ROCKLAND — After broadcasting for 12 years from a small building on Gay Street in Rockland, radio station WRFR is moving. Their new location will be in the restored Lincoln Street Center alongside other businesses, organizations, a 350-seat theater, industrial kitchen, art studios and a small café.

"We're really looking forward to expanding and upgrading the station, and being a part of the historic Lincoln Street Center." said Jo Lindsay, Station Manager of WRFR, in a news release.

To make the move, the station's volunteer staff will need to build a new broadcast studio from the ground up. The staff will bring their carpentry and soundproofing skills to the project, and hire licensed electricians to get the new space ready for operation.

"It will be a big project," said Lindsay, "and it will push our budget to the limit." To help fund the move, WRFR is doing something it's never done before: asking the community it's served for over 12 years for financial help. 

WRFR listeners can donate through the station’s website, wrfr.org, and clicking on the donate button. Since the dial location for WRFR in Rockland is at 93.3 FM, the group decided to set their first weekly goal for donations at $9,330.

"We've been a working part of the community for a long time, and we hope people in Rockland and Camden will be as excited as we are to help make this move a reality. We are providing a service that has value. We are confident that our community will show their appreciation." said Lindsay.

WRFR was the first low-power radio station (LPFM) in the USA when the Federal Communications Commission initiated the low-power option in 2002. LPFM stations are non-commercial and reach listeners up to an approximately 25 mile radius. This limited reach makes low-power radio stations a truly local resource for their communities.

WRFR can be found at 93.3 FM in Rockland, 99.3 FM in Camden, or wrfr.org; 594-0721.