WFHB FireHouse Broadcasting

(The following statement was read into the record of the Waldron Task Force during a town hall meeting on Tuesday, January 26th, 2010, by WFHB Board President Mark Need)Over the past few weeks, our community  has discussed the financial difficulties faced by the Bloomington Area Arts Council (BAAC) and the effect of those difficulties on the future of the Waldron Arts Center. Though representatives of WFHB have spoken informally with many of the principal parties in this matter, the station has not yet issued a formal statement or presented its own position. In general, the effect of the crisis on the future of WFHB, which operates from space adjacent to the Waldron, has not been mentioned publicly. What little has been said about the station’s role in this matter has been positive —- there is consensus that the station is an important music, arts, news, and public affairs source, and a center and hub of information by and about our community.The Board of Directors of WFHB would like to take this opportunity to clarify its position.For years, WFHB has operated in the firehouse successfully and without interference from (or to) BAAC.  In fact, the station is a frequent renter of the city hall space in the Waldron, for special events, volunteer meetings, monthly programming, and other occasions. A recent tour of the station by the Waldron Task Force confirmed that the station is a revenue source, and not a cost, to the operation of the Waldron.Were BAAC operating in a financially successful manner, the history of the relationship between the two organizations would be invisible and unnecessary to revisit. However, with what appears to be the potential financial failure of BAAC, the time is upon us to ensure WFHB’s ability to continue to operate in the space that it has acquired and remodeled.WFHB is a “community” radio station, and the importance of a guarantee of its ongoing operations cannot be overstated.  While any course of action leading to WFHB’s displacement seems unlikely, both legally and practically, the consequences should be considered.  Any interruption in those operations, or any need to identify alternate space and relocate the station, especially when the reason for that interruption is unrelated to the station’s performance, could be fatal. WFHB’s Board of Directors seeks to eliminate any misunderstanding or uncertainty with regard to one of the clearest issues in the Waldron situation: WFHB should retain its space in the firehouse, such that it can continue to make business decisions, invest in infrastructure and technology, and schedule ongoing programs and events, certain that its future in the firehouse is secure. The WFHB Board of Directors asks the City of Bloomington to take fair and appropriate steps to ensure WFHB’s continued role as a vibrant and necessary voice in our community.