Friends of MVYRADIO

Friends of MVYRADIO, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) organization. Tax ID # 46-3432541.

If you are ready to make a donation to Friends of MVYRADIO, click through to our donation page or call us at 508-693-5000!

Mission Statement

MVYRADIO aspires to reflect Martha’s Vineyard and the region in music, news, culture and community. MVYRADIO embraces its local, regional and worldwide roots through its independent format, and uses contemporary media and community engagement to enrich the lives of our audience.

MVYRADIO is an NPR Member Station, and is supported by The Corporation For Public Broadcasting.

MVYRADIO receives funding from the Corporation For Public Broadcasting. In accordance with their guidelines, our website includes the following information:

1) Names of Board members, Advisory Board Members, Executive Staff
2) Date of the next Open Meeting for Friends of MVYRADIO
3) A link to obtain our Annual Financial Report
4) Our Diversity Statement
5) Local Content & Services Report
6) Section 396(k)(12) Compliance
7) FCC Public Inspection File

Information on our Community Advisory Board is at the bottom of this page.

1) NAMES OF BOARD MEMBERS, ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS, EXECUTIVE STAFF:

FRIENDS OF MVYRADIO BOARD
OF DIRECTORS

Jim Attwood, Chair
Chilmark, MA

Rogers Brandon, Vice Chair
Chilmark, MA

Keith Crawford, Treasurer
New Orleans, LA

Susan Cole, Secretary
Washington, DC

John Beck
South Yarmouth

Brenda Brathwaite
West Tisbury, MA

Katie Dawson
Vineyard Haven, MA

David Edmonds
Providence, RI

Scott Fedonchik
New York, NY

PJ Finn
Teaticket, MA

Sam Fleming
Chilmark, MA

Sue Guiney
Chilmark, MA

Tristan Israel
Vineyard Haven, MA

Ursula Kreskey
Edgartown, MA

Zeb Landsman
Aquinnah, MA

Erin Moran
Boulder, CO

Larry Perkins
Jupiter, FL

Deborah Rappaport
Chilmark, MA

DiAnn Ray
Vineyard Haven, MA

Richard Roberts
New York, NY

Gary Rosen
Franklin Lakes, NJ

Rahoul Roy
New York, NY

Olivia Steele
Vineyard Haven, MA

Kathleen Teehan
Edgartown, MA

Peter Tollman
Vineyard Haven, MA

Pat Washington
Oak Bluffs, MA

EXECUTIVE STAFF

PJ Finn
Executive Director
pj@mvyradio.org

Erin Moran
CFO
erin@publicmedia.co

COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD

Lisa Belcastro
Vineyard Haven, MA

Bruce Blackwell
East Falmouth, MA

David Bloom
Edgartown, MA

Tamara Buchwald
Washington, D.C.

Bruce Danziger
Sudbury, MA

Dianne Duffy
South Yarmouth, MA

Kharma Finley-Wallace
Oak Bluffs, MA

Tim Goodman
Chilmark, MA

Elliot Greene
East Falmouth, MA

Matt Hayes
Newton, MA

Andy Herr
Edgartown, MA

Marion Kistler
Vineyard Haven, MA

Chrissie Laurie
West Tisbury, MA

David Lindheimer
Edgartown, MA

Steve Parachini
Edgartown, MA

Matt Perzanowski
West Tisbury, MA

Julie Sierputoski
West Tisbury, MA

Liz Tamasi
Dennis, MA

Livingston Taylor
West Tisbury, MA

Sally Taylor
Cambridge, MA

Michael Urban
Chilmark, MA

Executive Staff

Joe Stickles, Chair
Millbury, MA

Ursula Kreskey, Board Representative
Edgartown, MA

2) OPEN MEETING
All meetings are open to the public.

The next 2025 Open Meeting of the Friends of MVYRADIO Board is on June 20th at 11:30am. Other 2025 meetings include September 18th and December 11th. This meeting will be held on a Zoom line. For more information, call 508-693-5000. Board meetings are held quarterly.

The next 2025 Open Meeting of the Friends of MVYRADIO Community Advisory Board is June 4th at 11am. Other 2025 meeting include September 3rd and December 3rd. This meeting will be held on a Zoom line. For more information, call 508-693-5000.

The next 2025 Open Meeting of the Friends of MVYRADIO Events Committee is March 4th at 2pm. This meeting will be held on a Zoom line. For more information, call 508-693-5000.

