From The Falmouth Enterprise, April 15, 1999

"Well, we're going to get a new public radio station on the Cape," said John W. (Jay) Allison III of Gardiner Road in Woods Hole, an award-winning producer and the primary force behind the new station.

Mr. Allison quoted his 11-year-old daughter when he cited the need for a public radio station here. She told her father, "I like public radio; it's just that it's always fuzzy."

The new station is scheduled to begin broadcasting in January 2000 on WCAI 90.1 on Martha's Vineyard and Cape Cod, and WNAN 91.1 on Nantucket. Problems with permitting for a radio tower on Martha's Vineyard have delayed the start date of the station by over a year.

Station officials hosted a luncheon for community leaders this week at the Fishmonger Restaurant on Water Street in Woods Hole. The highlight of the luncheon was when Mr. Allison played what he called possible "identification spots" for the new station. One amusing soundbite featured quips from a local fisherman. Another clip featured sea shanties sung by a historian.

The clips are part of a project called "Soundscapes," an effort to create original programming pieces rooted in the distinctive voices and sounds of the region.

Mr. Allison formed the nonprofit entity, Cape and Islands Community Radio (CICPR), in 1992, and two years ago he formed an alliance with WGBH in Boston to build and operate the new stations in Woods Hole and on Nantucket.

Robert Lyons, director of Radio Project Development at WGBH Radio, called Mr. Allison "a true visionary," and said Mr. Allison "is to radio producers as Michael Jordan is to the NBA."

John Voci of WGBH, who is director of operations for the new station, described programming plans for the station. "Imagine some of the best national programs plus local features," said Mr. Voci. The new station will have "local headlines, local weather, marine forecasts, and more local programming in a variety of areas," he said.

The station will also take advantage of its location in Woods Hole to develop science programming. The station has already forged an alliance with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for an antenna site on a WHOI building.

The station has received a number of grants including from a $40,000 matching grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and a $20,000 planning grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Mr. Voci estimated the annual cost of running the station at $500,000, because of the expense of public radio programs.

The planning grant is for the WGBH/CICPR's collaborative effort, The Cape and Islands Oral History Project. The goal of the project is to make the Cape and Islands' oral history accessible to a wider audience through local and national radio broadcasts. Mr. Allison hopes the project will be a model for radio stations throughout the country.

Local organizations collaborating on the oral history project include the Vineyard Oral History Center at the Martha's Vineyard Historical Society, Woods Hole Historical Collection, the Nantucket Atheneum, and the Nantucket Historical Society.

Referring to the allure of Woods Hole, Mr. Allison said, "Because of where we are, we have an opportunity to make an impact on a national level."