Dan Rigney - Development & Communications at The Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus
From booking bands on campus to keeping guns off them.
L-R: Andy Pelosi, Executive Director; Dan Rigney, Development & Communications; Naomi Eyassu, Marketing Associate (Photo by Russ Rowland)
By: Eric Davidson
When I met Dan Rigney at the CAP Summit last December in DC, I felt I’d met a kindred spirit. Not only was he involved in the gun violence prevention movement as Development and Communications Consultant at The Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus, but he originally started out in the college radio arena. Having been a college radio DJ myself, I wondered what spurred Rigney into his current passion for gun violence prevention.
You can check our recent podcast interview with Andy Pelosi, Executive Director of Keep Guns off Campus, to get the full picture of The Campaign’s goals. For today, we’ll roll down Dan Rigney’s rocky road to gun violence prevention.
So how did you first get involved with college radio at the University of Buffalo?
College radio was the club I sought out right away when I began my freshman year at UB, as radio had been so much a part of my world growing up. In my house, the radio was always on… I moved to the greater NYC area in 1977 when I was 12, in time for the blackout, the riots, and the Ramones… The big change though was when someone turned us on to somewhat harder to tune in stations like college stalwarts WNYU and WFDU, LIU’s WCWP (then CW Post University), and the maverick commercial station WLIR. That's when the music thing really hit.
The notion of participating in a college radio station became a goal when I got to SUNY Buffalo. I fell in with quite a bunch, including a few who ended up forming the band Mercury Rev. I continued in grad school at SUNY Binghamton’s student-run WHRW-FM, and later moved back to Buffalo and landed at WBFO, SUNY Buffalo’s NPR News & Jazz station.
What was the influence of the station on the local Buffalo scene, as far as wattage and getting involved in the community?
UB’s station, WRUB AM, was a great cast of characters itself, but had the quirk of being a 640am carrier wire station. The signal was only broadcast through the electrical wiring, so you could only receive it within twenty feet of a dormitory wall. Signal quality certainly left something to be desired, however the static and distortion was great for punk shows.
The big college radio station up there was WBNY, run out of Buffalo State College. They had had a full power 100 watt FM license since ‘82 and were being run by Tom Calderone who ended up at VH-1 and Spotify. He was one of the founders of what would later be known as the “Alternative Radio” commercial format of the ‘90’s and early ‘00’s — a format he was experimenting with at WBNY in the ‘80’s. Where WRUB was essentially free form, we saw WBNY as almost commercial. However, they were dedicated to supporting local bands which at that time included Ani DiFranco and an upstart hardcore band called the Goo Goo Dolls.
At WRUB, we knew we had something special, but since no one could really hear us anyway, we could do what we wanted. So we did. It also helped that UB had a much bigger concert budget than Buffalo State, and folks running the concert board had come from our little group of weirdos. We had R.E.M., the Ramones, Trouble Funk, Peter Gabriel, and Lou Reed headlining our big concerts; then in our cafeteria you would see Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper, the Chameleons, Camper Van Beethoven, Bad Brains, Suzanne Vega, Butthole Surfers, and more.
Fun fact, Buffalo’s arena show scene up there was controlled by a production company called “Harvey and Corky Presents.” “Harvey” was the infamous serial sexual harasser Harvey Weinstein. None of us wanted any part of that.
There was a key moment in time that changed us. In 1985, the university shut our station’s operations down for what they said would be a year in order to move our organization from a student union that was being converted into a building for the med school’s expansion to a space on the newer sprawling suburban Amhert campus in a huge dorm known as the Ellicott Complex. Those of us on the Music Committee were the only ones who stuck it out, knowing the school would zero the budget out completely if we didn't somehow keep the fires burning. We were eight people who would gather regularly to receive and log in the newest records to place in our growing library and then report weekly ‘playlists’ (even though we were not actually in operation) to trade publications like Billboard and CMJ. These weekly meetings became a place for conversation and “have you heard this” conversations between all of us music nerds.
