• See also wdfh.org/folder — information for WDFH supporters, including audio slideshows

WDFH, the only local public radio station in the lower Hudson valley,  is recruiting members to serve on our Fundraising Committee.  Please contact us immediately if you're interested, as the need is urgent.

It is a very interesting and vibrant time at WDFH.  For the first time ever, we have a studio and a viable signal at the same time.  New programming is on the air and more is in development.  New volunteers are joining the staff and getting trained.

To put this into context, for most of the time WDFH has been on the air (since 1995), we have had a signal that very few people could hear.  At times we had a studio, but for long stretches of time we didn't, and had to resort to prerecorded programming sequenced by an automation system in order to stay on the air.

We started to turn the corner in 2009, when we completed a 7½ year project to improve our signal.  Literally overnight, the size of our potential audience shot up from about 10,000 to about 400,000 (not a typo — a fortyfold increase).  And just last fall, we were able to establish a new studio, thanks to an anonymous major donor.

So the stage is set: new signal, new studio, new programming, new volunteers.  A new era of public radio right here in the lower Hudson valley is dawning.

And yet....

It will take years for grassroots funding to develop.  Our cash reserve is getting dangerously low.  So at this most exciting time, with incredible potential just starting to take off, WDFH's existence, even in the short term, is threatened by a shortage of money.

If we can't turn this around, WDFH will be forced to go out of business, and our irreplaceable FCC broadcast license will most likely be taken over by an out-of-state public or religious broadcaster that would turn WDFH into a satellite station.  Any possibility of local programming would disappear forever.

So we are creating a new Fundraising Committee to save WDFH and maintain it as a unique local voice — not a voice from New York City or another area entirely, but one rooted right here in our own communities.

The Committee will be working to secure at least of $100,000 in tax-deductible contributions over the next several months.  Part of the strategy will be finding 20 to 100 people who can donate $1000-5000 a year for the next three years.  We will also be seeking support from larger donors.  Once we reach our $100,000, we may become eligible to apply for matching grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Will you join us?

If you're interested, or if you know someone who might be interested, please get in touch today by e-mailing

info -at- wdfh -dot- org

In your e-mail, please include daytime and evening phone numbers, and include "fundraising committee" in the subject line.  You can also leave a message at (914) 674-0900 Ext. 58.

Background Information

What is wdfh westchester public radio?  Not college radio.  Certainly not commercial radio.  And even though we're part of the public radio system, we're not mainstream public radio, at least not as it exists in the rarified and fabulously funded world of public stations in the New York City area.  We're in a subgenre called community radio. 

Community radio has its own unique and distinctive flavor: grassroots, local, nonprofit, commercial-free, driven by volunteers, and guided by a mission that focuses on building connections in local communities and serving as a high quality alternative to mainstream media.

Our programming includes a unique freeform mix of rock, folk, blues, and jazz.  We also broadcast in-depth local news and public affairs and selected programs from the Pacifica Radio Network and independent producers around the country.

It’s also a rare medium: there are only a few hundred community radio stations nationwide, and WDFH is the only one in the lower Hudson valley. 

We're entirely non-profit and noncommercial.  That means that we don't have the revenues that commercials would bring in.  It also means that our programming can be on a much higher plane than the lowest-common-denominator programming found in commercial media.  All contributions in support of WDFH are tax-deductible.

Community radio isn't "free."  Like any nonprofit museum or school, WDFH has expenses including rent, insurance, salaries for key staff members, electricity, telephone and telecom services, information technology, and much more.  But our budget is modest and tremendously efficient, most importantly because we're powered by volunteers who bring their interests and passions into the station and its programming.

We don't receive institutional funding, so it's essential that we develop support from the communities and listeners we serve.  That's an essential part of the equation.

To do this, we need to establish a solidly functioning Fundraising Committee.  Time is of the essence, and there is risk that if we can't meet our funding goals, WDFH may forever be lost as a local resource.

The goal of the Committee is to secure tax-deductible contributions from people who believe in the many ways in which WDFH can serve our lower Hudson valley communities.  What are some of those ways?

 We are working to...

• help build a more informed electorate through programming that provides in-depth coverage of events right in our own communities — going far beyond the headlines to provide historical context and delving into why and how, not just the who-what-where-when.

• connect nonprofit organizations with each other and the public at large, strengthening our rich regional network of environmental, social justice, arts, music, theatre, and cultural groups, as well as libraries, hospitals, and community service organizations.

• broadcast without commercials and provides important public benefits at minimal cost, especially now that deregulated corporate media pander to the lowest common denominator.

• empower community volunteers to become active media participants rather than passive media consumers.  WDFH’s volunteers bring an astounding range of knowledge and talent to the airwaves.

• promote community events such as film festivals, theatrical and musical performances, and art gallery openings, helping to build a vibrant, connected cultural community in the Lower Hudson Valley.

• provide a forum for local and regional musicians who regularly visit WDFH for live in-studio interviews and performances. 

• introduce listeners to a wide variety of music they might never have discovered, through a music library of more than 100,000 recordings.

And that’s not all.  As we develop, we will broadcast in-depth documentaries, extensive political coverage (our 2004 coverage drew national recognition), special programming to connect underrepresented constituencies with a wide audience, daily newsmagazines from Pacifica, and carefully selected public affairs programs from other community stations and independent producers.  Our on-air offerings, combined with coming enhancements to our website, will become a key information hub for the entire region.

Previous fundraising experience is not required — we can provide training.  What is important is that prospective Fundraising Committee members have personal contacts, even if through a few degrees of separation, with people who might be in a position to make donations.

Thanks!  As mentioned, time is of the essence, and we hope to hear from you soon.

More information about WDFH and its programming is available throughout this web site.  An information packet for prospective donors, including audio slideshows, is available at wdfh.org/folder.