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The discussion was broadcast live on WRFA radio, with video streaming available on Facebook and Youtube.

The discussion is part of our ongoing series on marginalized and underserved groups from the Jamestown and Chautauqua region. In the Fall of 2021, WRFA presented a three-part series of Community Conversations, connecting the broader Jamestown community with five its marginalized/under-served groups to increase public awareness of their challenges and also identify workable solutions to overcome these challenges. Those groups included: the local African-American Community, the Hispanic Community, LGBTQ+ Community, those affected by Chemical Dependency, as well as Generational Poverty. A follow up conversation focusing on the Disability Community was held in March 2022.

Funding for the Community Conversation is made available by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s American Rescue Plan Act stabilization grant fund.

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The discussion was broadcast live on WRFA radio, with video streaming available on both WRFA’s Facebook Page and Youtube Channel.

A virtual Q&A was also available for audience members.

Funding for the Community Conversation is made available by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s American Rescue Plan Act stabilization grant fund.

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ABOUT AOF LIVE: Arts On Fire LIVE brings you the very best of Chautauqua County’s local artists via a live, in-studio performance! The programs are not only  broadcast live, but also replayed the following week during our regular Arts on Fire time slot – Fridays at 5 p.m. on WRFA!  The show is produced and broadcast by WRFA-LP 107.9 FM, Kranky Plate Productions, and the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts in Jamestown, NY. All 2022 Arts on Fire LIVE performances are made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s American Rescue Plan Act Stabilization Grant.

Students from Jamestown High School share their original poetry, inspired by the theme “where poetry lives.” The poem were written and recorded after students from Betsy Rowe-Baehr’s 10th grade English classes worked with Sony Ton-Aime, who serves as the Michael I. Rudell Director of Literary Arts at Chautauqua Institution.

Several students also stopped by the WRFA studios and were recorded as they recited their original works. The recording of those 18 students were featured Friday, April 29 on WRFA’s Small Things Considered morning show.

Thank you to Sony for developing this project and also to Betsy her students for sharing their work with the Jamestown community via WRFA.

WRFA’s Jason Sample talks with Sony Ton-Aime, Michael I. Rudell Director of Literary Arts at Chautauqua Institution, and Betsy Rowe-Baehr, Jamestown High School English teacher. The two share details about The Holidays in Poetry – a new community project combing poetry and the holiday season. Part of the project involved Mr. Ton-Aime working with Mrs. Rowe-Baehr’s 10th grade English classes.

Several students also stopped by the WRFA studios and were recorded as they recited their original works, including one en espanol. The recording of those 15 students (along with a poem by Mrs. Rowe-Baehr) follow the interview. You can also find them individually in the playlist above, or by visiting The Holiday in Poetry playlist page on Soundcloud.

But they will also be featured at various times at the top of each hour, starting 7am on Dec. 24 and continuing through 8pm on Dec. 25.

Thank you to Sony for developing this project and also to Betsy her students for sharing their work with the Jamestown community via WRFA.

Happy Holidays to the entire Community.

CLASS 1

Betsy Rowe-Baehr (left), students from her 9:30am 10th grade class featured on WRFA, and Sony Ton-Aime , director of literary arts at Chautauqua.

CLASS 2

Betsy Rowe-Baehr (left) and students from her 10:45am 10th grade class featured on WRFA.

CLASS 3

Betsy Rowe-Baehr (left) and students from her 1:05pm 10th grade class featured on WRFA.

WRFA’s Jason Sample and Julia Ciesla-Hanley discuss the local stories of the day for Thursday, Sept. 17 – including city council member Grant Olson’s announcement he will not serve on the city council next year, even if he wins another term in this year’s election.

WRFA’s Jason Sample and Julia Ciesla-Hanley discuss the local stories of the day for Wednesday, Sept. 15 – including the latest on COVID-19 cases in Chautauqua County, as well as a federal judge’s decision to delay the state’s vaccination policy for all healthcare workers.

September 13, 2021 – WRFA station manager Jason Sample talks with former station manager and WRFA founder Dennis Drew about the history of the radio station as part of its 17th anniversary!

The WRFA Staff with the limited edition WRFA T-Shirts that will be given out during the 2021 Fall Pledge Drive. L to R: Julia Ciesla-Hanley, WRFA Public Affairs Director; Jason Sample, WRFA Station manager; and Gavin Paterniti, WRFA Program Coordinator.

JAMESTOWN, NY – WRFA LP 107.9FM, Jamestown’s only locally owned and operated Community Radio Station, will be holding its first ever Pledge Drive later this month. The WRFA Fall 2021 Pledge Drive will begin Sept. 10 and continue through Sept. 17 with a goal of raising $7,500 from its listening audience.

As an incentive to reach its goal, anyone who pledges $50 or more during the eight-day pledge drive will receive a limited edition “I Support Community Radio” WRFA T-Shirt.

The graphic that will appear on the back of the Limited Edition WRFA T-Shirt, be given away as part of the WRFA 202 Fall Pledge Drive.

“Over the years WRFA has benefited from countless contributions and donations from our community and this Pledge Drive is intended to serve as a gentle reminder that we are a non-commercial radio station that relies on community support to stay on the local airwaves,” explained WRFA General Manager Jason Sample.

Sample also said that by raising money locally, WRFA can continue to qualify for additional programming support through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967 to serve as the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting.

