Community Radio in South County

The WRYR radio station's business model is that none of the broadcasters get paid, everyone empties the trash, and if you want to do a radio show, you simply bring them your idea and they'll do their best to get you on the air.

It doesn't seem like the kind of model that Clear Channel Communications, the corporate radio station(s) owner, would necessarily embrace—but it is one that seems to be working for the south county community and the locals who run it.

WRYR (We aRe Your Radio) can be found on the radio dial at 97.5 FM.

Mike Shay was one of the founders of the station, located above the Domino's Pizza in a mini-mall on Deale-Churchton Road. Shay has long been involved in community issues in the area. He fought against the Safeway development and recently ran for county executive on the Green Party ticket.

Shay said WRYR is one of the pioneers of the low-power FM (LPFM) model. 

WRYR started in 2002, when Shay brought in Pete Tridish (yes, pronounced Petri Dish), who is one of the champions of locally owned and operated radio. Tridish is the program director for the Prometheus Radio Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing support for low-power radio stations.

Shay said their volunteers all learned how to run a radio station in a weekend session held at the West River Methodist Camp.

"It was like an old-fashioned barn raising," Shay said.

Since then, they have been on the air continuously for eight years.

"We are the first radio station ever owned by an environmental organization," Shay said.

WRYR was originally owned and operated by the South Arundel Citizens for Responsible Development (SACReD). Ownership of the station was transferred to WRYR Community Radio in 2007.

The station transmits via a 100-watt signal tower located on the eastern shore.

They placed their transmitter at Lowes Wharf Marina in Wittman, MD, which allows their signal to reach both sides of the Chesapeake Bay.

The station also is always available online through iTunes radio, or through live streaming on the WRYR website. Locally, you can hear the station at home or in your car in most areas of south county, and in parts of Prince George's and Calvert counties. However, by the time a driver reaches Annapolis, the signal strength is beginning to show strain.

As with most volunteer organizations, Shay said volunteer interest has waxed and waned over the years.

In addition, the group had some issues with its transmitter over the past couple of years that made the station available primarily to listeners online.

But they have hit a good place again, Shay said, with 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week programming schedule, which includes a mix of music, talk and shows with a particularly local focus, among them, My Favorite Things - Classical with Jeff Crespie, Chesapeake Country with Tom Wisner, Local Lowdown with Andy Och, Inside Track with Mike Shay and Bluegrassorama with Roger Green.

"Most of our shows are an hour long," Shay said. Most are also repeated at least once a week.

"Also, kids have had shows on our station, and some even go off to work at 50,000 watt stations," Shay said.

Shay said that for anyone who would like to have a show, they should create a demo tape and submit it to the station with a description and contact information.

Even if you've never had any broadcasting experience, they are willing to train people on the technical aspect in order to keep the shows local and relevant.

One of the things Shay is very happy about these days is that local LPFM radio stations just had a victory of sorts with the signing of the "Local Community Radio Act," federal legislation that opens up more frequencies for smaller stations.

"This was fought by the National Association of Broadcasters and National Public Radio, but it was just signed by President Obama," Shay said.

"One of the things we want to be is a kind of electronic town center. It is one of our strengths—knowing who the community is," Shay said.

Editor's Note: Edgewater.Patch.com is even getting into the action with a local news partnership with WRYR, providing "News in a Minute" segments to the station. Tune in any time at 97.5 FM or online.