Local radio station WAPS The Summit (91.3 FM), was nationally recognized this week for its advocacy efforts in addiction and recovery programming.
Rock & Recovery, programmed at The Summit, was highlighted at the America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) Public Media Summit in Washington, D.C., the largest annual gathering of public broadcasting general managers and community leaders, who explore issues that are vital to the future and mission of public service media.
Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, opened the event with, “The music you heard coming in and the CDs on your tables are from Akron, Ohio’s The Summit FM, public radio. Rock & Recovery is a 24/7 online radio channel for people recovering from addiction.” Harrison added. “These stories are powerful and unique examples of what individuals and stations are doing to raise awareness and find solutions.”
The addiction awareness program, sponsored by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, featured Congressman Ben Ray Lujan, of New Mexico, Admiral James A. “Sandy” Winnefeld and Mary Winnefeld, Co-Founders of Safe Project, along with Tommy Bruno, Rock & Recovery executive producer and The Summit’s General Manager.
The addiction crisis and public media’s support role is one focus area of the comprehensive three-day conference. Before opioid addiction became a national epidemic, local public stations, which are by nature deeply connected to their communities, were reporting on the issue and helping to identify solutions.
Launched in 2011, Rock & Recovery has been a consistent source for those in addiction recovery and their friends and families. “Rock & Recovery was created as a way for us to fulfill and expand our mission as a nonprofit public radio station,” said Garrett Hart, Rock and Recovery program director. “We wanted to do something positive that also spoke to the history and culture of our hometown, as the birthplace of modern recovery.”
“Our goal is simple – to offer a supportive, healing tool for health-care professionals and addictive specialists working in recovery, first in our own community, and to be shared nationally and globally,” said Bruno. “We were honored to be invited by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to represent this important agenda, and hope that being featured at the APTS Conference will encourage the development of added awareness for our efforts locally, and for the collective efforts of our talented peers in the public media sector.”
Rock and Recovery airs nightly from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., and is accessible 24/7/365 at www.rockandrecovery.com and through The Summit’s mobile app.
