WRFA Staff – Front: Julia Ciesla-Hanley and Gavin Paterniti. Back: Anthony Merchant and Jason Sample.
WRFA is a listener supported, non-commercial, low power FM radio station provided as a public service by the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts (Formerly known as Arts Council for Chautauqua County). We broadcast at 107.9 FM in Jamestown, NY. It was founded in 2004 by Dennis Drew and first went on the air on Sept. 13, 2004.
WRFA is dedicated to providing access to the arts, cultural and educational programming and a forum for the discourse of public affairs. In addition WRFA provides community outreach through programming at area public schools, community activities and live performances, and even sporting events. The station also relies of participation from local volunteers, who produce a wide variety of news, cultural and entertainment-related programming.
General inquiries can be sent to us using the Contact Page on our website, or by emailing WRFA@RegLenna.com.
For employment and volunteer opportunities, visit the “Join the WRFA Team” page.
WRFA EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT
- General Manager: Jason Sample (email: Jsample @ RegLenna.com /phone: 716.664.2465 ext 209)
- Reg Lenna Executive Director: Hillary Meyer (email HMeyer @ RegLenna.com / phone: 716.664.2465)
WRFA STAFF
- Public Affairs Director: Julia Ciesla-Hanley (email: Julia @ RegLenna.com / phone: 716.664.2465 ext 222)
- Programming Coordinator: Gavin Paterniti (email: gpaterniti @ RegLenna.com)
- Arts & Entertainment Correspondent: Anthony Merchant (email: amerchant @ RegLenna.com)
WRFA GOVERNING BOARD
WRFA’s license is held by the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts and the RLCA Board of Directors serves as the station’s governing board.
- Current RLCA Board Members:
- Maria Kindberg, President
- Ellen Ditonto, Treasurer
- Sue White, Secretary
- Nacole Benson
- Phineas DeMink
- Tammara Hodges
- Jake Kane
- Mary Kohl
- Andrea Rowan
- Stephen Sellstrom
- Uma Vejendla
- RLCA BOD Public Meetings
- 2022
- Nov. 8, 2022 at 5p.m. – Reg Lenna Center for the Arts: Conference Room (2nd Floor)
- 2021
- June 9, 2021 at 5 p.m. – Reg Lenna Center for the Arts: Media Arts Studio (3rd Floor)
- Nov. 9, 2021 at 5 p.m. (Finance Committee Review of WRFA 2022 Budget) – Zoom Meeting (Email WRFA @ RegLenna.com by 4 p.m., Nov. 9 to Attend Virtually)
- 2022
- Reg Lenna Center for the Arts Most Recent Audited Financial Statement [PDF]
- Reg Lenna Center for the Arts Most Recent Tax Statement (990) [PDF]
A copy of Reg Lenna Center for the Arts latest annual report may be obtained, upon request, from the Arts Council or from the New York State Attorney General’s Charities Bureau,120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.
WRFA COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD
All Community for Public Broadcasting grantees, other than those owned by a state, political or special purpose subdivision of a state, or public agency, must have a Community Advisory Board (CAB). The CAB’s responsibilities include the: a. right to review the station’s programming goals; b. right to review the service provided by the station; c. right to review significant policy decisions rendered by the station; and d. obligation to advise the station’s governing body on whether the station’s programming and other significant policies are meeting the specialized educational and cultural needs of the communities served by the station, and to make recommendations that the CAB deems appropriate to meet such needs.
- Current WRFA CAB Members (September 2022)
- Robb Jones – President
- Chris Anderson – Secretary
- Dennis Drew
- Heather Felton
- John Merino
- Mark Olson
- Walt Rittman
- CAB Public Meetings
- 2022
- March 21 at 5 p.m. – Reg Lenna Center for the Arts
- June 13 at 5:30 p.m. – Southern Tier Brewing Company
- October 3 at 5:15 p.m. – Reg Lenna Center for the Arts
- 2021
- May 17 at 5:30 p.m. – Southern Tier Brewing Company
- August 31 at 5:30 p.m. – Reg Lenna Center for the Arts
- November 8 at 5:15 p.m. – Reg Lenna Center for the Arts
- 2022
WRFA Annual Report – Not Available
WRFA Diversity Statement
As a community outreach program of the Reg Lenna Center For The Arts (RLCFA), WRFA-LP is committed to fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion by providing a wide variety of educational, informational and cultural content that addresses the diverse gender, age, race, ethnicity, language, religion, sexual orientation, disability, national origin and economic status of the greater Jamestown region.
WRFA rigorously supports RLCFA’s non-discrimination policies, ethics policies, and commitments to equal opportunity, affirmative action and diversity. These policies are applied equally to all functions of WRFA including the selection of contractors and suppliers of goods and services.
