Dr. Ericka Tucker, associate professor of philosophy in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, was elected to the Board of Riverwest Radio, a LPFM community radio station in Milwaukee, on Monday, Sept. 12.
Riverwest Radio was founded in 2012 and was granted a low-power FM license to broadcast in October 2014 by the FCC. Tucker has been involved in community radio and LPFM since 2000. As a volunteer for the Prometheus Radio Project she helped physically build a low-power radio station, PCUN Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste, in Woodburn, Oregon, in August 2006.
Tucker has worked in community radio stations around the country, including KPFK in Los Angeles, KBOO in Portland, Oregon, WRFG in Atlanta and Sagal Radio in Clarkston, Georgia. Tucker has published on the use of community radio as a tool for democratic international development.
At Riverwest Radio, Tucker hopes to help build capacity and to work with volunteers and neighbors to help Riverwest Radio fulfill its mission to provide arts and public affairs programming for the residents of Riverwest.
“Community radio stations like that of Riverwest Radio are an essential component of strong democracies — where residents can address local issues which rarely rise to the level of city or state media interest,” Tucker said. “Public affairs programming is participatory, and community radio arts programming is where many local artists and musicians get their start.”
