Community Radio

WEFT 90.1 Champaign is a community Not-for-Profit radio station that extends about 50 miles into the hinterland. Its mission is to provide radio diversity with an emphasis on programming that usually does not appear on major networks. The intention is not to duplicate but extend to talk and musical programs that often have a special interest.

Educational Resources in Environmental Science, ERES, is a not for profit agency located next to WEFT. Both agencies came to Champaign in an era when the downtown box stores were moving to the surrounding malls and the remaining city almost fell into the town planning definition of a 'dead central business district'. We felt that as non-profits we could help to rectify the demise from a base that was relatively inexpensive.

After a period of downtown economic shift to malls there has been a movement back to the downtown area and an upgrade of the city.

WEFT and ERES fit into the mold of this shift out and return to a downtown. As not-for-profit agencies we have both been here over twenty years and we hope to stay although we are in competition with a rapid expansion of bars, new buildings and an upgrade of existing buildings. We do a lot of independent education from this gentrifying base and we hope to stay around despite the fact that taxes and building codes may make that difficult.

We communicate with the public in many way. ERES, for example, has an urban prairie in a nearby vacant that is a popular retreat. WEFT is a party to many musical events. On the week-end being featured WEFT held a Street Fest and we would like to share with you some of the activities. We will add a note and a few photographs of the urban prairie. We can give you access to more pictures through Picasa by emailing us your email address to dmonk@prairienet.org..

If you have any questions you can call WEFT 90.1 FM at 217 -FLY-WEFT (359-9338) or listen to the WEFT on their web site . ERES can be contacted at 217-351-1911 and our website can be accessed through http://eres.prairienet.org/.

ERES has an environmental program, The Prairie Monk, live on WEFT.org from 11-12 AM on Sundays. Dave Monk and Bill Saylor are the associate hosts. A range of topics and announcements are interspersed with programs involving guest commentators.




Dave Monk
theprairiemonk.org