After months of uncertainty, the Cape and Islands radio station will be moving to a new location outside Woods Hole, although it will be staying within Falmouth.
According to a joint release with GBH, the station’s owner, CAI is set to move into a building owned by the Cape Symphony by the fall. The new location, about four miles away from the station’s current location, is an approximately 2,000-square-foot space accessing the Newton Wing of the Cape Symphony Conservatory building.
GBH notes that the space is newly renovated and is easy to access, with parking and gathering space for public events.
The announcement of the move caps off a contentious few months as listeners, including Islanders, rallied to keep the station in its historic location on Water Street in Woods Hole.
The station currently works from the Captain Davis house in Falmouth, which GBH announced in October it was selling to a private resident. GBH president Susan Goldberg said at the time that the local station was operating at a loss, and proceeds from the sale would go to continuing its journalism.
After a backlash, the Woods Hole Community Association launched a fundraising campaign within a week to make a counteroffer. While they did manage to buy the Captain Davis house at $1.8 million, thanks to 350 different donors, GBH held onto its plans to move out.
There is still disappointment in the community that GBH did not keep CAI at the Davis House; the Community Association had offered five years rent-free at the location, according to officials with the nonprofit.
“I am very sorry that GBH has decided to move them, but I look forward to GBH fulfilling their commitment to continuing the strong local news, information, and programming that has made CAI such a beloved asset to the community,” Catherine Bumpus, Woods Hole Community Association president, told The Times on Tuesday.
Goldberg said in the statement that she is looking forward to the move to Falmouth. “This investment in CAI’s local journalism keeps the station embedded in the community it serves while opening doors for it to welcome that community in with events and partnerships,” she added.
The station will continue its programming without interruption during its move, the release notes.
