We're seeking new members for our 2025 Board of Directors, as well as our founding Associate Board for young professionals 35 and under. Details and application at each of the links above.
The CHIRP Blog
Andy Weber writesCHIRP Radio DJ Andy Weber on CHIRP Radio
My love for CHIRP is really hard to describe in words. Passion would be the word that comes to mind, but it goes way beyond that for me.
Being a member of CHIRP, and more specifically being a CHIRP DJ, has come to define me as a person. I have been around a long time and I have seen people come and go throughout the organization, but one thing that never fails to impress me is how the idea of small band of dedicated souls can consistently produce this incredibly unique and quality radio product.
I started as a volunteer back in the infant days of the organization in hopes of having a station to scratch my broadcasting itch. I tell people I am a “radio guy” through and through, and that I just got side tracked for a few years. For about as long as I can remember I wanted to be on the radio - I used to play DJ all the time back in grade school days. Then it was on to high school radio, college radio and eventually corporate radio. I saw the transition first hand from mom and pop ownership to corporate ownership. It was incredibly disheartening not only as a budding young professional but as a music listener as well. The promise of radio in the early 1990's were all but destroyed by the end of the decade, and as a result shortly after, I abandoned my hopes and dreams for radio and set off in a different direction. But when I caught wind of CHIRP, it seemed that the perfect moment had aligned in my life to get back to what I love!
CHIRP is such a major part of who I am now. After nearly 5 years of being on the air every Wednesday morning, and each time I walk into our wonderful old factory building, I get a chill of excitement knowing that I am a part of something great.
When I look back on how much we have accomplished at CHIRP as a group and as a station during this journey, I realize the best part is still to come. CHIRP is still in its early years with many more great things to come, and I am honored to be on the ride to make sure this happens.
Radio has Returned. Support CHIRP Radio's Amazing and Talented Volunteer Community with a Gift Today!
Mike Bennett writesFriday MP3 Shuffle - Happy Birthday Janet Weiss Edition
She is one of the great drummers in all of indie rock. Janet Weiss has pounded the skins with, among others, Sleater-Kinney, Quasi and Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks. Whether negotiating the angular punk of S-K, the melodic odd pop of Quasi (where she was usually one of only two instruments on the track) to the proggier stylings of Mr. Pavement’s solo project, Weiss handles it all and makes it better. So let’s pay tribute to her on her birthday by grabbing your iPod or MP3 player, hitting shuffle and sharing the first ten tunes that come up.
Karin Fjellman writesCHIRP Radio Events Director Karin Fjellman on CHIRP’s Place in the Community
I was bitten by the radio bug in college. When I learned that CHIRP was forming in the summer of 2007, I knew something important and groundbreaking was happening. As a firm believer in the ideals of community radio, I had to get involved.
This organization has brought together so many incredible people from all walks of life, and it's been a joy to see them uniting for a common interest. I've had the unique opportunity to see CHIRP develop from holding meetings in public cafes, to building its own studio, to finally being on the verge of holding a broadcast license. And this is only the beginning.
In addition to being a founding member of CHIRP, I've also been an on-air DJ for years, and I currently serve as the organization's Events Director. The danger of any radio station is that it becomes easy to hole up in your beautiful broadcast studio and have a merely one-way relationship with your listeners. But that's not what CHIRP is about – and that's where CHIRP Events steps in.
The Events Department is charged with creating opportunities for CHIRP's volunteers, the station's audience, and the local arts community to gather face-to-face to share our love of music. Through booking local artists for our various events, I've had the pleasure of becoming a part of a music scene that is so stylistically diverse, yet unified in its support for one another. I've also loved getting to know our listeners at events like our music quizzes, record store crawls and of course our annual Record Fair & Other Delights.
As the station continues to grow, and as we get closer to obtaining a broadcast license, we're determined to host more innovative events, more often, and inclusive of more people in the community. But we can only make those dreams happen with your generous support.
You can help CHIRP Radio grow with a donation at any level during our Fall Fundraising campaign!
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesIn Rotation: Tweedy
Jeff Tweedy of Wilco and his son Spencer have kept things in the family by forming a nerw group and releasing their debut album, Sukierae, on the dBpm label. This album is currently in heavy rotation on CHIRP Radio, where you can always find great music from Chicago and beyond!
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesTake Two: “Bizarre Love Triangle” (New Order vs. Frente!)
The Original: Quintessential New Order at the height of its ‘80s Electro Alternative Dance-Pop powers. With the thumping drum machines, the waves of synths, Peter Hook’s slinky bass, Bernard Sumner’s lyrics that combine melancholy and ecstasy at the same time. The track has been a dance club staple ever since it was first released in 1986.