The next 2025 Open Meeting of the Friends of MVYRADIO Equity & Inclusion Action Group is June 3 at 11am. This meeting will be held on a Zoom line. For more information, call 508-693-5000.

The next 2025 Open Meeting of the Friends of MVYRADIO Executive Committee is July 31st at 4pm. Other 2025 meetings include November 6th. This meeting will be held on a Zoom line. For more information, call 508-693-5000.

The next 2025 Open Meeting of the Friends of MVYRADIO Finance Committee is May 22nd at noon. This meeting will be held on a Zoom line. There is also a meeting scheduled for November 20th at 4pm. For more information, call 508-693-5000.

The next 2024 Open Meeting of the Friends of MVYRADIO Governance Committee is March 14 at 1pm. This meeting will be held on a Zoom line. For more information, call 508-693-5000.

The next 2025 Open Meeting of the Friends of MVYRADIO Development Committee is March 5th at 2pm. This meeting will be held on a Zoom line. For more information, call 508-693-5000.


3) ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT

View Friends of MVYRADIO Inc 2023 financials. And our CPB 2023 AFR Report. And our 2023 Form 990 Public Disclosure.

4) OUR DIVERSITY STATEMENT

As a Voice for the Vineyard, Cape Cod, Southeastern Massachusetts, Newport, RI, and the World, MVYRADIO has established its mission as a reflection of the many voices, cultures, ideas and perspectives in our broadcast area.

Our role within this community is to ensure that those voices are represented and heard in our music programming, on our public affairs shows, through our sponsored events, and within our staff, Board of Directors, and Community Advisory Board.

We are especially attuned to our responsibility to participate in conversations that challenge overt and systemic racism, bigotry and injustice. We pledge to use our platform to advance this dialogue.

We recognize that to achieve this mission, MVYRADIO must continuously assess and improve identified areas of operation within our organization, including:

• Recruiting Board members to advance the gender balance and racial diversity of our Board of Directors and our Community Advisory Board
• Expanding outreach, beyond standard Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) requirements, to guarantee that our staff recruitment and hiring is from a diverse applicant pool
• Examining music programming to improve gender parity and racial diversity in the artists we play
• Evaluating our public affairs programs to ensure that underserved and minority constituencies have access to our platform to express their message
• Examining our business practices and committing to seek and support minority-owned businesses

We follow the FCC's guidelines on EEO hiring requirements for staff. We comply with nondiscrimination provisions of relevant federal, state and local regulations.


5) LOCAL CONTENT & SERVICES

WMVY's goal is to serve the communities of Martha's Vineyard and Cape Cod and to reflect the voice and spirit of those who live here, through the station's programming and personalities. MVY works hard to provide the community with reliable, current information surrounding basic needs such as weather, tides, sea conditions, ferry and airline service, school closings, traffic information, emergency management messages and other vital services. The station provides local and national news and broadcasts Public Service announcements for local nonprofit organizations.

The station produces several locally-focused feature programs. "The MVYRADIO Person Of The Week" is a 3 minute first person portrait of a local individual who is creating a community benefit. We spotlight over 50 individuals each year. On Sunday mornings, we air a 30 minute "news magazine" format program called "The Vineyard Current." This program has won a dozen Massachusetts Broadcasters Association Awards. The program begins with a weekly news round-up featuring reporters from The Vineyard Gazette, followed by profiles of people and organizations that make Martha's Vineyard tick. This show has a companion program called “The Cape Cod Current” which follows a similar format, instead focusing on Cape Cod residents and organizations. On Sunday nights, from 7pm to 8pm, we air a program called "MVYRADIO Night Casts." This music program focuses on a weekly theme, with music selections to highlight the theme, plus an in-studio local guest, and recorded "local voices" talking about the theme. On Tuesdays, we air the weekly one-hour program "The MVYRADIO Local Music Cafe" which spotlights local/New England-based independent musicians. Through these programs, hundreds of local individuals and organizations are given a voice on the air.

After a collaboration in 2021 with the MV Diversity Coalition on a Panel series, the station participated in the 2024 “Truth & Joy” event, featuring an unveiling of a new plaque on the MV African American Heritage Trail, and an evening of live music.

In 2024, we continued to update our long-running Black History Month features. These 90-second pieces air daily during February. Previously, they focused on a National figure, but in 2018 we worked with the Martha's Vineyard African American Heritage Trail to create pieces that are focused on local African American History. We expand the library of these features each year.

