Monthly Archives: May, 2024


Built to Serve, Episode 23 – FOCUS Greater Syracuse

Published - May 31, 2024

FOCUS Greater Syracuse has promoted civic engagement, participation, and education in the Central New York community for more than 25 years. Through its programs and initiatives, hundreds of citizens have been successfully connected with local government, organizations, and businesses, resulting in positive changes in our community. In this edition of Built to Serve, host Charles Roberts and FOCUS Program Director Alicia Ernest talk about the organization’s programs and mission, its challenges, and how you can get involved.  

Read More


CNY Arts, Oswego Opera Theater, and WCNY’s ‘The Golden Cage’ Receives Telly Award

Published - May 30, 2024

CNY Arts and Oswego Opera Theater, in partnership with WCNY, is proud to announce that “The Golden Cage” received a bronze award for Music, Dance & Performance in Television in the record breaking 45th Annual Telly Awards. The Telly Awards honors excellence in video and television across all screens and is judged by leaders from video platforms, television, streaming networks, and production companies. “The Golden Cage” is a powerful and true story of Oswego’s Holocaust survivors during WWII. In 1944, 982 refugees from the Holocaust were brought to the Fort Ontario Emergency Refugee Shelter in Oswego, NY. They remained confined

Read More


‘The Golden Cage’ Receives Telly Award

Published - May 30, 2024

CNY Arts and Oswego Opera Theater, in partnership with WCNY, is proud to announce that “The Golden Cage” received a bronze award for Music, Dance & Performance in Television in the record breaking 45th Annual Telly Awards. The Telly Awards honors excellence in video and television across all screens and is judged by leaders from video platforms, television, streaming networks, and production companies. “The Golden Cage” is a powerful and true story of Oswego’s Holocaust survivors during WWII. In 1944, 982 refugees from the Holocaust were brought to the Fort Ontario Emergency Refugee Shelter in Oswego, NY. They remained confined

Read More


Innovate to Educate, Episode 21 – MACNY’s Future Women in STEM Series

Published - May 30, 2024

The Manufacturers Association of Central New York has partnered with the MOST to host the second year of “Future Women in STEM,” through May of 2024. The series targeted middle school girls to encourage their exploration and pursuit of careers in science, technology, engineering and math. Each session was held the second Saturday of each month at the MOST, with each month featuring a local company and a hands-on STEM activity with women leaders from local industry. In this edition of Innovate to Educate, host Jody Manning talks about the series with guests Gretchen Obrist of Syracuse Academy of Science

Read More


Central Current Radio – Marty Nave and Mike Atkins on Syracuse’s Future

Published - May 30, 2024

Syracuse Common Councilor Marty Nave and former Councilor Mike Atkins both have great visions for the future of the region’s largest city. In this edition of Central Current Radio, they talk to host Rick Wright about the assets Syracuse now enjoys, and what the city needs for even greater success in the future. They call on all citizens to be part of the positive change underway, so everyone benefits from the promise of Central New York’s future.  

Read More


May 29, 2024: Civic Morning Musicals Young Artists

Published - May 29, 2024

    Civic Morning Musicals presents it’s annual CNY Young Artists LIVE! concert this weekend.  Concert series chair Ida Trebicka joined host Diane Jones to talk about these tremendously talented young musicians, and the commitment to locals arts that has kept CMM going strong for over 130 years.     More about Civic Morning Musicals is available here.

Read More


Science Today with Dr. Rich Kopecky – Episode 24

Published - May 29, 2024

Researchers report the first signs of a new blood test that could detect so-called Long-COVID. Meanwhile, honeybees are now being vaccinated against a disease that’s decimated their numbers. Also in this month’s Science Today, Dr. Rich Kopecky tells us about Dark Energy, a mysterious force driving the expansion of the universe. And “Hello, my little chicadee”…what the way those little birds hide their seeds tells us about the inner workings of our human memory.    

