When popular community radio station KRCL announced this spring that it would be changing its programming and replacing many of its daytime volunteer on-air personalities, some listeners were upset.
On Monday, however, the work of many of those faithful listeners and volunteers came to fruition in the form of a new Web-based radio station called Utah Free Media, or UtahFM. XMission donated technical setup and support.
"Utah Free Media was founded by, and will rely on, a talented bunch of folks who know community radio inside and out and are dedicated to quality on-air programming," said Troy Mumm, UFM co-founder.
According to marketing director Patrick Commiskey, Utah Free Media is a collaboration of former staff, volunteers and listeners of KRCL. The station is located in downtown Salt Lake City in the basement of the Dakota Lofts building. Commiskey said the space was donated by longtime KRCL volunteer DJ and Realtor Babs De Lay.
The studio was completed in one month, with all the construction, design, materials and labor donated by volunteers, Commiskey said. The station is registered as 501(c)3 nonprofit and will offer programming from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays.
Commiskey said the station's programming will eventually be downloadable, and streaming audio is currently available. The station can be found at utahfm.org.
E-mail: jlee@desnews.com