Shawn Campbell writesWhat CHIRP Means to Me: Shawn Campbell

I don't know what it is, but radio has always been the thing. You know, THE thing. It's hard to explain. From the time I was about ten years old, I wanted to work in radio. And from that point forward, it was  the only thing I wanted to do. So I went to college and studied radio and worked at my college radio station (see photo - and scrunchie). I got a job in commercial radio, did that for awhile, went to grad school and studied more radio (WHY?), then worked some more in commercial radio. It had its moments, but there were always compromises.

Then in 1999, I made the move back to non-commercial radio and found my true home. To get to play the bands you think are amazing, no matter what label (if any) they are on. To have the chance to showcase organizations and issues no one else is talking about. To get to make your own playlists and curate your own shows rather than going from a pre-programmed playlist. To work with passionate, like-minded music fans. All are pleasures of non-commercial radio.

But even in that non-commercial world, there are battles to fight, and at the end of the day, the party that controls the broadcast license controls the fate of the station. And with that in mind, in 2007, I decided Chicago needed a truly independent community radio station. I got a great group of people together, and we sat on the patio at Moody's and plotted out what was to become CHIRP.

Since then, it's been quite a run. We built the station we imagined. We literally created it from the ground up. More and more people joined in as we went along, even in the days (years!) before the station physically existed. And now we have more than 250 amazing volunteers. We've won awards. And we won our battle that began with day one of CHIRP -- to change the law at the federal level so we would be able to apply for a broadcast license. We applied to the FCC last October, and currently are awaiting word on our application, but we're very optimistic.

Meanwhile, we're not resting on our laurels -- everything at CHIRP is a work in progress, and we still have plenty of big dreams that we haven't checked off our list. But the fact is, it's only because of the people who have believed in us over the years that this station exists. It's because of YOU. And that's why, as we begin the second week of our spring fundraising campaign, I really hope you'll make a gift to CHIRP in whatever amount that fits your budget. 2014 is going to be a huge year for us, and your support makes all the difference. Thank you so much to all of you who have supported CHIRP over the years, and who are making pledges of support for the very first time right now. As ever, you guys rock.