The motto of WVVY radio used to be “You Never Know What You’re Going to Hear Next.” And now, following the station’s recent signal boost, you may even be able to hear whatever’s next in Falmouth.
The Vineyard is set to get a new radio station and the town of Tisbury to get an integrated information system following a couple of last-minute approvals this week.
On Tuesday, selectmen Tristan Israel and Denys Wortman (Thomas Pachico was absent) approved an easement at the department of public works site for a 70-foot pole which will be used by the station for its broadcasts and by public works to communicate with other town departments and the Tisbury school.
For the past three years, the static of nearby stations filled radio frequency 93.7 FM. On Friday morning a week ago, the static was replaced with silence. Around 4:30 p.m, there was a beep. And then a song came over the airwaves.
So that night, even as a slew of Island musicians took the stage at the Chilmark Community Center to raise money for an Island family, and as Islanders took cover from the steady drizzle and caught up with friends over freshly baked cornbread and homemade chowder, a radio from a car parked outside blared a steady stream of music.
Martha’s Vineyard Community Radio station WVVY, broadcasting at FM 93.7, has appointed Paul Munafo as station manager. Paul brings experience in many community organizations. He has been an active member in the development of the Vineyard Playhouse where he served on the board for over 12 years; he served as chairman of the Tisbury Cultural Council for over 10 years and is a founding member and performer with the Fabulists theatre for children.
WVVY 93.7 LPFM Community Radio and the Mediterranean restaurant have announced the first annual Halloween Hellraiser, a party to be held at Mediterranean in Oak Bluffs, off Seaview avenue, on Halloween night. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. With music from the Gypsy Sound System and featured WVVY deejays, a buffet dinner, and a costume contest with a $500 first place prize, this may be the go-to party for Halloween night, as well as a great opportunity to help support community radio on Martha’s Vineyard.
The grass parking lot of the West Tisbury Fire Station was filled with some classic Vineyard vehicles — Volvo wagons, small pickups and of course, Subarus. Some cars were left running, stereos sending reggae music wafting through the stiff April winds. The bleachers were crowded with Islanders young and old, braving the sunny but chilly day to witness the first annual Island kickball classic.
There’s a soft buzz coming from the car radio, a faint hum of interference as you drive around the Island searching for the perfect song to get you in the mood. Sometimes the automatic tuner slides right by it, other times it settles in somewhere amongst the buzz to 93.7, the home of Vineyard community radio station WVVY.