WRFA Diversity Goals
- To provide diverse non-commercial educational content for unserved and under served audiences
- To provide equal opportunity in employment while recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce, volunteer force and community advisory board
- To educate our management, staff and listeners in best practices for maintaining an inclusive and diverse work environment
- To Provide a weekly news program in Spanish
- Participate in minority or other underserved population’s job fair, health fair and education fair.
Diversity at WRFA
As of September 2022, WRFA has 3.5 employees with a very low turnover rate. However, the radio station has volunteers to assist us with our mission of focusing on diversity, and also contracts with others within the community who assist the radio station with its goal of providing non-commercial educational content for unserved and under served audiences:
- WRFA Community Conversations – A monthly program broadcast live on WRFA and also replayed during our weekly Public Affairs hour (5 p.m. Thursdays, Noon on Sundays). The program is also video-streamed on our Youtube and Facebook platforms. Public Affairs Director Julia Ciesla-Hanley focuses on issues affecting the community and often covers those affecting Marginalized Groups, including: LGTBQ+ Community, Hispanic Community, Native American Community, Chemical Dependency Community, Peoples with Disabilities Community, People in Poverty, and the Homeless Community. Funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcating.
- WRFA News en Español – Providing a weekly news update in Spanish, broadcast twice on the weekends (8 a.m. before our Latino USA syndicated program) and also at 5:50 a.m. following our Latin Inspiration volunteer-produced program. WRFA News en Espanol is also made it available via online podcasting. A bilingual Community Member – Jesus Garcia – assists WRFA in translation and also recording the newscasts in Spanish. Funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
- YWCA Broadscast – A weekly program focusing on local social (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) and women’s issues affecting the community, produced by four staff members from the local YWCA. Broadcast twice weekly at 2 p.m. Fridays and 11 a.m. Sundays. Funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
- Latin Inspiration – A weekly volunteer-produced program featuring Spanish public service announcements and interviews, along with Spanish-language music. Produced by station volunteer Juan Perez.
- Latino USA – A weekly syndicated program focusing on the Latino and Hispanic issues across America. Broadcast at 2 p.m. Wednesdays and 8 a.m. Saturdays. Distributed by PRX (Public Radio Exchange) and funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
WRFA will continue to recruit diverse candidates for future open positions, internships, volunteers and community advisory board members.
2021-22 Local Content and Services Report (As of September 2022)
Our goal in 2021 and 2022 was to improve the region’s quality of life by engaging the community on as many levels as possible, on and off the air, listening to and addressing their needs. With COVID-19 pandemic still underway in 2021, our goal was to cover the pandemic, keeping listeners informed of the latest news and notices from local, state, and national agencies. As part of this, we increased the number of interviews with our County Executive, as well as covering various press conferences provided by the County Health Department. WRFA also spoke with numerous other elected officials and community leaders and shared those conversations with our listeners, both over the airwaves and also “on demand” via the WRFA website.
In September 2021, WRFA launched its Community Conversations series, providing three 2-hour programs featuring representatives from marginalized and under served groups (Hispanic, African American, Homeless, LGTBQ+, and Chemical Dependency) in the Jamestown, NY Community. The initial Community Conversation series was funded in part by a grant from Humanities NY, along with funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Based on its popularity, the series continued in 2022 and focused on a variety of issues within the community. Themes in 2022 included: The Disabled Community, Reflections on the COVID-19 Pandemic, Public Safety, Neighborhood Development, and Native Voices. The 2022 Community Conversations program was also funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
In 2021 and also planned for 2022, WRFA hosted and moderated debates featuring candidates for local and state office, including: Jamestown City Council and New York State Assembly. Funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
WRFA also continued to provide local news updates three times each weekday morning and continued to provide its regular coverage of local public affairs by talking with elected officials and community representatives on a wide variety of issues not specifically tied to the pandemic.
Jamestown Tarp Skunks Baseball – WRFA provided live broadcasts of all 25 home games for the Jamestown Tarp Skunks Collegiate Baseball Team (June & July 2021, 2022), with a focus on educating college student interns interested in or pursuing a career in broadcasting and sports journalism. A paid internship program funded in part by the Holmberg Foundation and Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Arts on Fire LIVE – A monthly LIVE concert series featuring local musicians from Chautauqua County. Live broadcast and video streamed. Funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
“I Remember” Oral History Program – A program focusing on local residents offering their first-hand accounts of historical events, places, industries and people from Chautauqua County’s past. Radio and video. A total of 25 1-hour episodes are planned for Year 1 (December 2022-June 2023). Partially funded through a $15,000 grant from the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, along with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting makes most, if not all the public affairs programming possible. It has allowed us to hire our news/public affairs director. CPB Funding makes the myriad of Public Service Announcements and regular weekly arts coverage possible at no cost to cultural and arts groups. It has facilitated the partnerships we’ve made that enrich the entire community. The Funding allows us the very special outreach opportunity at Jamestown High School.
