WINGS Around the World

They used to say the women hold up half the sky, but that hasn't always been reflected in media. "When you remove the celebrities and the victims from mainstream media coverage there's very little left," says Frieda Werden, co-founder and producer of the Women's International News Gathering Service or WINGS. Now broadcast on over 150 community radio stations world-wide, WINGS was started at Western Public Radio in 1985 to provide a forum for discussion and reporting on issues facing women and to counter the lack of accurate reporting of the women's movement in the mainstream media.

a lot of women have gotten their first pay in radio from WINGS From the beginning, the program drew upon reporters and producers from many countries and this international viewpoint has helped it find a home on stations on every continent. "We have developed a style that gets across a lot of information in the most accessible and passionate way. We are always looking for new analyses and new ways women are trying to make things better," says Werden. Beyond its coverage of issues; the show has also created opportunities for women. "Working with women producers around the world and paying them is one of the best things we do; a lot of producers have gotten their first pay in radio from WINGS.

In 2002 Werden moved from Austin, Texas to Vancouver, BC where she now works part-time at campus-community station CJSF 90.1FM in addition to her work with WINGS. She has been active with Amarc, the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters, since 1986, serving on the international board of directors and as Vice-President for the North American region.

You can find out more information about WINGS at www.wings.org. From the site you can sample recent WINGS programs and find information about participating in or subscribing to the program.

WINGS is carried on campus-community stations across Canada including CJSF 90.1FM, Coop102.7FM and CiTR101.9FM (Vancouver); CHMA 106.9FM (Sackville, NB); UMFM 101.5FM (Winnipeg); CINQ 102.3FM (Montreal); CKLU 96.7 (Sudbury) and these stations...