Jason Dempsey writesCHIRP Radio Partnerships Director Jason Dempsey on His CHIRP Experience

Chicago radio has always been a huge part of my life. Living in an area with such provocative hosts and a wide variety of station formats contributed to my love of Chicago radio –both on the FM and AM dials. Even today, I need to listen to the radio as I fall asleep.

While I love listening to Chicago radio, sometimes commercial radio and I have different ideas as to what constitutes good music. Discovering new bands, checking out different music venues and finding the next great album often came from talking to my friends, the internet, record store clerks and other people in my community. Over the years as my music tastes evolved, I wished there was a local station I could consistently listen to that played great music and provided compelling commentary.

Then I found CHIRP. I first learned of CHIRP when I attended a concert sponsored by the station. Not only does CHIRP play an incredible variety of music, the on-air personalities are all unique, and I love listening to their perspectives on various artists, albums, and Chicago in general. To me, CHIRP now serves as another place besides my friends and my local record store where I can discover new bands and learn about what’s on the horizon in the Chicago music scene.

Additionally, CHIRP’s commitment to being an active part of the community really appealed to me. As a proud Chicagoan, I love exploring new neighborhoods and learning about all the distinctive activities and events going on at any given time. When I learned that CHIRP was run mainly by volunteers, I knew I had to get involved.

It was my strong interest in discovering Chicago that inspired me to become the Partnerships Director at CHIRP. The Partnerships Department works closely with other like-minded organizations, community groups and local companies to help spread the word about their projects, events and products. We look to work with and support other groups whose members and fans may find an interest in CHIRP and vice versa. The Partnerships Department accomplishes this by promoting our various partners through live on air reads, social media, web ads and blog posts. In return, CHIRP is allowed a presence at neighborhood street festivals, corporate events, restaurant openings, book readings, etc.

Some of my personal favorite experiences since assuming the role of Partnerships Director include working with Dark Matter Coffee to create a CHIRP Morning Mix coffee blend; supporting West Town Bikes to bring awareness to their mission of supporting and educating youth in the Humboldt Park neighborhood through biking; and providing DJs for many really cool events such as Renegade Handmade, the Active Transportation Alliance Awards Reception and the Arts & Business Council fundraiser. Other groups we have collaborated with are The Chicago Fire, the Chiditarod to support the Greater Chicago Food Depository, the Midwest Film Festival, Switchback Books, and LP Marketplace, among others.

CHIRP allows me to be an active member of my community and a part of the Chicago radio culture of which I have been a loyal and lifelong fan. As CHIRP gets closer to establishing a spot on the FM dial, I know we will be able to improve our foothold in the community and help others even more through strategic and mutually beneficial partnerships. In the meantime, I encourage you to visit chirpradio.org as much as possible, support the CHIRP fall fundraiser, and get involved with CHIRP!

Join the CHIRP community now by making a donation during the Fall Fundraising Campaign and show your support to our hardworking and amazing volunteers! A gift at any level will help us conquer the airwaves in this next chapter in our history!