When you climb into your car and prepare for takeoff, you buckle in, adjust your mirrors, wait for the check engine light to flicker on, and, if you were born before 1990, turn on your radio and search for your jam. Living in Maine’s remote backwoods leaves us with few options on the radio dial, but for 10 years we have had a local option at WRGY, 90.5 FM, offering rich and eclectic programming.

The station is housed in a dedicated space inside of The Lakeside Theater. Dance Dance Revolution was parked there way back in the day when arcade games still inhabited the theater’s lobby. Bringing local radio to Rangeley was the brainchild of Ron Hoar and Dave McMillan. It kind of makes sense when you consider the main cogs inherent to any community: a newspaper, a fire department, a health center, a Chamber of Commerce, a restaurant, a pub, a church, a bank, a theater, a school, a gas station, a library, public works, builders, plumbers, electricians, and this list continues. And adding to this list, as of 2011, a radio station. We are fortunate here in sparsely populated Rangeley to enjoy such a plethora of services and entertainment. But making sure that all of these are fully supported can prove difficult at times, depending on the economy, both internal and external.

WRGY is far from the dysfunctional shenanigans of WKRP in Cincinnati, though we do have our version of Dr. Johnny Fever with Ernie Gurney, WRGY’s “interim” station manager these past four years. Ernie has been a mainstay at the station since its inception, playing multiple roles, all guaranteed to never make him a wealthy man. He has steered the ship with a steady hand, a brilliant sense of humor, delving interviews, keen vision, and with a sotto voce tone that leads the listener to believe they are in cahoots with him every syllable along the way.

WRGY has enough content to satisfy bygone hippies, cowboys, jazz enthusiasts, classicists, pop divas, nostalgists, and rock and rollers hoping to save their very souls. All of this is brought to us commercial free as WRGY is a non-profit solely dependent upon the listeners, both near and far, since we can access it all day, every day, anywhere, online. There are listeners in Europe regularly tuning in to what 90.5 has to say. When Anna Mather’s siren voice delivers the day’s weather, someone in Germany looks out their own window to see what’s happening there.

Entering Rangeley is like entering a portal that willfully staves off the onslaught of time. Annual summer visitors are comforted when they see the IGA, the Baptist Church’s spire peeking over the trees, The Rangeley Inn, Sarge’s and Frosty and the theater. Everything is right where they left it. But before actually physically landing in town again, they can turn on their vehicle’s radio, tune it to 90.5, and hear Rangeley.

WRGY forged a special relationship with Rangeley Lakes Regional School at the very beginning. Ron Hoar saw this as one of the station’s main missions, offering another outlet for building communication within the community of students. Over the years, students have DJ-ed their own shows, showcased their talents and creative products, and contributed to the overall content. Hudson DeRaps is a fine example of what WRGY had in mind as he became the station manager and a solid contributor of material. More recently, middle school students’ podcasts have been broadcast and Tom Danforth and Rod Smith, the dynamic duo, rule the airwaves with live RLRS sporting events, as well as interviews with local celebrities.

Other voices and friends of the station you have heard, and whose fruits of labor you have enjoyed, over the years: Lissa Perry Gumbrecht, Derek Wendelken, Hudson DeRaps, Janice Adler, Ron Hoar, Ernie Gurney, Noah Bonnell (who also wrote a theme song for the station), Wanda Ferguson’s storytelling, and many others. Ron Hoar passed away soon after the birth of the station and his show continues to this day. Ron’s love for radio was evident in his infinite knowledge of music. Tune in some time for the Ron Hoar Oldies Hour, Monday through Friday, at 10 a.m.

The station has experienced its fair share of technical issues over the years. A strong wind has been known to knock out the signal on occasion. Saddleback Mountain has partnered with WRGY to help maintain the radio’s signal tower; no minor feat, we assure you. Grants and donations have allowed the station to upgrade its sound board and computer system with the aid from our dear friend, Gene Warfel, who has recently departed and gone to WGOD in the ethernet.

Local voters’ taxes and individual support have combined to keep this part of Rangeley alive for everyone’s enjoyment. People don’t gather around the radio in their living rooms the way they used to, waiting to hear Paul Harvey’s “the rest of the story,” FDR’s fireside chats, and serial programs advertising soap and Ovaltine, yet we still have radios, or now we can access our favorite stations on our devices. WRGY has become part of Rangeley’s identity, and whether you live in Rangeley year-round or are a seasonal guest there remains our local, international station keeping us all connected, entertained, and informed.

WRGY is very honored to be the recipient of a 10,000 dollar matching donation fund put together by a group of dedicated supporters. They are encouraging other listeners to donate and support WRGY by sending their donation to WRGY Radio, P.O. Box 844, Rangeley, ME 04970. You can always go to wrgy.org to listen online, check programming, donate digitally, or leave a message.

Thank you Dave and Ron for bringing WRGY to life and to everyone over the years who has kept it alive and helped it to grow. Here’s to another 10 good years. And as Lissa first said 10 years ago, “Thanks for listening.”

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