As an all-volunteer organization since our first broadcast in October 2015, WHUP has achieved a level of success even the most optimistic among us thought impossible in such a short time. In any given week, folks tune in to WHUP from more than 20 countries and 30 states, and we have had a parade of more than 2,500 guests from around the region join us live in our studios for music and enlightening conversation. At a recent meeting, however, the WHUP board of directors came to a realization: The growing demand for our programming and services has exceeded our capacity to provide them at the high level our listeners and community have come to expect. Rather than continue to ask our core volunteers to do even more work, we realized that the time has finally come for WHUP to take the next step in our evolution as a community radio broadcaster and hire a full-time station manager, and we have now committed to doing just that by mid-2024.
Having a station manager in place will mean an increase in our community outreach, better public awareness both locally and beyond of what WHUP offers, expanded recruiting of area talent to host new innovative shows and manage other station functions, more frequent community interaction, and other tangible benefits for our listeners, area residents and many creative partners. We’ve long wanted to increase the ability of our organization to accomplish more, and WHUP has been conserving our financial resources since we went on the air. Still, we will be working hard to raise additional funds in the next six months to ensure that we can sustain a full-time position that pays a living wage. Stay tuned for updates!
All of us at WHUP are driven by a passion for local music and public affairs, the desire to do good work at the local level and the need for independent community radio in a time of massive media consolidation. We’re grateful that so many people share those passions and have embraced WHUP during the last eight years and look forward to our next eight!
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