Holiday cash to burn? These community + public radio stations need your support
There are many organizations and causes that need your money if you have holiday cash or remaining budget to give, especially considering our current political environment. But one you might have not thought of (or you did and that’s why you’re reading this) is community and public radio stations.
These organizations are purveyors of culture, art, news, and community. For the sake of relevancy, we’re focusing specifically on music programs in this article. However, it’s important to note that community and public radio professionals also curate and spread new and impactful ideas, creators, and stories we‘d’ never learn about from mainstream news.
We love community and public radio at A Song A Day. Several of our curators find much of the music they curate from these stations and their shows. Their DJs are largely responsible for influencing our deep passion for music discovery. Many of our curators also are or have been college and community radio DJs themselves. I personally like to think of A Song A Day as small-dose digital community radio, in a way.
All that to say, radio has played such a huge role in our musical lives that we wanted to show some love to the stations that have made an impact on us. You’ll find just a few of our favorite stations below. If you want to dig deeper, here’s a fairly comprehensive list of resources we use for discovery!
1. WFMU in New York
A favorite among myself, our Acoustic Singer-Songwriters curator, Adisa, and our Punk curator, Jesse (industrialest8). WFMU is independent freeform radio broadcasting at 91.1 fm in New York and 90.1 fm in the Hudson Valley. Adisa said, “I’ve volunteered for them in that past and they’re great people. And thanks to them, I got to fangirl to Jessica Pratt and help out at her show. S/o to any JP admirers out there!”
I’ve gotten into the habit of listening to the archives of Jeff Conklin’s show, The Avant Ghetto show on Monday mornings to ease into the week and discover some obscure goodies for my lo-fi/garage/psych listeners.
2. KXT 91.7FM in North Texas
Our Denton, TX-based Indie Rock curator, Becky and our Indie Folk curator, Tiffiny Costello who used to live in Texas both said that they love KTX. KTX 91.7 FM is one of the public broadcasting stations operated by North Texas Public Broadcasting, a not-for-profit media network that also includes KERA 90.1 FM, KERA TV, KERA WORLD and Art&Seek.
According to their website, KXT began broadcasting in November 2009 and has a Triple-A (Adult Album Alternative) music format with a mix of acoustic, alt-country, indie rock, alternative and world music.
3. KUTX 98.9 FM in Austin, Texas
Our Country curator, ColbyAngusBlack who’s originally from Austin says KUTX is his favorite. According to their website, “KUTX 98.9 FM features more local music than any station in Austin, as well as diverse selections from around the globe. The result is programming that reflects Austin’s creative spirit and diverse tastes.”
4. Freeform Portland KFFP-LP 90.3 FM in Portland, OR
Punk curator Jesse also said he digs Freeform Portland KFFP-LP 90.3 FM. I recently heard about this station as well, and since I’m moving to Portland in February (!!), I’m looking forward to digging in!
The website says, “Freeform Portland KFFP-LP 90.3 FM is run by a dedicated group of music enthusiasts and DJs from Portland, Oregon. We’re local volunteers who want to reclaim some portion of our airwaves from corporate control.”
5. KDHX 88.1 FM in St Louis, MO
Our Dream Pop curator, Matthew Ström says that his true love is KDHX. I don’t know how his girlfriend feels about that, but it’s hard to not appreciate his passion. The website says, “The Folk School, The Stage, the Magnolia Café, KDHX.org, and 88.1 FM all work together to form a thriving and well-rounded arts destination committed to building community through media.”
6. KEXP 90.3 FM in Seattle, WA
This list would not be complete without KEXP, the station that has been forming most of our tastes in all things indie music since 1972. Well, I wasn’t alive then but KEXP has played a formative role in my love for music. Specifically, Cheryl Waters and “The Mid Day Show” are go-tos.
Classical and Indie Smash curator, Janet Choi also named KEXP as one of her favs. KEXP is an affiliate of the University of Washington and a 501©3 non-profit arts organization.
7. WMNF 88.5AM in Tampa, FL
I’d be remiss to leave out my hometown community radio station, WMNF in the Tampa Bay area. I’m from St. Petersburg, FL and relied on WMNF for a musical journey across genres and cultures for years. I’m grateful and proud to come from a community in the south that actually supports and promotes diversity in all ways and WMNF has played a huge role in that.
The site says, “WMNF is a listener-supported community radio station that celebrates cultural diversity and is committed to equality, peace and economic justice. We provide broadcasts and other forums with a grassroots local emphasis, that promote creative, musical and political vitality.”
8. WNYC 93.9 FM and AM 820 in New York, NY
New York is a cultural hot bed and WNYC is the gateway to all things NYC culture. WNYC 93.9 FM and AM 820 are New York’s flagship public radio stations, broadcasting the finest programs from NPR, American Public Media, Public Radio International and the BBC World Service, as well as a wide range of award-winning local programming.
9. KCRW in Los Angeles, CA
KCRW is another personal favorite, especially the “Morning Becomes Eclectic” show with Jason Bentley. But I really do love most of their shows. The site says, “a community service of Santa Monica College, KCRW creates and curates a unique mix of content centered around music discovery, NPR news, cultural exploration and informed public affairs.”
10. KCMP 89.3 The Current in St. Paul, MN
Alternative Rock curator Bryan Strang said, “They played every Prince song in alphabetical order after he died. They have town hall meetings to vote on songs they’re going to play. They have a whole substation exclusively dedicated to Minnesota music but still play so much of it on the regular one… anyway, a lot, as you see.”
11. BFF.fm in San Francisco, CA
Our friends at BFF.fm are great people obsessed with music and community. Our Modern Eclectic curator, Laura Gluhanich sometimes appears as guest DJ with friends Simon and Ben on “Eclectic Kettle,” which has been a curation go-to for me several times.
The site says, “Best Frequencies Forever is a San Francisco-based community radio station run by a volunteer staff of music nerds who love independent music and are hell-bent on delivering awesome radio programming.”
12. Newtown Radio in Brooklyn, NY
Newtown Radio is a Brooklyn-based internet radio station dedicated to sharing the great music that the neighborhoods around Newtown Creek — Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Bushwick, Long Island City, Ridgewood. It’s definitely a staple in the community.
13. Song Exploder (podcast)
So this isn’t a radio station but several of our curators are obsessed with the Song Exploder podcast, and rightfully so. Based in Los Angeles, host Hrishikesh Hirway has musicians take apart their songs, and piece by piece, tell the story of how they were made. And he edits himself out entirely.
His guests have spanned genres and backgrounds and have included heavy hitters like U2, DJ Shadow, and Iggy Pop, as well as indie darlings such as Angel Olsen, Sylvan Esso, and Tune-Yards. I had the pleasure of attending a Q&A with Hrishikesh and was truly inspired by his passion. It’s a must-listen for any music nerd, artist or not.
14. A Song A Day
Ok, I’m cheating again but surely, you saw this coming. ;) As mentioned, I see the future of A Song A Day as community radio for the digital age. We are almost entirely bootstrapped along with some funds raised through crowdfunding last year that we’re still running on. However, we’re starting to run out of those funds. We’re still on a path to monetizing eventually but we need to work out some product kinks first.
To help us keep going (without me going totally broke), we ask that you consider donating. Your donations will go to software expenses and perks for curators and our new intern, joining in January! Of course, we’ll be eternally grateful for your generosity! Donate today.
Last words
This list is in no way comprehensive. There are thousands of incredible community, college, and public radio stations across the globe. If you have a favorite, please share them with us so we can check them out and give them some love!
