Happy birthday to us! Wadsworth Community Radio turns 5!

Did you know June 29, 2020 marks our 5 year anniversary of being on-air and streaming online worldwide!? We started this incredible radio station from the ground up (thanks to the original start-up funding from Joe and Susan Arpad) and are loving every minute of it! We have had so very many positive comments and lots of great feedback over the past 5 years. We had big plans to celebrate a milestone anniversary with you all. And then, COVID-19 happened and brought the world to a screeching halt, changing the way we interact and do business.

When the pandemic began, Wadsworth Community Radio decided it was best to postpone new fundraising and underwriting efforts to give our small morning show/reporting team the time needed to focus our attention on COVID-19 coverage. It was a decision also made to not overwhelm local businesses as they, too, were experiencing change, shutdowns, layoffs and more.

Over that time, we have covered the governor’s daily 2 p.m. news briefings. We interview the Medina County Health Department every Friday at 8:10 a.m. to provide a local look at the pandemic and ask the questions you want answers to. We have interviewed every organization in Wadsworth providing help and resources (like food, pop-up pantries, school lunches, utility and rent help). We have worked countless hours from home/remotely during all hours of the day and night to bring you the latest, most important information for our Wadsworth listeners. We have kept in close contact with the school district, city and county to provide updates on what schoolwork pickup will be, when lunch distribution is, how graduation will work – and we’ve offered our time for free to create a teacher well-wishes segment on our station during the senior 2K20 class parade. These well wishes are now in rotation each day through August 1 to spread hope and love to the graduating class. We have provided updates on park openings/closures, ways to help provide or get masks, and so much more. We have provided uplifting interviews and messages of hope and humor all along to keep our hearts and minds in better places. We’ve been here all along for you, in the pandemic together. We haven’t let you skip a beat, covering all of the details you’ve wanted and needed to know since COVID-19 struck in March. We’ve been here for you, now we need your help.

Like many other small businesses, restaurants and non-profits, we have taken a financial hit. Underwriting (also known as advertising in the public radio realm) is how our 4-part time staffers are supported, it’s how we are able to operate and pay for our music licensing, utilities, rent, etc. During this unique and challenging time, we made the hard choice not to request additional funds. During that same time, we have also lost some of our most valuable underwriters as they were hit hardest by the pandemic and all of the changes that come with it. Even though we haven’t asked for funds, your support of our non-profit radio station and local news coverage during this time, is as critical as ever: Support Wadsworth Community Radio securely via PayPal.

Without funding, we cannot survive. Without funding, we will not be able to continue to provide you with Wadsworth-centric news, sports and weather coverage you know, love and expect. Simply put, without your tax-deductible financial contributions, either at an individual or business level, we will have to sign off and go dark. We hope you will Support Wadsworth Community Radio securely via PayPal, or via check: Wadsworth Communications Inc. and mail it to 102 Main Street – Suite 101, Wadsworth, Ohio 44281.

Thank you in advance for helping pull us through this challenging time so we can continue to thrive spend another 5 + 5 + 5 years — and beyond — bringing you the news and information you want and need in Grizzly Town!