By Chris Lake, WGOT Board Member
We want to thank Gainesville for all the local support from our community (and beyond, thanks to the magic of Al Gore and the internet). Gainesville is truly a unique place and we wholeheartedly thank all of our listeners and supporters who value both the arts and truly independent media.
As mentioned in last month’s Iguana, WGOT is in desperate need of IT help to install a new server. We’ve reached a critical stage where we will cease our internet streaming service to the community unless we find a volunteer with the skills to install our new server within the next four weeks.
Sadly, this scenario will limit the ability of our local listeners to access our varied and locally produced radio programming. The east side of Gainesville will be particularly impacted. One option could be to pay a member of our listening audience or outside source to install the server. However, to say our funds are low in the Covid era due to limited fundraising opportunities would be quite the understatement. If you would like to help either by financially donating to our cause or with technical expertise, then you can reach WGOT through our Facebook page or at wgot.org.
Bad news aside, WGOT is proud to offer a one of a kind listening resource in Gainesville that is free to anyone with an antenna. It’s pretty rare in 2021 to receive anything for free, but our dedicated staff of volunteers works tirelessly to manage and run a commercial-free radio station seven days a week, 365 days a year. WGOT is the local home of the Democracy Now! news program as well as several other syndicated national news and talk shows.
We also feature locally produced music programs in many genres. Looking for a 90’s and 2000’s fix? Try On the Rail hosted by Debi. Looking to relax with some chill out and ambient music? Then Sweet Retreat hosted by Markus is a perfect fit. Speaking of chilling out, H.R. Gertner brings you the mellower side of indie each week on The Morning Wave. Do you want to hear the best in local Gainesville music? Gainesville Grooves from Gargs has you covered.
And those are just the tip of the iceberg as WGOT has music shows covering almost every conceivable genre including the classics, jazz, and the blues. The best part is each show is curated, hand picked, and hosted by Gainesville DJs eager to share music with the listeners. Suck on that, Spotify! Think of that: real humans playing real music while having fun doing so.
So again, we can’t thank Gainesville enough for all the wonderful support through our many years. And we know the best times are ahead for both our community and WGOT 100.1 FM.