Read More


Checkup From the Neck-Up, Episode 18 – Gun Violence Prevention

Published - May 29, 2024

Gun violence is now the leading cause of death for children 18 and under. It kills about 48,000 people overall in the U.S. every year. Dr. Jay Brenner, SUNY Upstate ER physician and former Chair of their Task Force on Gun Violence, and host psychologist Dr. Rich O’Neill, talk about the emotional toll of gun violence on families, communities, and health care workers. Shockingly, people who own a gun are about 30 times more likely to die from a gunshot. Brenner and O’Neill discuss 1) initiatives to reduce gun violence, including in our hospitals nationwide; 2) red flags that alert

Read More


Our New Neighbors, Episode 19 – Ten Years in a Refugee Camp

Published - May 29, 2024

Amidst a bloody civil war in his native Democratic Republic of Congo, Joachim Birembo witnessed the murder of his parents, while he himself suffered life-threatening injuries. Fleeing that country, Joachim spent the next ten years in a refugee camp in Uganda before re-settling in Syracuse with his family just last Fall. He now works at Catholic Charities as a Healthcare Navigator for other newly-arrived immigrants. In this edition of Our New Neighbors, Joachim tells his remarkable story to co-hosts Maryna Bagovska and Ibrahim Mohamed.

Read More


On Point for College Alumni Stars – Ahmat Djouma

Published - May 28, 2024

WCNY Community FM is pleased to partner with On Point for College. Since 1999, On Point has helped more than 11-thousand youth from our region get into college, stay there, and succeed afterward. This series on Community FM tells the compelling stories of On Point’s Alumni Stars, who are making a difference in our community. In this episode, we meet Ahmat Djouma.

Read More


CNY Heroes, Episode 20 – Healing “Moral Injury” with Dr. Rebeccah Bernard

Published - May 28, 2024

Dan Cummings’ guest on this edition of CNY Heroes is Dr. Rebeccah Bernard, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and an expert in “Moral Injury.” The term refers to the lasting impact (emotional, psychological, social, behavioral and spiritual) of actions that violate a person’s core moral values. For veterans and those in military service, moral injury can be caused by such events as: survivor’s guilt, feeling you’ve let your buddies or team members down, causing harm to civilians, or having to follow unjust or unethical orders. Dr. Bernard was trained and employed as a trauma specialist with the Department of Veterans Affairs

Read More


Classic FM Spring Fundraiser

Published - May 27, 2024

WCNY will host its Classic FM Spring Fundraiser on June 9 and 10 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The two-day event will feature special programming, gifts, and voices that are typically only heard behind-the-scenes at WCNY. This annual event is critically important to WCNY’s ability to offer new programs and crystal clear classics on our FM station and livestream. Friends of WCNY can make donations online at wcny.org/supportclassical or by calling 800-451-9269, now through June 10. Each gift will strengthen WCNY’s commitment to providing exceptional programing and classical music to our listening region. Thank you for your additional support

Read More


Funky Foodies Episode 210: The Morris Meany Pond Scum Rescue

Published - May 25, 2024

After the Funkies save Morris Meany from being marooned in the pond, he learns how valuable the vacant lot is by seeing first-hand how many Moretown citizens, including himself, appreciate nature. At the end of the episode, Morris Meany agrees to pay for the new nature center and community garden (yay!) – so everyone celebrates with a cake. Kid-friendly recipe: Texas Sheet Cake. Funky Foodies is a podcast for kids, and it’s produced right here in Central New York. Tween foodies Frankie, Fern, and Zara share a passion for food and its impacts on the environment. Adventures follow after they

Read More



S08 Ep39: Flowers in Bloom

Published - May 25, 2024

“Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature.”  – Gerard de Nerval.   It’s the time of year when flowers are blooming and trees are greening.  Here is music by women inspired by the season “Flowers in Bloom”   Mary Howe:  Spring Pastoral Imperial Philharmonic of Tokyo; William Strickland, conductor “Music of Mary Howe” CRI 785 Rachel Portman:  leaves and trees Niklas Liepe, violin; WDR Funkhausorchestre; Erina Yashima, conductor “Rachel Portman: Tipping Points, Vivaldi/Kerscheck: The New Four Seasons” Sony 19658872672 Victoria Bond: Jasmine Flower Daniel Panner, viola “Chamber Music of Victoria Bond” Albany 1161 Marion Bauer:  From the New Hampshire

Read More