Links to articles originally published in Current

There are now enough public radio stations to reach more than 90 percent of the American public, and pubcasters have adding specialized stations to increase listening options in areas where pubradio already exists.

So it's rare that all-new stations arise, especially in the East, or can afford to get going with sparse populations. An exception: the twin stations WCAI on Cape Cod, Mass., and WNAN on Nantucket Island.

They were founded locally (by Cape & Islands Public Radio) and the programming is controlled locally, but the founders made a unique arrangement with a major Boston station to handle many of the functions — taking advantage of its greater economies of scale.

Founder Jay Allison, a nationally prominent independent radio producer, surveyed colleagues nationwide for advice on the stations' sound and conceived the "sonic i.d.'s" that mark led an effort to mark them with the voices and sounds of the region. Allison later reviewed the sonic i.d. project in a Current commentary.

Allison with volunteers and WGBH-FM manager Marita Rivero outside the Woods Hole studios. (Photo: WGBH.)

	To Current's home page
	Outside link: Website for WCAI/WNAN, website for Atlantic Public Media (formerly Cape & Islands)

Web page revised Oct. 7, 2002
Current
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Copyright 2002