At the same time, New York State raised the drinking age from 19 to 21 completely changing the landscape for music shows and student life. We were then inspired by another Buffalonian — Tony Billoni (Off Beat Cinema) and his ‘How To Have Fun Productions’ who had started to produce all-ages events, bringing indie bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Cure to town. We had an a-ha moment when someone decided that if the nine of us pooled our funds, we could put on shows as well from lesser known acts. So we did.
We looked up phone numbers printed on the backs of record albums and put on a number of shows from 1986-88 that included guitarist Snakefinger, the Subterranians, Mod Fun, Game Theory, Das Damen, the Rheostatics, Aussie band Died Pretty, and even Sonic Youth came twice…. I myself rose to Programming Director at the station and was there when the university turned us back on in 1987.
After graduation, I entered a masters program at SUNY Binghamton where my younger brother had been attending as an undergrad and had become involved in their FM station, WHRW. Naturally I joined as a DJ as well… I spent two years there and graduated in early 1992 with a Masters in English and a lot more radio, some concerts, and new friends.
Among my classmates at the time were two terrific grad students — one on a teaching track, and the other a very talented poet — Abbey and Brian Clements. Many here will know Abbey went on to become a 4th grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School, survived the tragedy, and is now the Executive Director of Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence.
I decided to return to Buffalo where I knew it was cheap, and I could continue more creative pursuits in UB’s English and Media Study departments. In the course of this return, I started volunteering at SUNY Buffalo’s other radio station. WBFO 88.7 FM, a charter NPR station that had been there at NPR’s founding. It was also the station All Things Considered was born in concept during a time of race riots in the ‘70’s, and Fresh Air’s Terry Gross’ first radio station.
I managed to somehow convince the station to sponsor me for a two-year graduate assistantship which gave me full tuition to continue graduate work, while working as a programming assistant, and also pulled some hourly work telemarketing in the development department.
I also learned a little about community. My Saturday shift followed something called WBFO’s Salsa Program, an English language DJ’d show playing salsa, merengue, and other Latin music forms. The two hosts had a thing they called “Salsa Greetings” where folks could call in and send a shout out to friends and family who might be listening… At the time it was the only Latinx radio program in Buffalo, so those greetings held that community together and gave them an incredible outlet to express their presence and their pride. It was an incredible thing to witness, and I’ve never forgotten it.
I learned the nonprofit ropes at that station. Any community/nonprofit/NPR station teaches a valuable lesson in how to sing for your supper. Nothing happens without the fund drive, and then calling folks following the drive to send in their pledges. I did both on-air pitching to the audience and one-on-one phone work, connecting directly with the donors and listening to what the station meant to them personally.
That was my last radio gig for a long time, but through the station I got involved in two arts nonprofits, including Hallwalls — an alternative arts org founded by Cindy Sherman, Robert Longo, and others in the ‘70’s — where I was both a Development Associate and a Music Director booking avant garde jazz.
After WBFO, I did not return to the radio until 2017 when I was hired to run WJFF Radio Catskill. Getting hired at WJFF was a dream gig for me. I had been away from radio for many years, but I knew its power as a community connector and Radio Catskill was all that in a nutshell. The station happened to be looking for someone who not only knew something about radio, but also fundraising and development as they were looking to move out of an outmoded, hand-built facility they had occupied for nearly 30 years.
The region we served — primarily New York’s Sullivan County — is the poorest county in the state, is ground zero for the opioid epidemic in the state, and had been in terrible economic shape since it’s heyday as the home of some of the best know Borscht Belt hotels. I spent three years there and fell in love with Sullivan County while doing our best to bring as wide a range of their region's voices to our airwaves.
From then on it was always about working in a nonprofit and building community. In 1997 I left Buffalo to move back home to the tristate area and was hired by Andy Pelosi for what was supposed to be a three week community organizing job for Council of Senior Centers and Services, but ended up being almost 10 years working in development for them. I moved to the East Williamsburg/Bushwick section of Brooklyn in 2000, stayed for seven years
When did you move to Beacon, NY?
I married my wife, Kat Stoutenborough, in 2005, and shortly after we became parents to a daughter, Pen… We decided on Beacon as my family was all in the Hudson Valley, so it was a good support network…
So it was kind of a natural progression for you from radio and arts programming into nonprofit development?
