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Release Date: 
Thursday, March 31, 2022

Support WHFR-FM during its annual Radiothon April 3-9

Event Date: 
Sun, 04/03/2022 to Sat, 04/09/2022
A WHFR DJ in the station on air.

HFC’s WHFR-FM (89.3 FM) – the College’s student-run, non-commercial, independent radio and internet broadcasting station – is holding its annual pledge drive, Radiothon 2022, from Sunday, April 3, through Saturday, April 9, with a variety of special on-air events scheduled throughout the week.

The radio station’s FM signal had degraded to less-than-optimal status at certain points over the past two years. But that has been fixed after an infrastructure upgrade. “Thanks to listener support, WHFR was recently able to launch a necessary equipment upgrade project to rebuild our transmitter site. A new antenna has been installed on the WHFR tower which has returned our FM broadcast signal solidly to the airwaves. We want to say ‘Welcome back!’” said HFC Chair of the Department of Communication and Media and WHFR General Manager Susan McGraw.

Founded in 1985, WHFR has been committed to providing programming that is rarely heard on the Metro Detroit radio dial. With original musical styles from talented, creative artists and great local talk, WHFR airs unique and valuable content, according to McGraw.

Bringing back the sunshine

“To keep WHFR operating successfully, we need to ask for your support once again. We make this request one week out of the year and we call it Radiothon,” said McGraw. “This year’s Radiothon theme is ‘Bringing Sunshine to WHFR by Helping Replenish Our Rainy Day Fund.’ Because of our necessary equipment upgrade, we’ve had to exhaust most of our rainy day fund. We urgently need to build it back up, and we ask for your help to do so.”

As a non-commercial, volunteer-staffed radio station, WHFR is not licensed to sell commercials and must rely on support from HFC and private donations in order to operate. Because WHFR does not receive government funding, more than 60 percent of its operating budget directly comes from donors like YOU!

3 ways to donate to WHFR’s rainy day fund

There are three easy ways to donate to the radio station during Radiothon 2022:

  1. On-Air: The on-air portion of Radiothon 2022 is April 3-9 when our live DJs will be asking you to call in at (313) 845-9676 to make your tax-deductible donation via credit card or to request a self-addressed envelope (SASE) to be sent directly to you. We’ve got some fun WHFR incentive items that you might enjoy, including WHFR sunglasses, flipflops, and an umbrella (rainy day connection...).

  2. Online: You may Donate securely online

  3. Mail: Fill out and mail in the attached pledge form with your contribution at any time.

For questions or more information about Radiothon 2022, contact McGraw at 313-845-9842 or scmcgraw@hfcc.edu.