WRFG (89.3 FM) is a non-

commercial Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radi ...

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

. It calls itself Radio Free Georgia and is owned by the Radio Free Georgia Broadcasting Foundation, featuring a

community radio Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial and public broadcasting. Community stations serve geographic communities and communities of interest. They broadcast content that is popul ...

format Format may refer to: Printing and visual media * Text formatting, the typesetting of text elements * Paper formats, or paper size standards * Newspaper format, the size of the paper page Computing * File format, particular way that informati ...

. WRFG airs a variety of musical styles not heard on most Atlanta radio stations, including blues,

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

, bluegrass,

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

, R&B,

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '':wikt:soul, soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The ea ...

and world music. News programs include "

Democracy Now! ''Democracy Now!'' is an hour-long American TV, radio, and Internet news program hosted by journalists Amy Goodman (who also acts as the show's executive producer), Juan González (journalist), Juan González, and Nermeen Shaikh. The show, whi ...

," "

Sojourner Truth Radio Margaret Prescod is an activist, author, journalist and radio host. She was a founder of The Black Coalition Fighting Back Serial Murders and of Black Women for Wages for Housework. Prescod is on the executive board of the Center for the Study o ...

" and some shows from

Pacifica Radio Pacifica may refer to: Art * ''Pacifica'' (statue), a 1938 statue by Ralph Stackpole for the Golden Gate International Exposition Places * Pacifica, California, a city in the United States ** Pacifica Pier, a fishing pier * Pacifica, a conce ...

. The station's operations are funded by listener donations, with periodic fundraising drives heard during the year.

Mission

WRFG stated mission is to provide a voice for communities not often served by traditional media. The mission statement, mentioned on air frequently throughout the broadcast day, recognizes "those who continue to be denied free and open access to the broadcast media, and anyone suffering oppression or exploitation based upon class, race, sex, sexual orientation or immigration status."

Programming and format

Since signing on the air for the first time on July 30, 1973, WRFG has filled a void on the Atlanta airwaves. WRFG was the first Atlanta radio station since the 1950s to feature such regional musical forms as blues, bluegrass, and jazz. Reflecting Atlanta's emergence as an "international city," it pioneered programming oriented toward the area's growing Latin, African, Asian and Caribbean communities. WRFG was the first station to carry live broadcasts from the Arts Festival of Atlanta and the Georgia Grassroots Festival. WRFG produced live broadcasts of speakers at the Hungry Club, Atlanta's weekly interracial forum. It airs the work of local poets, playwrights and authors on a regular basis. WRFG has also initiated programming directed toward Atlanta's neighborhoods, the disabled, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (

LGBTQ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is ...

) and other special audiences. Its in-depth coverage of events such as the 1987 rebellion at the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary has received acclaim. WRFG produced a 50-part documentary "Living Atlanta!" series on Atlanta's history. "Living Atlanta!" won national awards and established a tradition of documentary production at WRFG. In the fall of 1989, the University of Georgia Press published a book based on this award-winning series. In 1996, WRFG began the World Party Tours broadcasting live from various locations around the world. The first World Party Tour took WRFG staff and listeners to

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispan ...

. The same year WRFG went to

Dublin, Ireland Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

, to broadcast its

St. Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick ( ga, Lá Fhéile Pádraig, lit=the Day of the Festival of Patrick), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patr ...

Parade. World Party Tour '99 brought the Paint It Jazz Festival in

Bridgetown, Barbados Bridgetown (UN/LOCODE: BB BGI) is the capital and largest city of Barbados. Formerly The Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael. Bridgetown is sometimes locally referred to as "The Ci ...

, live to WRFG listeners in January of that year.

Program schedule

WRFG's daily schedule includes: *Good Morning Blues *Soul Rhapsody *Progressive News Hour *Global Drumbeat *Public Affairs *Peach State Festival *Jazz to Soothe Your Soul *N I G H T W A T C H *Ruff, Rugged & Raw Other programs include: *Just Peace is a public affairs program hosted by Heather Gray & Nadia Ali, Ph.D. *Second Opinion explores the connection between profit, politics and the exploitation of animals. The show is hosted by Melody Paris. *Moving the Center with Kali-Ahset Amen offers coverage of topics ranging from racial justice, cultural freedom, and economic development, to folklore, history, arts and science.

Transmitter

In October 1995, WRFG increased its

effective radiated power Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would ...

(ERP) to 100,000 watts. On October 23, 2007, the station improved its broadcast coverage area by operating from a new antenna and tower location with 65,000

watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...

(ERP) at 148 meters (468 feet) in

height above average terrain Height above average terrain (HAAT), or (less popularly) effective height above average terrain (EHAAT), is the vertical position of an antenna site is above the surrounding landscape. HAAT is used extensively in FM radio and television, as it ...

(HAAT). Its

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to ...

is atop a tower near

Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of h ...

, known as the Richland Tower site. It is shared by several FM and TV stations including

WANF WANF (channel 46) is a television station in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is the flagship property of locally based Gray Television and is co-owned with independent station WPCH-TV (channel 17) and low-power, Clas ...

-TV,

WPCH-TV WPCH-TV (channel 17), branded on-air as Peachtree TV, is an independent television station in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It is owned by locally based Gray Television alongside CBS affiliate and company flagship WANF (channel 46), and ...

WATL-TV WATL (channel 36) is a television station in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, affiliated with MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside NBC affiliate WXIA-TV (channel 11). Both stations share studios at One Monroe Place on the north ...

WUVG-TV WUVG-DT (channel 34) is a television station licensed to Athens, Georgia, United States, broadcasting the Spanish-language Univision and UniMás networks to the Atlanta area. Owned and operated by TelevisaUnivision, the station maintains studios ...

WWWQ WWWQ (99.7 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Atlanta, Georgia, carrying a Top 40 (CHR) format known as "Q99.7". Owned by Cumulus Media, WWWQ serves the Atlanta metropolitan area as the regional affiliate for ''The Daly Download with ...

-FM,

WZGC-FM WZGC (92.9 FM) – branded 92-9 The Game – is a commercial sports radio station licensed to serve Atlanta, Georgia, covering the Atlanta metropolitan area. Owned by Audacy, Inc., WZGC is the Atlanta affiliate for CBS Sports Radio; the flagshi ...

, and

WKHX-FM WKHX-FM (101.5 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Marietta, Georgia, featuring a country music format known as "New Country 101.Five". Owned by Cumulus Media, the station serves the Atlanta metropolitan area. WKHX-FM's studios are lo ...

. WRFG's

studio A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery (ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial design, ...

s and offices are located in the

Little Five Points Little Five Points (also L5P, LFP, Little Five, or Lil' Five) is a district on the east side of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, east of downtown. It was established in the early 20th century as the commercial district for the adjacent ...

Community Center, east of

downtown Atlanta Downtown Atlanta is the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The larger of the city's two other commercial districts ( Midtown and Buckhead), it is the location of many corporate and regional headquarters; city, county, ...

References

External links