W ho are the Friends of WRPI?

On the eve of the station's fortieth anniversary, a group of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute students, faculty and staff joined with members of the community in the three state area served by WRPI to create an independent, non-profit support group for the student management.

The Friends organization took a leadership role in the ambitious re-vitalization of WRPI's broadcast facilities in 1997, helping to raise nearly $40,000 in funds from individuals and private foundations in recognition of the station's vital role in the local media ecology.

Since then, the Friends of WRPI have continued to raise money in support of "communiversity radio," the partnership between RPI students and community volunteers that provides 18 hours or more of music, sports, news and public affairs programming to listeners in the NY State Capital Region, northwestern Massachusetts and southwestern Vermont every day.

But the Friends are not just about money. The organization offers advice, support and institutional memory to WRPI's student management in a myriad of ways. And, perhaps most importantly, the Friends of WRPI establishes a feedback mechanism for listeners--providing a conduit through which to express appreciation for WRPI's unique public service programming!
Support truly independent, non-commercial broadcasting with a contribution to the Friends of WRPI

The students and community volunteers who run WRPI on a shoe-string are committed to satisfying your hunger for adventurous music and uncompromising news and public affairs programming--but they need help!

Click here to make a secure online donation:

DonateNow

Or send your tax-deductable donation to:

Friends of WRPI
PO Box 1656
Troy NY 12181

Thanks for listening, thanks for your support!
If you've ever marvelled at the programming you hear on WRPI and wondered what makes it possible, here's a quick look behind the scenes:

Radio station WRPI operates on the campus of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as a student club, called Radio Rensselaer. The station is run entirely by volunteers! An all-student "executive committee" manages the radio station, which is staffed by nearly 100 students and community volunteers.

Financial support for WRPI comes from a variety of sources. The Rensselaer Student Union provides an annual operating budget of approximately $40,000, funded with an activity fee paid by every full-time student at RPI. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute contributes the space and utilities required for the station's transmitter and broadcasting faciliities. In cooperation with RPI and the Union, the Friends of WRPI constitute the third leg of support for the radio station.

Mission Statement

The Friends of WRPI is an organization composed of volunteers who seek to support the student radio station WRPI (operated by the student club Radio Rensselaer) and its technical and programming goals and mission in the following ways:

-By providing a framework for more involvement of Associate (i.e., non-student) Members of the student radio station WRPI/Radio Rensselaer.

-By providing a means of listener financial support.

-By providing historical, technical, and business expertise to the station and WRPI members as requested.