEEN CITY TO FREE THE AIRWAVES

Independent station will bring community radio to urban core.



CINCINNATI, March 24, 2009: A new force is coming to Cincinnati’s airwaves. 95.7FM WVQC, Radio Free Queen City will bring local music, news and grassroots programming to the urban neighborhoods of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. This week, the non-profit station is officially launching a new website, wvqc.org and kicking off the Free the Airwaves campaign to raise $127,000.00 by its launch date of August 1, 2009.



Radio Free Queen City will be a true community station with a schedule that emphasizes local music, news, events and talk, as well as alternative national programming. It will also air government affairs programming and Spanish language news. Programs will be produced by local volunteers and will reflect the interests of the community.



WVQC was awarded a low power FM (LPFM) license after a seven-year application process with the Federal Communications Commission. LPFM’s are non-commercial, community stations that broadcast at just 100 watts of power. Only about 1,000 licenses have been issued and they are almost never in urban areas. Cincinnati is the largest radio market in the country to receive one.



From its studio in Over-the-Rhine, WVQC’s signal will stretch 3-5 miles and cover most of the urban core of Cincinnati and part of Northern Kentucky. It will also stream live on the Internet.



Radio Free Queen City’s license is a rare opportunity for the city, but community support is crucial to its success. The FCC is requiring WVQC to begin broadcasting by August 2009. Funds from the Free the Airwaves campaign will purchase the equipment and hire the staff to meet the deadline.



Donations to the campaign can be made online at wvqc.org. Users can also find more information about the station, read the blog, sign up for email updates, and learn how to get involved. There is even a forum where Cincinnati residents can discuss what they’d like to hear on their community station.



WVQC is licensed to Media Bridges, Cincinnati’s community media center, providing the education, equipment and environment to assist people in communicating effectively through media. Media Bridges sets out to create a welcoming space for the public to come together to find solutions and share them. Not only do they offer free classes, but they also offer the means to create media productions. Media Bridges loans out equipment, library style, including cameras, microphones, computers and studios, so that people can create messages to take to the citizens of Cincinnati via Media Bridges’ cable channels, radio station or website.



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For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Katie Finnigan at 513-651-4171 ext. 11 or Katie@mediabridges.org