WDFH extensively covered the national political conventions during the summer of 2004.  Marc Sophos and Josephine Arce traveled to Boston to report from the Democratic National Convention.  We also reported from the Republican National Convention in New York City.  Contributing to WDFH's coverage were a number of political science experts as well as a talented and enthusiastic group of volunteers from WDFH.

Our 2004 political coverage received special (and unsolicited) national recognition when the National Federation of Community Broadcasters cited it in comments [pdf] filed with the FCC in connection with the FCC's inquiry into broadcast localism.  Only a small handful of stations were cited.

From our coverage of the 2004 Democratic National Convention:

• photos in WDFH's studios:  1 | 2 | 3

• photos in Boston:  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

• audio

From our coverage of the 2004 Republican National Convention:

• photos in NYC: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

• audio

Concurrently with our convention coverage, we are extremely pleased to join the Pacifica Radio Network.  We have added Democracy Now! and Free Speech Radio News to our daily schedule.  More new programming will be added in the coming months!

• pictures of our satellite dish installation

• press release for WDFH's DNC coverage

• press release for WDFH's RNC coverage

WDFH's Press Release about the convention and the new Pacifica Affiliation

For Immediate Release

WDFH-FM Plans In-Depth Coverage and Commentary
Around Democratic National Convention

DOBBS FERRY, New York, July 18, 2004 — WDFH-FM announces that it will be covering the Democratic National Convention in Boston from July 26 to July 29.  Armed with convention credentials, Marc Sophos, the station’s Executive Director, and Josephine Arce, its Assistant Executive Director, will report on events from the convention site.  WDFH, which is concurrently becoming a Pacifica Network affiliate, will also carry key segments of Pacifica’s own convention coverage during the four days of the event.  In addition, guest expert commentators will be nightly guests at the station’s studios, adding local, national, and international perspectives and insights into the week’s exciting events.

The coverage by WDFH will run from 7 PM to around midnight on each of the convention’s four days, and will include both live and taped segments that will pre-empt scheduled program as events dictate.  WDFH can be heard in Ossining and vicinity on the radio at 90.3 FM and on-line on the World Wide Web at wdfh.org.

WDFH’s affiliation with Pacifica comes at an opportune time for WDFH, as it gives the Hudson Valley station access to reporting resources that were never before available to it.  “Live and taped convention coverage by WDFH staff and Pacifica reports, coupled with the commentary from our invited guests, marks a welcome milestone in the long and sometimes difficult road that WDFH has followed,” says Sophos.   “There is no doubt that the events that we will cover in the days to come are of great historical significance, both for the country and the station.  We have only begun to serve the Lower Hudson Valley in the way we have envisioned for years.”

The station has also received credentials to cover the Republican National Convention starting on August 29 in New York City, and will provide similar coverage at that time.

About WDFH-FM

WDFH is a noncommercial FM radio station that broadcasts a freeform mix of many types of music, including progressive and alternative rock, folk, blues, and jazz.  The station, which broadcasts around the clock, is equally committed to news and public affairs, particularly on a local level.  The station’s transmitter is located in Ossining and the station can be heard there and in nearby communities in Westchester and Rockland counties on 90.3 FM.  The station can also be heard worldwide on the Internet from the station’s web site at www.wdfh.org.

WDFH's Press Release about our coverage of the Republican National Convention

For Immediate Release

WDFH-FM Offers In-Depth Coverage and Commentary
During Republican Convention

DOBBS FERRY, New York, Aug. 23, 2004 — WDFH-FM will be offering its unique brand of reporting of the news and events of the Republican National Convention in New York City from Sunday, August 29, to the convention’s close on Thursday evening, September 2.  In addition to covering the convention itself, in-depth reporting is planned from what are expected to be massive street protests.  Coverage of the week’s events will be coordinated by a cadre of talented and enthusiastic volunteers committed to serving the public interest.

As with its coverage of the Democratic National Convention, WDFH offers an original and thoughtful alternative to the tepid and reluctant reporting done by the mainstream media.   “Contrary to what people might think, being a small, noncommercial radio station run by volunteers gives us a huge advantage over big commercial broadcasters,” said Marc Sophos, the Executive Director of WDFH.  “For example, during the Democratic Convention, when television caved in to corporate pressure by opting to air reruns of inane sitcoms, WDFH dedicated hour after hour of unique news and opinion.  We plan to do the same during the Republican convention and accompanying street protests.”  (Photos, interviews, and coverage notes from WDFH-FM’s reporting from the Democratic Convention are available at wdfh.org.)

The radio station, which recently became a Pacifica affiliate, will also carry key segments of Pacifica’s convention coverage.  In addition, expert commentators as well as local residents, including veterans and activists, will be nightly guests at the station’s studios.  These guests promise to add local, national, and international perspectives and insights into the week’s important events.

The coverage by WDFH will start with coverage of the protests scheduled for Sunday, August 29, and will then run from roughly 7 PM to midnight on each of the four days of the convention itself (Monday through Thursday).  It will include segments that will pre-empt regularly scheduled programming as events dictate. WDFH-FM can be heard in Ossining, NY, and vicinity on the radio at 90.3 FM and on the World Wide Web at wdfh.org.  Photographs and interviews from the protests and the convention, as well as more detailed schedule information, will be available at wdfh.org as they become available.

WDFH’s affiliation with Pacifica comes at an opportune time for WDFH, as it gives the Hudson Valley station access to reporting resources that were never before available to it.  “Coverage by WDFH staff and reports from Pacifica, coupled with the commentary from our invited guests, marks a welcome milestone in the long and sometimes difficult road that WDFH has followed,” says Sophos. “There is no doubt that the events that we will cover in the days to come are of great historical significance, both for the country and the station. We have only begun to serve the Lower Hudson Valley in the way we have envisioned for years.”

About WDFH-FM

WDFH is an independent, noncommercial, volunteer-operated community radio station, one of only about 200 such stations nationwide and the only one in the lower Hudson River valley. WDFH broadcasts a freeform mix of many types of music, including progressive and alternative rock, folk, blues, and jazz.  The station, which broadcasts around the clock, is equally committed to news and public affairs.

WDFH’s transmitter is located in Ossining and the station can be heard there and in nearby communities in Westchester and Rockland counties on 90.3 FM.  The station can also be heard worldwide on the Internet from the station’s web site at wdfh.org.