Triangle station celebrates 20 years of building community through the power of radio
A community-run station will celebrate 20 years of rock-and-roll radio — and set a foundation for the future — with a benefit Sunday afternoon at the Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro.
WCOM co-founder Jacques Menache was on a beach in Puerto Morelos, Mexico, with Ruffin Slater, former Weaver Street Market general manager, when they saw a pirate flag on a tower and went to check it out. They found a man in the building running a local pirate radio broadcast and decided to take the idea home to Carrboro.
Getting a local station licensed and on the air took about four years, from finding a low-power broadcast frequency to getting a license and working with a local public art nonprofit to secure a $50,000 Federal Communications Commission grant to buy equipment. The radio tower was moved a few times before reaching its current location at Scroggs Elementary School in Chapel Hill.
On Sept. 29, 2004, WCOM 103.5 FM launched its first broadcast at 11:27 p.m., playing music night and day until the first group of DJs went on air in November. It was the first station in the Southeast to launch as part of the FCC’s newly created Low Power program.
The nonprofit, volunteer-run station originally had 63 DJs, Menache said. There are roughly two dozen now with plans for more, in addition to residents and journalists, who fill the air time with news, current affairs, and a range of personalities and topics.
The broadcast itself is “hyperlocal,” only reaching the parking lot outside the studio at 300 E. Main St., but an internet livestream at wcomfm.org took their voices around the world, Menache said. Several hosts hail from Central and South America, he noted.
“When we started, it seemed impossible that we would have any success in reaching anybody, but after a year or two, the internet just exploded,” Menache said. “That was 20 years ago, and nobody listens to the radio (now). They all stream it on their phone or on SiriusXM radio.”
On Sunday, a benefit show at the Cat’s Cradle will raise money for the next evolution: buying a modern soundboard and equipment for the station’s new, permanent home in the Drakeford Library Complex, at 203 S. Greensboro St. in downtown Carrboro.
They have raised roughly $42,000 of the $60,000 needed, Menache said. It costs about $20,000 a year to run the station.
Making connections, learning from others
There wasn’t much thought about how WCOM was growing during the first 20 years, Menache said, but he’s taking a hard look now at “what are we going to do next, and how we’re going to be meaningful, and how we’re going to make sure that people listen to us.”
That includes a possible radio theater show, broadcasting classes, and other partnerships with civic groups moving into the library and The ArtsCenter, which Menache started in 1974.
The future also looks more inclusive, he said. WCOM host and producer Berenice Malagón said it’s already giving hope to marginalized groups in the community, including women, immigrants and people who identify as LGBTQ+.
Malagón, who grew up in Mexico City, is an Emmy Award-winning journalist who has worked for Spanish-language media outlets La Conexión and Univision, and as the spokesperson for El Centro Hispano.
Last year, she began hosting a bilingual WCOM show on Wednesday evenings called, “Loud & Proud,” which brings together LGBTQ+ guests to tell their stories and share information about resources with the community. She’s adding a podcast to the mix now.
The goal is a place where the community can find belonging, where she can educate listeners and change perceptions, and learn from the experiences of others, Malagón said. Nearly 15 years after moving with her husband to the United States, the station is her home.
“I’m so grateful to (Menache) and to the rest of the team, the ones who had the idea to create a community radio station, because everything is about money nowadays, but in reality, it’s not about money. It’s about community — how we build community, how we support each other, how we create safer spaces,” Malagón said.
Sharing cool tunes, stories
Chris Amsbary and Jenny Cook have been entertaining audiences for about five years on the “Chris or Jenny Show,” which airs at 9 p.m. on Fridays.
The pair, who met when their children attended the same school, take turns hosting the show — hence the name — with Amsbary dedicating more time to the DJ and guests, while Cook talks directly to the audience, he said in an email, calling her “the queen of the curated playlist.”
Guests can be “anyone who has a cool story,” whether it’s a musician, athlete, business owner, educator or comedian, Amsbary said. “I think of (WCOM) as Carrboro’s microphone,” he noted. “Chapel Hill, too!”
“There are so many interesting, diverse, cool people in our little community, and I think WCOM does a great job of shining a light and giving a platform to whoever wants it,” Amsbary said. “The programming is incredibly diverse, everyone can have a voice, and it’s a lot of fun!”
See the show and get involved
▪ What: WCOM 20th Anniversary Benefit
▪ When: 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 12. Doors open at 2 p.m.
▪ Where: Cat’s Cradle Back Room, 300 E. Main St., Carrboro
▪ What to expect: Music from the Will McBride Group with Sound of Scarlet and Andrew Kasab; remarks from Carrboro Mayor Barbara Foushee; and a raffle and door prizes
▪ Cost: $15 suggested donation
▪ Other ways to get involved: Volunteer to host a show or be a DJ, or become an underwriter by donating to the radio station or to support individual shows.
This story was originally published January 10, 2025 at 1:25 PM with the headline "Triangle station celebrates 20 years of building community through the power of radio."
