CHIRP: Chicago Independent Radio Project

Help CHIRP start 2009 right!
Posted by Shawn C. on December 31, 2008 around 12pm

CHIRP is excited about the promise of 2009. We plan to launch our new music and arts-focused community radio station on the web in the first quarter of the new year, and we also continue to work to change the law at the federal level so that we can eventually secure a broadcast license as well.

The Congressional sponsors of the Local Community Radio Act say they will reintroduce the bill early in the new session, and promise they will push hard for a vote. The bill previously had been held up in the House Commerce Committee, but we’re optimistic that new chair Henry Waxman, a supporter of our bill, will help move it through.

There are a couple of ways you can help CHIRP start 2009 on the right foot. You can click the “donate” button on the left side of the page to make a contribution. Your donations will help us pay for things like studio build-out, rent, and streaming costs.
(more…)

Tonight! Celebrate the eve of the Eve with the ladies of WOW
Posted by Shawn C. on December 30, 2008 around 6pm

Come out tonight (Tuesday, December 30th) to T’s Bar at 5025 N. Clark St. in Andersonville for WOW’s Eve of the Eve Holiday Spectacular! We’ll be celebrating the holidays in style with food, music, drinks and a raffle! Best of all, ten percent of your food and drink order will benefit WOW’s holiday charity, the Chicago Independent Radio Project.

Ring in the new year (or, um…the last day of the old year) with the ladies of WOW - visit the WOW blog for more details.

Metro’s Home For The Holidays Concert Series!
Posted by Jocelyn G. on December 18, 2008 around 10am

Chicago is an incredible city all year round, but it becomes even more beautiful with the sounds of Jingle Bells and the sight of a White Christmas. It beckons wandering souls to come back home and visitors to get into the holiday spirit. If you have come back to enjoy the holidays in the next week, why not have a little fun?

CHIRP is teaming up with Metro this holiday season to combine two great things – music and food! Metro and CHIRP will bring the music and you bring the food! Metro brings it all home with the Home For the Holidays Concert Series. Six special concerts entirely showcasing local bands, so if things are not so gay around the yuletide fire, why not get out of the house and get down?

You can also feel good about yourself, because there’ll be a food drive so you can give back to people who are in need this time of year. We’ll be there, giving you the lowdown on CHIRP, collecting food, and rocking in the free world. We’re working with The Greater Chicago Food Depository and they’ve told us they especially could use help with the following items: canned chicken and tuna, canned corn beef, canned fruit, canned vegetables, dried or canned beans, fruit juice, jelly, macaroni and cheese, pasta, peanut butter, rice, and whole grain cereal.
Read on for the complete list of bands.
(more…)

Out and about at the DIY Trunk Show
Posted by Dustin D. on December 8, 2008 around 1pm

I’m sure that many of you have seen us at various events around the city, and this has always been one of our favorite ways to connect with current and future supporters of what we’re doing. At the most recent DIY Trunk Show, blogger Daniel Honigman caught up with CHIRP board member Mary Nisi for an impromptu video interview. You can check out the video below and read Daniel’s full account of the event at his blog. In the video, Mary gives a great overview of what we’ve been up to, and a bit of history about the organization…all while wearing an absolutely adorable outfit. There’s a reason she’s one of our more public faces.
(more…)

CHIRP in the press
Posted by Shawn C. on November 8, 2008 around 7pm

We’re getting ready to start building out studios at Dank-Haus. And in the meantime, CHIRP has gotten some nice exposure in the press. Here are some recent articles for your reading pleasure…

CHIRP in Time Out Chicago
CHIRP in Chicago Life Magazine
CHIRP in a Nation piece about Low Power FM
CHIRP on the Media Geek radio program

So…weren’t you starting a new radio station or something?
Posted by Shawn C. on September 27, 2008 around 10am

Perhaps you’ve been wondering about this new radio station you’ve been hearing so much about from CHIRP. Well, here’s the skinny. We’ll be moving into our new space at the amazing Dank-Haus in Lincoln Square in October. But it’s not just a matter of plugging in a few pieces of equipment and going live. Our next step will be building out studios inside our space, and we’re thrilled to have two masters in that art handling the job for us — Bob Weston and Lee Diamond.

We’ll spend the next few months building the studios, installing and testing the equipment, setting up our streaming arrangements, and getting our great corps of DJs trained and ready to go. Then we’ll go live on the web at CHIRPradio.org. We don’t have a solid launch date, but we anticipate it being sometime between November and January.
(more…)

Independent Journalism Under Attack: Democracy Now host Amy Goodman arrested
Posted by Jenny L. on September 2, 2008 around 4pm

Amy Goodman, legendary independent journalist and host of the “Democracy Now” radio program, was arrested in St. Paul Monday. Two of her producers, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar, were covering a protest outside the convention center when they became entangled in a skirmish between police and protesters. Goodman was on the convention floor when she heard they were arrested, and rushed down to speak with police, when she was arrested.
(more…)

CHIRP is launching a new web station…and you can help!
Posted by Shawn C. on June 3, 2008 around 10pm

CHIRP has decided to move forward with its biggest project so far.

As we’ve continued with our efforts to make sure we’ll eventually be able to bring a brand new low power FM signal to Chicago, we’ve always assumed that the station’s webstream would be crucial. That’s why we’ve decided to go ahead and launch a web version of CHIRP radio. This station will be dedicated to great under-appreciated music across genres and eras, and will have a true commitment to Chicago’s diverse music and arts scenes. We hope to start it later this summer.

But we can’t start this new station without your help. We hope many of you will become founding members of CHIRP radio. You can do this in a couple of ways:
(more…)

Chicago Promoter’s Ordinance Tabled…but for how long?
Posted by Dustin D. on May 13, 2008 around 2pm

The Chicago Promoter’s Ordinance has been tabled for now — but it will eventually make it to a vote in some form.

Thank you to everyone who contacted their alderman about this issue — but this is not the end of the effort. If you have not written to or called your alderman, you should still do so to make sure your opinions are heard. It’s especially important for aldermen to hear personal experiences from anyone who has thrown small shows in Chicago, or who has otherwise been involved in promoting (or even attending) smaller events.

Find your alderman here
Sign the petition here

Time Out Chicago reports that efforts from the Chicago music community made a big impact in stalling the law.
Chicagoist reports that the promoter’s ordinance has been tabled.
Also, here’s the latest from Jim DeRogatis
(more…)

What you can do to stop the Chicago Promoters Ordinance
Posted by Shawn C. on May 12, 2008 around 8am

The Chicago City Council has fast-tracked its new version of a measure first introduced last year to greatly impede independent promoters attempting to hold events in the city. Under the proposed law, independent promoters would have to acquire a promoter’s license at a cost of up to $2000 every two years, obtain liability insurance for every event thrown, even if the presenting venue already has liability insurance, be fingerprinted and background checked, and maintain extensive records of each event. The ordinance allegedly is intended to prevent disasters like the one that occurred in the E2 nightclub several years ago, but really would just put many small indies out of business.
(more…)