209 Radio appeal

Cambridge has an excellent community radio station called 209Radio that has a wide variety of specialist programming and provides a brilliant opportunity for anyone in the area to just get up and start their own program. I even had a news hour myself for a little while and great fun it was too, if extremely hard work.

Unfortunately, such is the way of these things 209, as a grassroots movements, doesn't just require enormous personal sacrifices on the part of those who are committed to keeping the station running it also needs serious funding.

Bringing diverse voices to the Cambridge airwaves and beyond for over 5 years now has been really valued by thousands across Cambridge (and beyond, for the internet listeners). Sadly, news went around last week that the station is in the midst of a funding crisis and is under threat of closing down.

This is now the challenge to keep the station open - they need to raise at least £20,000 by the end of September or they'll be off the airwaves. The situation is not totally helpless - the fund raising drive is already underway. Unfortunately this will mean hosting advertising for the first time - but needs must as the devil drives.

If you are one of the many who appreciates what 209radio has been doing, please consider donating a bit of money to them. The station is a registered charity and you can now donate through just giving: http://www.justgiving.com/209radio

It would be a great loss if 209 shut down, particularly when they are on the cusp of even greater successes. They've had some very important shows, including one run by Cambridge's homeless community, stuff on important issues and organisations that just don't get covered anywhere else, and music programmes with genres that would be ignored in today's broadcasting world.

When I heard they had a funding problem I thought, right, I'll lend my support - I listen in regularly and I'm never quite sure what weird and/or wonderful bit of programming I'm going to find so it would be a great shame if that were to disappear leaving us with the same old homogeneous tat that our elders and betters consider safe enough for us to listen to.

Report on the funding crisis:
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/cn_news_home/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=346835