We held our annual Night Out For Nonprofits. We invite representatives from the over 200 nonprofits on the Island for a cocktail hour, and then bring in the general public for a fun night with live music and food. Money collected at the door benefits the MV Donors Collaborative, which holds educational training for nonprofit leaders.

We continued our Radio Games series. This free after school hour is held weekly at the West Tisbury library for middle school aged students. An MVY DJ teaches communication skills via age-appropriate games.

We also continued our collaboration with the Martha’s Vineyard Charter School. On Friday, groups of students visit the station to play age-appropriate games that teach communication skills. They also learn about recording techniques. This year, they recorded a student-created podcast about climate change, which eventually aired on the station.

The MVYRADIO Night Out For Nonprofits raised $2000, which was gifted to the MV Donors Collaborative. MV Donors was able to use the funds raised to create scholarships to send local nonprofit leaders to a year long training through the Institute for Nonprofit Practice.

Our Equity And Inclusion Action Group (a subcommittee of our Board, which also includes members of the staff and Community Advisory Board) conducted surveys and focus groups with traditionally underserved groups in our area.

In 2023 we have completed the first survey, which sought feedback from the Black/African American community. From that feedback, in summer 2024 we created Vineyard Happenings, a weekly podcast covering events of interest to the Black/African American community. We hired 3 BIPOC interns to host and produce 10 episodes, which were shared directly to organizations around the Island.

The station participated in the first MV Brazilfest, which is by a number of organizations that intersect with the growing Brazilian population on the Island. The hope is to foster better communication and stronger relationships. The station will do as we did for the Black community, and seek feedback from this community on how we could create programming that would directly benefit the Island’s Brazilian population.

CPB funding helped us to stay on the air waves, provide vital information related to health, safety and cultural matters to our communities and provide music to offer a respite from the world at large.

For our information on our DEI initiatives, please see our Diversity page.

6) SECTION 396(k)(12) COMPLIANCE
To receive funding from The Corporation For Public Broadcasting, Friends of MVYRADIO must be in compliance with Section 396(k)(12), which states:

"The station(s) and its/their licensee comply with the donor list and political activity requirements of the Communications Act of 1934 codified at 47 U.S.C. § 396(k)(12)."

In short, we are instructed to state that the station does not rent contributor or donor names (or other personally identifiable information) to or from, or exchange such names or information with, any Federal, State, or local candidate, political party, or political committee.

Friends of MVYRADIO is in compliance with this instruction.

7) FCC PUBLIC INSPECTION FILE
You can find our FCC-required Public Inspection Files online, here. Or in our office during regular business hours.

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MVYRADIO’S COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD

As part of our commitment to serving the people in our broadcast area, MVYRADIO’s Community Advisory Board is a group of local individuals who help provide oversight, feedback, advice and expertise to the MVYRADIO Staff and Board.

The CAB is separate from MVYRADIO’s Governing Board. The Governing Board oversees the business as a whole, approves budgets, and is responsible for the station’s general governance.

The CAB is a volunteer group made up of MVYRADIO supporters and friends who live in our broadcast area. They are community members with a variety of professional backgrounds, and representatives from a wide range of constituencies from within the Cape & Islands. They are informed individuals who are willing to be visible in the community and to gather comments, ideas and recommendations for the station’s programming and service. It is advisory only and does not have any fiduciary or governance responsibilities.

But the CAB role in the station’s mission is both unique and important. CAB members provide critical feedback on the station, its programming, and its strategic direction. It is all with the aim of helping MVYRADIO successfully fulfill its role as an important community institution.

As a requirement of our grant from the Corporation For Public Broadcasting, the CAB meets quarterly. During these one-hour meetings, station Staff reports to the CAB on our recent activities, current finances, and other matters of interest. The CAB is encouraged to provide feedback.

CAB members serve 3-year terms on a volunteer basis.

The only commitment CAB members are asked to make, is to regularly attend CAB meetings, which can be done in-person or on Zoom.

Though not required, CAB members also:

-volunteer at MVY events (ie. Our Patio Concert Series, at an MVY Open House)
-help introduce possible Major Donors to our Development team
-provide professional support and advice in their area of expertise
-become financial supporters of the station

We’d love to have you help MVYRADIO be the best it can be. If you’re interested in learning more about being an MVYRADIO CAB member, please contact Joe Stickles.