It was 40 years ago this fall when I started off at WIDB, the student radio station at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. With two years of high school radio under my belt, it was a continuation of a fun journey of spinning records, doing sports, and lots of other cool things for four years. Alas, in 1986, while I harbored ambitions of making a career of radio, things didn't work out that way. But in 2007, CHIRP Radio came along. But even as I got in on the ground floor of this effort to create a radio station, I frankly didn't expect to be doing a regular show on the air. I figured that was for the kids -- I'd just do behind-the-scenes stuff. 

Well, it didn't work out that way, and how lucky I am for that. For over 12 years, I've been doing my regular Saturday shift, spending some of my free time looking for cool things to play on my show, and then getting a three-hour respite from real life to spin tunes and talk about them. Don't get me wrong -- doing a show is still work, but the type of work for which I don't have to be paid. Indeed, it is the veritable labor of love, a love me and the 150-200 CHIRP volunteers engage in on a daily basis to keep this radio station running. 

Like any radio station, CHIRP has bills and expenses. We have to rent the space where we have our studio and the rooftop where our transmitter sits. We have to pay for internet, getting the signal from the station to the transmitter, streaming fees, licensing fees, and a whole lot more. During the pandemic, we've had limitations in being able to do certain types of fundraising (like our annual record fair, which, fingers crossed, will get going again in October), and we've also seen certain sources of grants drying up a bit. Which is why we rely on donations from supporters and listeners to help fund the station and keep it going strong.

What has been amazing is that since March 2020, we've had our best fundraising drives ever. I think that's because CHIRP was able to really establish a personal connection with our audience during a time where, for a while, folks didn't even feel safe to go out. As we head into the home stretch of 2022, we're onboarding new volunteers for the first time in over two years. New DJs have to be trained. Some folks who've been working extra hard for 2+ years can pass the baton.

Please consider a donation, in any amount, to help us keep CHIRP running and able to provide its local and independent programming, showcasing all sorts of music you can't hear anywhere else, giving exposure to so many artists who need it. CHIRP gives folks in the community a chance to be a part of a radio station, a chance many would otherwise not have. I am trying to raise $2600 and I'm trying, yet again, to get 50 donors (I've come close...someday), to help keep CHIRP going, so I can keep doing my show.

This campaign, I will again match the first $700 in donations made to this page in my name. My overall goal is $1700. Donate $10 or more to this page, and I'll dedicate a cool cover to you on the air. Donate $30 or more, and I'll send you a cool musical surprise (and dedicate that cover). Thanks!

CHIRP is a community radio station built just for you.

Great music. No commercials. Real DJs. CHIRP is proud to provide you with live, local radio every single day, with passionate, curious DJs who love to share their musical discoveries.

Supporters like you are a crucial part of the CHIRP community, and your generous support makes everything we do possible. We are a truly independent, listener-supported radio station, never beholden to corporate interests.

If you believe in this work, and if you're able, we please make a donation to CHIRP today.

IMPORTANT: 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 to give in support of the person making this post, be sure to type their full name in the "volunteer to credit" section so they can receive credit for your gift).