Archive: Around Town

WICB-FM raised over $1,500 for Loaves and Fishes food bank during this year’s Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance by raffling off a guitar and amp signed by over forty artists at the festival.  The guitar package was donated by McNeil Music of Ithaca and has a retail value of approximately $1,000.

The annual contest organized by “The Station for Innovation” surpassed previous years’ records and this year’s goal.  “Festival goers were extremely generous this year and helped us surpass our goals,” said WICB Station Manager Evan Schapiro. “The success of this fundraiser really goes to show the strength and support of the local community and their strong dedication to Loaves and Fishes even in these tough economic times.”

WICB staff worked at all four days of the festival selling raffle tickets, talking to station fans, and catching up with performers who were more than willing to sign the guitar.   Some of the forty signatures on the guitar included members of local favorites such as Jimkata, John Brown’s Body, Thousands of One, New Neighbors, Sim Redmond as well as headliners Sharon Jones and Bela Fleck.

“Everybody was willing to donate because it was a win-win situation,” said Nate Grant, a Modern Rock DJ on WICB, “Even if you didn’t win the guitar package you were still making a donation to a great cause.  Either way it was money well spent.”

       
WICB has established strong ties with the local community with its new and ever changing music library and its dedication to featuring local bands.  “As radio across the country becomes more corporate and less locally-focused, WICB serves as a model of how a local radio station can impact its community,” says McNeil Music of Ithaca owner Eric Laine.  By donating the guitar and amp package for the Grassroots giveaway, Laine and McNeil Music have furthered their commitment towards their “Buy Local, Rock Global” campaign.  The store also provides funding for WICB’s ‘Homebrew’ show which features two hours of local music and local band interviews every Tuesday night at eight.

WICB broadcasts to a potential audience of 250,000 people in the central New York area.  The primary format of the station is Modern Rock, with specialty programming including Jazz, Blues, Reggae, and Hip Hop, www.wicb.org.  WICB has won several recent awards for broadcasting excellence such as the 2008 MTVu ‘Woodie Award’ for Best College Radio Station in the country.

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