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WPEB 88.1 FM, West Philadelphia's New FM Community Radio Station, Goes Live On-Air on Saturday, May 17, 2008

Philadelphia, PA. --  On Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 12 noon, WPEB 88.1 FM, begins live broadcasting at its new studio at 541 B South 52nd Street, the southeast corner of 52nd Street and Hazel Avenue. WPEB's inaugural broadcast will feature a special launch day programming schedule. The public is invited to stop by the newly constructed studio from 12:00 noon to 6:00 PM for on-site events including live music and drumming.

The launch of WPEB 88.1 FM has been guided by over 75 volunteers drawn from community groups, residents, students, labor organizers, small business owners, media activists, and artists who make their home in West Philadelphia. This group of volunteers, which has been meeting for the last 18 months, came together to create a radio station to serve the needs of people who live and work in the area.

Key organizations involved with the launch of WPEB 88.1 FM are Scribe Video Center, the Philadelphia media arts center, which purchased the license for the station; Prometheus Radio Project has provided technical assistance and training; and the Philadelphia Independent Media Center has been involved in the outreach to diverse West Philadelphia communities.

The programming for the station, which is determined by the membership, will be an eclectic mix of community news, interviews, talk radio, West Philadelphia musicians, and documentaries. The mandate of the station says:

"WPEB 88.1 FM is an independent, noncommercial community radio station dedicated to reflecting, representing, incorporating, empowering, serving the West Philadelphia community through:

  • providing a channel for groups, issues, and music that have been overlooked, suppressed or misrepresented by other media
  • promotion of communication, education, and entertainment through programming that is interactive between the station and the community
  • providing training that facilitates creative expression and exploration of public issues with the goal of incorporating and empowering members of the community.

WPEB 88.1 FM is committed to celebrating the unique qualities of the communities of West Philadelphiaas well as advancing the points of connection among   people."

The Philadelphia Student; West Philadelphia Business Coalition, the Taxi Workers' Union, Geoclan, LAVA, Partnership CDC, Media Mobilization Project, Haddington Residents Association, and the 52nd Street Business and Residents Association have all played important roles in the birth of this new community resource.

For additional information on the WPEB Radio Launch or how to be involved with new station please contact:

Mbali Umoja, WPEB Start-Up Coordinator at 215-910-0381 /215-2224201 or via email at mbaliumoja@yahoo.com.
 
WPEB 88.1 FM has been supported by membership contributions and grants from the Ford Foundation, Philadelphia Foundation, the Nathan Cummings Foundation, Bread and Roses Community Fund - Media Justice Fund, Samuel S. Fels Fund, Anonymous Donor, Robert Brand and Elizabeth Werthan.

About Scribe Video Center is a non-profit media arts center in Philadelphia that seeks to explore, develop and advance the use of video as an artistic medium and as a tool for progressive social change. "Scribe" is a metaphor for the use of video as a modern medium to record significant contemporary concerns and events.


Release Date: Monday, April 28th 2008