Love and Radio in the Time of COVID-19

On March 15, as the New York response to the coronavirus began to take form, we shut the station to all volunteers and the public. With over 80 active volunteers and countless guests, interns, and community members coming through the station on any given day, the risk was just too high to stay fully open. 

But we believe community radio has a vital role to play in times of crisis. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT HERE.

So, without missing a beat, our intrepid News Director Michayla Savitt stepped in to host our nightly newscast providing essential, local news, updates about the pandemic, and local voices heard nowhere else and our DJs cobbled together home studios in their laundry rooms, bedrooms, and closets to continue bringing you the voices and sounds that make up a caring, compassionate and joyful community. 

Town Hall Meetings

The day after we closed the station, we launched a series of town hall meetings focused on the local response to the crises facing our communities featuring experts and policy makers as well as the voices of our listeners. Tune in for the upcoming Public Health Town Hall, Monday, October 19 and read more about the ongoing series, listen to past meeting and see our ongoing Coronavirus coverage, and follow WRFI on Facebook to hear about upcoming meetings and other station happenings. 

From systemic racism and police brutality, to the childcare crisis, to mutual aid, to the opening of schools and colleges, with each forum, we’ve attempted to use our airwaves to address the urgent needs of local folks–particularly those most vulnerable. These broadcasts have been tremendously successful, and broke all previous records for listenership. To handle listener overflow and to reach new digital audiences, we've also started to use Facebook LIVE. This has also allowed us to include valuable perspectives from new segments of the community. Follow WRFI on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/wrficommunityradio