2020 is CHIRP Radio's 10 year anniversary, and as the year started, we were planning on celebrating with our community in a big way --we're talking a 12-month-long party with record fairs, shows, and all kinds of fun stuff going on. But then like for everyone else, the year didn't exactly turn out as planned.

When the lockdown happened in March, we had just begun our Spring pledge drive, and then we suddenly found ourselves in the midst of stay-at-home orders, with many members of our community in uncertain situations. I remember our General Manager contacted all of the volunteer DJs to see what our comfort levels would be continuing to do our show. We had quickly updated our safety procedures to sanitize the studio repeatedly throughout the day, and to minimize contact with each other between shifts. Yet there were still so many unknowns. 

At my house, my husband and I talked about it. In the Spring, we weren't leaving our house at all, and so I needed to check in to assess my own comfort level. Ultimately, I wanted to keep doing my show. I truly did. Not only was it my one outing from the house each week, but I knew that as a community, we needed live radio. I thought about all those folks who live on their own, and how a live DJ might be their only access to another human's voice. I thought about the artists who had produced their music, who could no longer count on doing shows as income. Although I was nervous at first, I had no doubt about wanting to go into CHIRP every Saturday morning.

And listen --I know I'm on in the early morning, and I don't expect to get a lot of emails between 6-9 on a Saturday morning. But when COVID-19 hit, something changed. I was hearing from people. 6:15am -emails from listeners. Sometimes with requests, sometimes responding to something I said in the break, and sometimes just saying thanks for coming in. It was like all of a sudden, with everyone isolated, we craved connection. Real, meaningful connection, and by being at CHIRP, I really felt like I could contribute to that. So yes, of course I love music -I'm obsessed with music- but for me, the real beauty of CHIRP Radio is the connection we have with the community.

CHIRP has been there for the community, and now, we're asking you to be here for us. I know not everyone is in a position to financially contribute at the moment, but if you can, even if it's just $5 or $10, it would mean the world to us. I was fortunate enough to be able to raise over $1100 during the Spring pledge drive, before it got cancelled, though we didn't make it close to our overall goal. And with our record fairs and other live events cancelled, we're counting on our community to help us weather the storm.

If you've got the money to spare—if you're fortunate enough to be working still—please help out. Make a donation today.

We've been here for you throughout this challenging year - now, we need you to be here for us!

This wasn't how we anticipated spending our tenth anniversary year. Instead of parties and open studio events, we've spent the last six months, one DJ at a time in a carefully disinfected studio, keeping you connected while we all worked to stay safe. We've worked hard to amplify the voices of local artists who can't play live and local venues who were first to close, and to help you feel less alone at a time when it's easy to feel distant from your community.

But we've been hanging in there, and we hope you have too. We're still here every single day, live and local, commercial-free, with great music brought to you by true music fans. If you believe in this work, and if you're able, we hope you'll support the station with a gift today.

If you would like to become a sustaining member by making a recurring donation (monthly or quarterly), or if you want to select a thank you gift, please visit CHIRP's main donation page to make your contribution (and don’t forget to enter the name of the CHIRP Volunteer or DJ in the “How did you hear about CHIRP” section so they can receive credit for your gift).