WGCC-LP (104.1 FM) “Geneva Community Radio” is a non-profit, non-commercial and 100% listener-supported low power FM (LPFM) radio station based in Geneva, New York, in the beautiful Finger Lakes region.
WGCC is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to Geneva Community Projects Inc. GCP is a non-profit 501(c)3 charitable organization founded in 1992. WGCC broadcasts a wide variety of musical and spoken word programs designed to represent a broad range of interests and tastes which exist within the greater Geneva, NY community. The station airs programming presented by local volunteers, as well as programs from a wide variety of independent producers, public broadcasters and community radio stations from around the world.
Musically, WGCC runs the gamut from Classical to Hip Hop, Jazz to Folk, Oldies to World Beat, and everything in between. We also present several hours per week of informational and educational talk programming covering a wide range of topical issues of local, national, and global concern. WGCC presents programming that is not heard on any other AM or FM radio station in the area.
WGCC is listener-supported radio. We do not receive funding from New York state or the federal government. We do not run traditional commercial advertising. We rely entirely on the voluntary financial contributions of listeners like you. For information on how you can donate to WGCC, please click on the Support tab.
Our History
WGCC is Geneva, New York’s second LPFM radio station. The first LPFM license granted in Geneva belongs to our friends at WHWS-LP (105.7), the student-run radio station at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
The roots of WGCC can be traced back to 2010. The project is the brainchild of Jason “Jake” Longwell, a visually impaired lifelong radio enthusiast and broadcaster who brings over 30 years of prior radio experience to the table. Longwell has been active specifically on the Geneva radio scene since 2004 when he began volunteering at WEOS hosting a Jazz show late Sunday nights.
He went on to be one of the first non-student DJs at the new WHWS shortly after it signed on in late 2007. The shows which he originally created for WHWS are now syndicated to several other community and college radio stations around the country. Even back then, he felt that there was something missing from the local airwaves, and he hoped that one day an opportunity to bring community radio to Geneva would materialize.
In late 2010, President Obama signed into law the Local Community Radio Act. This new law loosened some of the restrictions previously placed on LPFM radio stations. This opened up many new frequencies for LPFM around the country, including the opportunity to build a second station for Geneva. Longwell immediately set to work garnering support for a new station. The FCC announced a new LPFM filing window for the Fall of 2013. Several local
non-profit organizations, including Geneva Community Projects and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Geneva, contributed money and other resources to the project. Sadly, for technical reasons, the application that was submitted to the FCC was rejected in early 2014.
Despite this disappointment, Longwell never gave up on the dream of bringing community radio to Geneva. He had always hoped that “someday” the FCC would open another window for LPFM applications, even in the face of radio industry skeptics who proclaimed that such a window would never be opened. In the Spring of 2023, Longwell’s hopes were realized when the FCC announced a third LPFM window slated for later that Fall. Longwell again turned to Geneva Community Projects for possible aid and guidance. The GCP board listened, and saw the value in such a radio station. They agreed to act as licensee of the new station. Veteran broadcast engineer Mark Humphrey was contracted to prepare the application and on February 7th, 2024, the FCC issued GCP a Construction Permit (CP) to build a new 100-watt LPFM station to operate at 104.1 on the dial. Shortly thereafter, the call letters WGCC were requested and quickly assigned by the commission.
Even with construction permit in hand, the project still encountered some obstacles. It was soon determined that the new antenna tower for the station could not be erected at the site that was originally proposed. Several nearby sites were considered as alternatives, but were ultimately unavailable. Then, GCP reached out to the Seneca Yacht Club. After a couple of productive dialogues with club members, they generously granted GCP permission to build a new antenna tower and transmitter building on their property on Boodys Hill Road. Construction of the station began in earnest in early 2026, and the station finally signed on the air on April 19th of that year.
In addition to acting as the antenna tower for WGCC, the structure also hosts equipment from the Eaton Birding Society as part of the MOTUS project. MOTUS utilizes radio telemetry to track the migration and behavior patterns of small birds, bats and insects. Internet service to the site is provided by Geneva’s very own Community BroadbandNetwork (CBN).
Throughout the entire process, Geneva Community Projects worked tirelessly to raise money for the construction and ongoing operation of WGCC. Over $37,000 was raised thanks to the generosity of several businesses and individuals.
They include:
The Brenda and Dave Rickey Foundation
Bagels and Cakes
Vance Metal Fabrications
The Wyckoff Family Foundation (for the broadcast and development of children’s
and youth oriented programs)
Heaton and Venuti, LLP (offering pro bono legal services)
WGCC is forever grateful to the residents of the Geneva community and beyond for their continued support of local community radio.