Cape Fear Radio: Local Impact
Photography by Matt McGraw
The new trend of internet radio opens the door for Cape Fear Radio, a hyper-local station based in Southport and covering Southeast Brunswick County.
BY LOCAL, FOR LOCAL, ABOUT LOCAL — that’s what Cape Fear Radio is all about. Launched in June 2024, the new station showcases community news, music, and events.
With so much going on in the music and art worlds, in addition to the area’s explosive growth, a handful of people familiar with southeast Brunswick County decided it was time to shine the spotlight on their community.
Cape Fear Radio (CFR) serves the communities of Southport, Oak Island, Caswell Beach, St. James, Boiling Spring Lakes, Bald Head Island, and beyond.
Community Involvement and Response
Through news, entertainment, public service announcements, and features, locals can find new ways to become involved in everything going on around them.
“Our hope is to inform and entertain,” says CFR co-founder, newscaster, and board of directors member Russ Yarrow. “We all love music and the community, so we said ‘Let’s see what we can do.’”
The response from the community since the June launch has been strong.
CFR was asked to broadcast live for three days on the main stage at the 4th of July Festival, Southport’s biggest bash of the year.
The station has partnered with the State Port Pilot in downtown Southport, where it has its studios, and has already welcomed several founding sponsors, including Dosher Memorial Hospital.
A Modern Approach to Broadcasting
This station is far from traditional. Rather than broadcasting via traditional FM radio, CFR is completely internet-based and can be accessed through their app, smart speakers like Alexa, or their CFR website.
The station features local bands such as LunaSea, The Salty Dawgs, and more.
Yarrow refers to southeast Brunswick County as the “saloon band capital of southeastern Carolina,” and CFR is excited to offer another way to get local music the attention it deserves.
Diverse Music and Community Features
But the backbone of the station’s music catalog is an extensive curated list of a wide variety of music from the 60s through contemporary styles, all presented by a growing roster of talented and eclectic presenters 24/7.
Cape Fear Radio also will be using the station to provide various profiles on members of the community and events.
“We’re excited to bring the community to life through features on healthcare, local businesses and restaurants and bring more news and information to people who live here,” Yarrow says. “Radio brings forward the power of the voice.
When you hear people speak, it’s a very engaging way to respond to information.”
A Growing Media Platform
Radio is a media platform experiencing rapid growth, considering the internet has made access to it incredibly easy.
Cape Fear Radio is honing in on this to ensure southeast Brunswick County communities have an easy and entertaining way to engage with their members.
“We like to describe Cape Fear Radio as radio of the people, by the people and for the people,” said Chris Cadman, a St. James resident and one of the station’s founders. “We are focused exclusively on the local area, staffed by volunteers and promoting local artists, events and businesses.”
Supporting Local Nonprofits
CFR is also a registered nonprofit dedicated to serving other nonprofits in the local communities.
Through the radio’s Community Investment Initiative, money raised through affordable advertising rates will be donated to local nonprofits like hunger relief, youth causes, arts councils, and more.
The station will also bring awareness to local businesses by offering them creative ways to market locally.
“We think The Cape provides an exciting new advertising platform for businesses in the area, and our Community Investment Initiative will direct revenue over and above our operating costs into making our communities stronger and more resilient,” Sales Manager Randy Till says.
Perfect Timing for a New Media Platform
Many residents feel the time is perfect for a project like this. John McIver, a co-founder of Cape Fear Radio, is confident in the timing and the ways that CFR can serve and connect to the community.
“This area of Brunswick County is one of the fastest-growing regions in the country,” McIver says. “A new media platform like Cape Fear Radio can help to inform and unify the area as it faces the challenges and benefits of rapid growth.”
A Complement to Local Print Media
CFR board of directors member Mary Galligan, a retiree from Johnson & Johnson and a St. James resident, has a passion for local arts and the local music scene, which led her to take part in the CFR venture.
“There are so many interesting stories and people in this area,” Galligan says. “We think Cape Fear Radio is a powerful complement to local print media, providing residents of the Lower Cape Fear area with music to entertain, news to inform and a deeper understanding of the communities where we live.”
Ways to listen
Listen Now: CapeFearRadio.com
Smart Speakers (Ask Amazon Alexa to “enable Cape Fear Radio” then say “Play Cape Fear Radio”)
Cape Fear Radio App (It’s free to download the Cape Fear Radio app on your phone and listen)
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