Prometheus Radio Barnraisings

Barnraisings are our favorite way to build a radio station. In the spirit of the Amish barnraising tradition, in which an entire community gathers to support one family and build together, Prometheus holds radio barnraisings to build community along with stations. These events bring together local station volunteers with low power radio advocates from around the region and sometimes the world. Engineers, students, journalists, lawyers, musicians, activists and other folks gather to build a studio, raise an antenna mast, and put the station on air for the first time - all over the course of three days.

Meanwhile, volunteer facilitators lead workshops on a wide variety of topics relating to new radio stations. Subjects include FCC regulations, radio engineering, citizen lobbying and media reform advocacy, programming, fundraising, and movement-building. We are planning for our first full power radio station barnraising in Fall 2010! Stay tuned for more details.

Prometheus Radio Project teams with WGXC 90.7-FM, a project of free103point9, to hold our 12th community radio barnraising and our first full power barnraising! Radio barnraisings are weekend-long radio-building and movement-building events. Individuals from the local community and participatory media folks from around the country come together to share ideas, experiences, and skills in the launching of a community radio station.


Prometheus has held eleven community radio barnraisings to date:

* WRYR-LP in Deale, Maryland with South Arundel Citizens for Responsible Development- February 16 – 18, 2002
* KRBS-LP in Oroville, California with the Bird Street Media Project- April 12 - 14, 2002
* KOCZ-LP in Opelousas, Louisiana with the Southern Development Foundation- November 15 – 17, 2002
* KYRS-LP in Spokane, Washington with the Thin Air Community Radio- October 24 – 26, 2003
* WCIW-LP in Immokalee, Florida with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers- December 5 - 7, 2003
* WSCA-LP in Portsmouth, New Hampshire with Portsmouth Community Radio- September 10 - 12, 2004
* WRFN-LP in Pasquo, Tennessee with Radio Free Nashville- April 1 - 3, 2005
* WXOJ-LP in Northampton, Massachusetts with Valley Free Radio- August 5 - 7, 2005
* WRFU-LP in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois with Radio Free Urbana- November 11 – 13, 2005
* KPCN-LP in Woodburn, Oregon with Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste- August 18 – 20, 2006
* WMXP-LP in Greenville, South Carolina with the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement- June 8 - 10, 2007

Prometheus has also been active internationally, working with groups in Guatemala, Nepal, Colombia, Jordan, Kenya, and Tanzania.

For more information on the WGXC/Prometheus Radio Barnraising Sept. 24-26 in Hudson click here.