By Fred Sowder, WGOT Station Coordinator
For over 11 ½ years, WGOT has existed, through thick and thin, as the Civic Media Center’s radio station. Summertime is always a bit slow, but there are things you can do to help us out, with little or no cost involved.
First, tune in on our worldwide internet stream. There’s a direct listen link at wgot.org or you can find us on the streaming app TuneIn. You can probably even listen to us on your television. We’ve been streaming since April and are still getting the word out, so please help spread the word on social media and elsewhere.
We’re always looking for volunteers to make your community radio station sound better. More live programming is a top priority, with scheduled music and interviews planned for the upcoming Punk Bird Bash at the CMC on July 20 with Radon, NoMore, Thunderclap, and Piss Test. If all goes well, we hope to step up our live coverage of Fest 18 in November. We won’t be able to do it without your help, so please check Facebook for details on our next volunteer/board meetings.
For those of you who have a few bucks to spare, our Facebook Shop is open. There, you can order great WGOT swag like t-shirts (those raglan shirts are very popular), tote bags (the Gainesville plastic bag ban is coming in 2020—prepare now), and other accoutrements. All proceeds help keep WGOT up and running throughout the year. The GoFundMe streaming and Patreon sustaining fund campaigns continue and are a vital part of our financial existence, so chip in if you can. Local businesses can help us by becoming on-air sponsors. With just over a dollar per mention, you can join the ranks of loyal sponsors like Daily Green and Buckhalter Heating & Air.
We’re wrapping up a great month-long sponsorship of African American Music Appreciation Month in the Free Fridays concert series at the Bo Diddley Plaza in partnership with the City of Gainesville, where bands such as Little Jake and the Soul Searchers and The Shakedown have entertained the masses. We’ll be sponsoring more Free Fridays shows later in the season featuring The Duppies, Captive Eddies, Ramblin’ Mutts, and Phillip “Jazzdad” Thomas.
As we look toward fall, we hope to have a back-to-school fundraiser with DJ sets from station favorites as well as benefit shows featuring Gainesville’s musical talent that are always crucial to our success. So keep us tuned in at 100.1 FM or streaming live at wgot.org. And thank you.