New community radio station WGXC holds a meeting seeking public input for the area’s new non-commercial radio voice 6-7:30 p.m., Mon. May 11 in the community room at Crosswinds at Hudson. WGXC will cover most of Columbia and Greene Counties when it launches in June, 2010. In May, WGXC will launch on online radio station with a news blog, and live and archived recordings of performances, town meetings, lectures, and other events. WGXC will be a community-run media project, re-envisioning radio as an innovative platform for local participation. Our inclusive programming will connect diverse voices, and distribute information across the public spectrum in New York's Greene and Columbia Counties.

The station plans to offer youth programming, news for farmers, interviews with local leaders, and shows about the arts, environment, schools, hunting, gardening, local history, local authors, health, and other topics. There will be studios in Hudson and Catskill, and many broadcasts will originate from local theaters, town halls, book stores, schools, and community centers. Cairo-based non-profit arts organization free103point9 won a license to broadcast 3,300 watts on 90.7-FM last fall from the Federal Communications Commission. free103point9 is a 12-year-old non-profit arts organization that works with artists who use radio waves in their work.

Interested members of the public are urged to attend and tell organizers what you would like to hear on the radio. Many shows on WGXC will be hosted by local personalities and experts, and WGXC staff and Radio Council members will be present to listen to ideas for programs and hear how this community wants its radio station to sound. There will be applications available at the meeting for folks who want to host their own radio show. For more information e-mail Tom Roe at tom @ wgxc.org.

If you cannot make it in person you can listen live on WGXC Online Radio at www.wgxc.org.