Across the US, public media is under attack. With government funds cut to National Public Radio (NPR), Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), and more, it is clear that we are witnessing an immense, grotesque attack on public broadcasting from the Trump administration. Fake news runs rampant, and levels of uncertainty have peaked as artificial intelligence calls our very reality into question, and it becomes all the more difficult to discern reliable news sources from corrupt ones. It has become ever harder to keep a local station afloat, and yet, Ithaca’s WRFI persists.
WRFI is Ithaca’s very own community radio station. Founded in 2002 as a re-broadcasting hub for Geneva, WRFI became licensed to broadcast its own content in 2007 and became more or less fully operational by 2012. Since then, they have been refining their programming, training volunteers, and improving their signal quality to give Ithaca listeners the best experience possible. Now, in 2026, their programming ranges from guided meditation to alternative rock and beyond. Among their public services are local event listings, news bites, public service announcements, and weather forecasts. Morning programs are typically talk shows (interviews with interesting people, political discussion, etc.), with music streams in the afternoon and evening.
One of WRFI’s particularly delightful features is its Youth Radio Program. As part of their mission to amplify the less-heard voices in our community, WRFI gives power to Ithaca’s under-eighteens. These teens and youngsters get to select music, emcee, and give interviews on air, and oh, how empowering it is. There is nothing better than popping on a pair of headphones, pulling up the mic, and sharing a little glimpse of your life with the world. It teaches confidence and provides a much-needed sense that these kids’ voices matter. Effectively, it raises a new generation of activists and wielders of free speech. Anyone aged fourteen through eighteen can apply to join the squad at wrfi.org/contact and submit a contact form, making sure to indicate interest in the Youth Radio Project. If that’s not an option for you, you can contribute to this mission by listening to this magnificent troupe of children every Wednesday from 4 pm to 5 pm. It’s most certainly worth it.
But arguably, what’s best about the station is the people running it. The motley crew of volunteers who provide WRFI’s program is a snapshot of what’s best about Ithaca. The station is almost entirely volunteer-run, with only four hired staff members. They run shows, write and record scripts, and keep the station characterful. Composed of local teachers, activists, and creatives, this group exemplifies WRFI’s core tenets: among them, justice, inclusion, and freedom of expression. Always filled with lively, joyful chatter about a range of delectable subjects, the small station HQ at Clinton House downtown feels like home as soon as you walk through the doors.
As fantastic as this community of volunteers is, they need support from the greater Ithaca populace to keep it up. Though big hitters like NPR are the ones talked about most in the news, smaller stations are struggling with government funding cuts as well, and WRFI is no different. If you want to be part of this mission to keep free speech alive, amplify voices that would otherwise remain unheard, and support one of Ithaca’s hidden gems through this dark time for American public media, give WRFI a listen at 88.1 FM (or even a donation). I bet you’ll like what you hear.
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