The DC Council Now Has Its Own Radio Show
You’ve attended Council hearings in person. You’ve tuned in to our televised proceedings online or on TV. Maybe you’ve even checked out our obscure, little-loved, and technocratic presence on Twitter, @councilofdc.
Well, now you have the chance to listen to us on the radio. But this is not a Council hearing. This is “Hearing the Council.”
“Hearing the Council” will air from 3-3:30PM every day on DC Radio, the District’s government radio station, which can be found at 96.3 on your HD4 dial, or online at dcradio.gov.
The debut episode, with Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau, will air on Monday, February 19. The second episode, with Ward 7 Councilmember Vincent Gray, will air on Tuesday, February 20. A third episode, with Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans, will soon enter the rotation as well. The rest of the Council will be interviewed, two every other week, year-round.
You can’t have a government without a Council, so you can’t have a government radio station without a Council show. “Hearing the Council” is that show. It will be hosted by the Council’s Director of Communications Josh Gibson, who is perhaps better known as the man behind the @councilofdc moniker.
The Council’s broad communication goal is spelled out on our Twitter page. We want to engage with residents in an informative, conversational, and sometimes even enjoyable way. We want to demystify our work, and the people who do it. This radio show is a new tool in our communications toolbox, and we are excited about it.
Each week, host Josh Gibson will spend a half hour interviewing a different Councilmember. That will give us the opportunity to learn more about the Councilmembers but also go deeper on the issues of the day.
A second element of the Council’s presence on DC Radio will be brief, 1 to 3 minute updates recorded by the Councilmembers themselves. These briefs will be run in between other shows throughout the week. This second element is expected to be rolled out in the coming weeks.
Background
In 2014, the District government established a partnership with Howard University’s WHUR to create a government radio station. On September 19, 2017, D.C. Government made history by launching DCRadio 96.3 HD4: the radio station is the first government-owned radio station in the District and the second municipally-owned full power radio station in the country.
The “Hearing the Council” show is among 1,300 hours of original programming on the radio station, managed by the District’s Office of Cable Television, Film, Music, and Entertainment (OCTFME). DCRadio 96.3 HD4 enhances the quality-of-life for District residents by broadcasting vital information, sharing programming on emergency and non-emergency services and alerts, providing community and other government affairs programming. In addition, the radio station provides a media literacy training platform for D.C. residents and students. Both DCRadio 96.3 HD4 and DCRadio.gov are additional resources for our open and transparent government.