I have worked for many nonprofits with hands in development, communications, and event organizing. It started at WBFO-FM, Hallwalls, and Squeaky Wheel in Buffalo, then nine and half years at the Council Of Senior Centers and Services of NYC, which connected and advocated for the 365 senior citizen congregate meal centers and Meals on Wheels programs across all five boroughs.
I learned a lot about organizing then, originally under the tutelage of my current boss, Andy Pelosi. I was originally hired by Andy to help bring seniors from every one of the 51 city council districts down to lower Manhattan for a lobby day with their city council members. Wasn’t hard to get people excited to say their peace who had demonstrated for unions most of their lives. It was a hell of a way to learn about city politics, about five boroughs worth of city neighborhoods, and even some history.
One of our board members at the time had marched as a girl in suffragette rallies, while our founder, Elly Guggenheimer, among many other things, had helped in 1970 to finally get women admitted into the men’s-only political hotbed that was McSorley’s Irish Pub on the Lower East Side.
After that I worked for a slew of nonprofits including Meals On Wheels Association of America (commuting for a year to DC), SUNY New Paltz, Citymeals-On Wheels, and was even a volunteer president of BeaconArts here in Beacon, NY, before finally coming back to radio in 2017 at WJFF.
When did The Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus come into your picture? I assume their direct association with universities and campuses was an obvious connection.
My job at WJFF ended in 2020 in the midst of the pandemic. A call to Andy was the first one I made to see if he knew of anyone looking for development help. His response was, “I am, Let’s talk.” It went from there. I was certainly aware of the issue, both through my association with Andy and again, the connection with Abbey and Brian Clements. That’s kind of how my career goes — I have a tendency to follow unexpected connections.
What about The Campaign interested you? Do you have a personal connection to a gun violence incident; or was it general activism against the gun lobby and our gun problem that inspired you?
Andy’s commitment to the issue always inspired me, and then learning I had a friend who had a direct experience with a school shooting gave me pause. I had known Abbey as an eager graduate student who couldn’t wait to get into the classroom — then to have that classroom be a space for such a horrific experience of violence is still haunting. I have a kid myself who is now 18 and attending college, so the issue is even more personal. And as I have continued on with The Campaign and met more and more of the network, the cause has really seeped in. I feel like we are working on one of the defining issues of our time.
What are your general duties for The Campaign?
I work with Andy on his fundraising efforts, his benefit events, newsletters, and social media. I have also helped him write grants and manage efforts to court more major donors.
What are some recent Keep Guns… actions that you would like to highlight?
Right now we are seeing guns on campus proposals making their way through at least four state legislatures already this year — Iowa, Kentucky, Arizona, and Florida. Last year we fought in seven states — winning in six — so this list may grow.
What I really admire about The Campaign’s approach is how Andy allows each state’s advocates to come together as a community, tailoring their response to the needs of their particular state. Andy gives them the tools they need to lead the fight themselves, rather than going in and telling everyone “follow me.” It’s a strategy that empowers people and helps make deeper connections with the networks, shoring them up for long haul battles, as the gun lobby never seems to go away.
We are also excited about working on refreshing our sister website, ArmedCampuses.org, which details each individual state’s regulation, or lack thereof, of guns on campus. Currently over 20 states allow firearms on campus — from having them in cars in their parking lots, and in some cases even in their dorm rooms. With colleges and universities already on alert for assaults, intimate partner issues, student mental heath, and even suicide risk, state legislatures forcing guns on campus seems like a deadly addition to that mix.
Are you still in touch with old friends from the college station years, and are they supportive of your gun violence prevention advocacy?
Many of my long-time acquaintances are definitely supportive. One of my friends from all the way back to my WRUB days now lives in Highland Park, IL, and the 2022 mass shooting took place around the corner from his house. That made it pretty personal for him.
Well thanks for your time.
Thanks for the opportunity to talk and for all the great work you're doing at GVPedia. I think we are all in agreement that the more clear light we can spread on the devastating and measurable impacts of gun violence in America, the better we will be able to fight for saner gun laws.
Eric Davidson is Senior Editor at Armed With Reason. His first book, We Never Learn, has recently been reissued in an Expanded Edition.
Photo courtesy of Dan Rigney.