Community Radio/Wireless Barnraising November 11-13, 2005 -- CUWiN Hack Night 6pm on the 11th.
This weekend - Friday November 11 to Sunday November 13th - will be an historic moment for our community. We want you to be part of it.
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The Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center will open its community space in the downtown Urbana Post Office building!
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Last May, the IMC purchased the Post Office building - thanks to the generous help of our capital campaign contributors!
This historic building boasts a huge 5000 square foot space behind the post office lobby. The postal services will remain. The rest of the first floor, which has gone unused for many years, has been converted into a performance space, media production facilities, a library & reading room, and meeting space. We are starting discussions on adding a cafe, bookstore, food store, or restaurant - come envision with us!
This summer/fall we undertook a major construction project - replacing much of the roof, separating and securing the post office space, adding a wheelchair accessible bathroom, and building a broadcasting studio for Radio Free Urbana.
* Come take tour of the building this Friday at 1 PM. *
* On Saturday, come celebrate the new space with a 5-band show (rock genre): 7pm until midnight. All ages, smoke-free, alcohol free. $5 donation. *
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The IMC will co-host a Radio and Wireless Barnraising with the Prometheus Radio Project!
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Hundreds of visitors are converging for a weekend of hands-on workshops on low power radio, community wireless, and organization building. Participants will construct WRFU in one weekend!
* Sessions run from 10 am Friday to 7 pm Sunday. Opening remarks are Friday at 7pm. Bob McChesney is offering a booksigning as an IMC fundraiser Saturday at 6 pm. *
See the whole schedule and registration at: http://www.prometheusradio.org/urbana/. The weekend is $45-125 sliding scale - no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
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Radio Free Urbana (WRFU 104.5 FM) will broadcast its first show!
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Community members first applied for a low-power FM license 6 years ago. At first it seemed we would be granted a license, and then in 2000, the political tides changed. Thanks to national advocacy groups like Prometheus Radio, media activists fought for and won the licensing of low power stations throughout the country. WRFU has raised over $10,000 to date and is fundraising the last 3,000 needed.
WRFU will be a community radio station broadcasting to most of Urbana & Champaign. Anyone can apply for a show. Read more: www.wrfu.net.
* Come celebrate WRFU's first broadcast Sunday from 4 - 7 pm or tune into 104.5 FM around 5 pm. *
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The Urbana Free Library will be installed with wireless internet access - both indoor and out!
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As part of the barnraising, the City of Urbana and volunteers from CUWireless Network (CUWiN) are demonstrating the installation a wireless node on the library roof top. This node will be linked to access points on the second floor and front porch of the library. This means library visitors will be able to get online with their laptops!
* Come to the node installation Friday at 3 pm at the Urbana Free Library. *
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The IMC is also home to:
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- Cherry Alley Artists - hosts workshops and figure drawing sessions & houses a dozen art studios. Come to Cherry Alley Art Party this Friday at 9 pm!
- OJC Technologies - a software & website development company: www.ojctech.com
- CUWiN - developing free, community wireless mesh network software used internationally: www.cuwireless.net
- Books to Prisoners - responding to prisoner requests for books: www.books2prisoners.org
- Public i - a monthly free newspaper of the IMC: publici.ucimc.org
- OutZone - a youth group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth.
- Life Strategies Institute - empowering youth in the criminal justice system
- A doula practice.
- ...and many other projects and intiatives.
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Support from the community is what makes all this possible.
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Consider joining our force of Sustaining Funders by pledging a monthly donation of $10 - 100. Join our Foundation Builders at $500 - 1000. Or give what you can. Every bit helps! Annual Membership is $25-50. Donations to the UC-IMC are tax deductible.
Please make checks payable to "UC-IMC" and mail to:
202 S. Broadway #100,
Urbana, IL 61801
USA
or donate online at www.ucimc.org/paypal.
Questions?
Email: fundraising@ucimc.org.
Thank you!
The Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center Foundation
info@ucimc.org