“Much of our nationally syndicated programming listeners have come to enjoy during weekday mornings and afternoons, and also on the weekends, is paid for by CPB funding. But we also use some of that money to help cover the cost of our public affairs and programming coordinator positions,” Sample explained. “We really get a lot of ‘bang for our buck’ from our CPB funding, but that can only continue if we also receive local financial support from the community we serve.”

The Fall pledge drive will not only serve as a fundraiser for the radio station, but also a birthday celebration for WRFA, which first went on the air on September 13, 2004. In addition, WRFA will use the pledge drive to launch two new special programs – A three-part Community Conversation focusing Marginalized and Under-served Groups in Jamestown, and Arts on Fire Live!, featuring five live musical performances. The pledge drive will also serve as a platform to highlight other local programming on WRFA, including the return of the popular and informative Election Candidate Debates and Meet the Candidates Forum.

“We’ll also have other special announcements and surprises during pledge drive. But one thing we wont be doing is constantly interrupting programming to request donations,” Sample said. “It will be less intrusive than your typical public radio station pledge drive because we know our listeners enjoy the wide variety of programming we offer. Instead, we’ll just put out gentle reminders the pledge drive is underway and also offer daily updates on how close we are to our goal.”

Anyone wanting to make a one-time pledge, or schedule monthly donations, can do so by going online to WRFALP.com/donate and clicking the “2021 Pledge Drive” link. Donations can be made at anytime, but to qualify for the Limited Edition WRFA T-Shirt, contributions should be made during the days of the Pledge Drive, Sept. 10 through Sept. 17.

WRFA is a listener supported, low power radio station licensed to the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts.  As a radio station licensed to a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit organization, all financial donations/contributions made to WRFA are 100% tax deductible. Businesses and organizations can also provide corporate underwriting for WRFA by making a tax-deductible contribution of $100 or more.

With the recent retirement of Dennis Drew, founder and long-time general manager of WRFA, the Reg Lenna has appointed Jason Sample as the new station manager. In addition, WRFA is also announcing that Julia Ciesla-Hanley will serve as the station’s new public affairs director.

Jason Sample

Sample has worked in local media for the past two decades as a news reporter in both radio and print media. Before being appointed WRFA station manager, he served for nearly ten years as the station’s public affairs director, covering issues and stories involving the Jamestown community and Chautauqua County. Prior to his work at WRFA, Sample served as editor of the weekly newspaper, Chautauqua Star, from 2008 to 2010. He also worked for over seven years for James Broadcasting/Media One Group covering news and sports, as well as serving as program director for classic rock station WQFX.

In addition to his duties at WRFA, Sample is a trustee with the Chautauqua County Historical Society and has been chair of its programming committee since 2012. He is a Jamestown area native, graduating from Falconer High School and attending Jamestown Community College. He holds a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism from West Virginia University.

“I’m looking forward to carrying on the mission of WRFA and building off of the groundwork that Dennis Drew laid for the station during the past 17 years,” Sample said. “It’s not going to be easy to fill his shoes, but hopefully we can do him justice by continuing to ensure WRFA remains the community asset it has become over the years.”

Julia Ciesla-Hanley

Ciesla-Hanley joins WRFA after working for over a decade with the city of Jamestown as the city’s recreation coordinator.  She previously worked as public relations specialist for Chautauqua Opportunities, administrative assistant for Greater Jamestown Empire Zone, executive assistant to former Chautauqua County Executive Mark Thomas, and also for James Broadcasting as a reporter/news anchor. Ciesla-Hanley has been involved with WRFA for more than a decade as a member of its Community Advisory Board – serving most recently as board chair – and also as a station volunteer, when she provided morning news updates at the station. She was also the announcer of the popular Rolling Hills Radio program from 2015 to 2020.

“”I have been involved with WRFA from the beginning as a volunteer and advocate for the station. I’m thrilled to now join the team in continuing to cover current events and supporting the arts in our community,” Ciesla-Hanley said.

Additionally, Ciesla-Hanley is active in several community groups and projects. She has performed as a violinist for both the Jamestown Area Community Orchestra and the Warren Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as providing her skills for various high school musical productions. She is also the current communications coordinator for the Jamestown Pride community organization and is a graduate of the Chautauqua Leadership Network program, Class of 2007. A Rochester-area native, she holds a BA in broadcasting from Buffalo State College and also studied both broadcasting and music education at Baldwin-Wallace College.

“I am very excited to have Julia come on board to serve as WRFA’s new public affairs director,” Sample said. “She has a great deal of broadcasting and reporting experience, and also an extensive knowledge of civics and local government. That makes her a perfect fit for this position. Our listeners and the entire Jamestown community will greatly benefit from her work by staying informed on various issues that matter to them.”

In addition to Sample and Ciesla-Hanley, WRFA also has a part-time programming director, a position currently held by Gavin Paterniti. As a community radio station, WRFA also has a team of volunteers who provide various types of radio programming on a weekly basis.

“We’ve got some great ideas about how to expand WRFA’s reach into the community when it comes to not only public affairs, but also arts, education and other quality of life issues,” Sample said. “I’m looking forward to sharing more details on new programming as they are finalized and brought forward. I’m excited about the future of community radio in Jamestown.”

ABOUT WRFA
WRFA is a listener supported, non-commercial, low power FM radio station provided as a public service by the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts. It is dedicated to providing access to the arts, cultural and educational programming and a forum for the discourse of both national and local public affairs. Funding for WRFA comes from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, corporate underwriting, and donations from individuals and groups in the community. It broadcasts at 107.9 FM in Jamestown and also streams worldwide at WRFALP.com. For more information on WRFA or the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts, visit their websites or call (716) 664-2465.