The author is a member of the GRC Steering Committee, co-founder of ART FM, WXOX 97.1 FM, in Louisville, Ky., and an LPFM advocate.
The 2024 Grassroots Radio Conference will take place this September 26–29 in New Orleans, La. This annual gathering of community radio stations has been hosted by a different nonprofit group, in a different location, each year since its foundation in 1996. This year, a consortium of New Orleans stations led by Dr. MarkAlain Déry and Liana Elliot of WHIV-LP will bring community radio representatives from across the country to the Crescent City for a weekend of learning, sharing and networking.
GRC 2024 boasts an impressive line-up of keynote speakers including radio host Thom Hartmann, journalist Monica Pierre and David Sirota, author of “Don’t Look Up.”
Panel discussions throughout the four days of the conference will address topics like station safety, volunteer management and cultivating diversity. For those seeking practical instruction, conference workshops will range from antenna placement to donor relations. Engineering, production and management tracks will be guided by community radio leaders from across the country, providing practical advice for real world applications.
National advocacy organizations like the Prometheus Radio Project and the Association of Affiliates (AOA) will be on-site to provide advice and build the community radio network.
There will also be an entire conference-within-a-conference for new LPFM permit holders seeking the station building basics.
Breakout sessions throughout the weekend will include a Pacifica Affiliates Luncheon and Our Hour, an opportunity for networking among broadcasters of color. With the next gen in mind, this year’s conference will include the first-ever GRC Student Radio Summit, organized by WTUL at Tulane University and the WXOX Next Wave Teen Academy.
GRC is a participatory event, and milling among the attendees you will find the likes of Jim Ellinger of Austin Airwaves, known for building a radio station in the Astrordome during Hurricane Katrina; LaGanzie Kale, founder of the first black-owned radio station in Jonesboro, Ark.; and Ursula Ruedenberg, air traffic controller for the Pacifica Affiliates Network.
The behind-the-scenes conversations at the Grassroots Radio Conference often become as important as the sessions themselves, which are extremely timely this year. Taking place just a month before the U.S. presidential election, the 2024 GRC will include sessions about fair election coverage and on-the-ground reporting, as well as an entire track on protecting democracy.
Of course, social activities are abundant in “The Big Easy,” and this year’s hosts are rolling out the purple, gold and green to give attendees the true New Orleans experience. Music, film and dance will animate historic Gallier Hall throughout this community radio take-over. The stately theater will host screenings and discussions of radio films including “Radio Unnameable,” the story of Bob Fass, and “35,000 Watts: The Story of College Radio.”
In the exhibition hall, attendees will get a peek at the latest broadcasting technology, and an opportunity to speak directly with equipment vendors. Always a favorite part of the GRC: City-wide studio tours will allow attendees to visit several New Orleans area stations to see how each unique operation makes the magic happen!
Run for and by nonprofit radio stations of various shapes and sizes — low power to full power; FM and online — the Grassroots Radio Conference is unlike any other in the United States. Anyone with an interest in community radio is invited to attend but should make their plans soon. September is a beautiful and very busy time of year in New Orleans. There are still rooms available at the conference hotels, but they are moving very quickly.
For the latest updates and detailed registration information, please visit the 2024 Grassroots Radio Conference website.
