WJFF opens new studios in Liberty

By Jack Dusenbury-Dalto | Manor Ink

Liberty, NY – WJFF Radio Catskill is Sullivan County’s non-commercial, listener-supported public radio station that first went on air in 1990. The station features NPR, PRI and Pacifica programming, as well as dozens of locally created music and talk shows.

In its original location in Jeffersonville, WJFF was known as the only hydro-powered radio station in the nation, served by electricity generated by the Jeffersonville Hydroelectric Company from Lake Jefferson water. The station has now relocated to facilities on Rte. 52, just west of the Village of Liberty, and on July 13, Manor Ink visited those impressive new studios.

WJFF had been planning a move from their former home as far back as 2014. The station looked at multiple locations, but none seemed to suit their need for more space and updated equipment. Then, in 2016, fate stepped in. “A generous supporter who owned this building, the former Catskill Harvest Market, and the surrounding 14 acres, donated it to us,” said General Manager Tim Bruno as he led the Ink on a tour of the building. “We then sold some acres to an adjoining landowner, and after a few years, the board made the decision to move our headquarters here.”

Bruno pointed out some advantages of the new location, including a generator that can keep the station on air for up to 90 minutes in the event of a power outage. The new location is also in the middle of the county, making WJFF more accessible to people. There is also a lot more parking on the property and much more space within the building, including a big community room that can be used for meetings, and live-to-air music performances.

Most importantly, the Liberty site is conveniently located right below WJFF’s broadcast tower on Elk Point Road. That will enable the station to eventually transmit its broadcast feed directly to the tower via

microwave. A separate house located on the property may also provide offices for a future news department and for necessary storage space.

WJFF now has advanced audio technology, highlighted in the master control room, production room and interview studios. Program director Jason Dole worked the board for the Ink, demonstrating how everything is state-of-the-art and digitized, as opposed to the analog technology used in the old station.

According to Bruno, the process of converting the market building to the new station took about 18 months. Conversion started around the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, so with supply shortages and increased costs, the length of time it took to get the new building ready had to be extended. It may have taken a while to finish the new studios, but as the Ink saw firsthand, the results were worth the wait.