Nikki Stout writesChicago Reader Best of 2020 Polls – Congratulations To Our Winners & Nominees!

The results are in! Though 2020 was one hell of a year, we at CHIRP are incredibly proud that we have been bringing you live, independent radio throughout it all. We couldn’t be more grateful for our listeners and supporters, who voted for us in several of the Chicago Reader’s Best of 2020 polls!

CHIRP is a community radio station, through and through. Our commitment to airing local artists, both new and established, is an essential part of our mission. To have the support of our fellow Chicagoans in The Reader’s annual “Best Of” series is a huge honor, and we cannot wait to bring you more great music, more artist interviews, and more curated content in 2021!

Wins and Nominations

Winner! Best Live Lit Series - The First Time

The First Time is CHIRP’s quarterly live literary event, with local readers telling non-fiction, first person narratives in front of a live audience. The First Time also features house band The First Five, playing songs corresponding to readers’ tales. The First Time hopes to safely return to the Martyrs’ stage in 2021—stay tuned for details!

Runner Up! Best Music Podcast

The CHIRP Radio Podcast releases new episodes each and every week, from artist interviews, to First Time features, comedy, and more! You can hear portions of the Podcast on our radio broadcast each week, or check out the full releases wherever you get your Podcasts.

Runner Up! Best Blog

The CHIRP Radio Blog hosts everything from album reviews, to film reviews, personal essays, and more! We have great content planned for 2021 and look forward to celebrating all things arts and culture with our readers! 

Nominees! Best DJ

CHIRP had TWO of our incredible DJs nominated for Best DJ this year!

DJ Ninja is live on air Thursdays from 6:00 A.M. - 9:00 A.M and Fridays from 6:00 P.M - 8:00 P.M. She has been working in radio since 2001, and produces many of our on-air recorded promos as well!

DJ Nicole Oppenheim hosts Ear Candy twice per week, Wednesdays from 12:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M. and Fridays from 9:00 A.M. - Noon. Nicole first got into radio by exploring the far ends of the dial on her Mickey Mouse transistor radio, and brings that same end-of-the-dial deliciousness to Ear Candy!

Nominee! Best Overall Radio Station

And last but certainly not least, CHIRP is proud to have been nominated by our listeners for Best Radio Station in Chicago. We are a dedicated team of volunteers on a mission to share as much great music as we can, and to be named as an essential part of city life in Chicago brings us great joy. We are thrilled to be an essential part of the “new normal” this last year has forced, and look forward to safely showing up for our community in 2021.