Radio Survivor

Dnipro-58 (Ukrainian: “Днiпро-58”)

Dnipro-58 (Ukrainian: “Днiпро-58”) radio set and record player radio factory in Dnшpropetrovsk, Ukraine (former USSR) in 1958. The set is named after #Dnieper - the biggest river of #Ukraine.

From the March, 1942 WQXR Program Guide: 

Irwin Edman, Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University and author of Philosopher’s Holiday, Fountainheads of Freedom, and other books, has on various occasions spoken over WQXR and is, as the following indicates, one of its devotees. Read his entire article here: p://wny.cc/18SJanR

I only realized last summer how much the schedule of WQXR had become what philosophers might call the frame of reference of my day. For I was in one of those “pockets” of the New England mountains where even the increased power of my beloved station did not enable its programs to reach me. Only a giant neighboring chain station came in and that —-! But I am writing about WQXR and of my discovery, during my excommunication from it, of how much it had got tangled into my being.

Radius highlights Episode 10: Harold Schellinx in the next episode re-broadcast on NUMBERS.FM. NUMBERS.FM is a new (media) online radio station for experimental musics, snd, audio arts, and other uncategorizable sonic events.

The program broadcasts Monday, November 04 at 8:03pm CST on NUMBERS.FM.

What can community sound like? 

The Mutual Musicians Foundation is where live jazz has had a home in Kansas City for over nine decades. With the “longest running jam session in the world” happening inside and many other nods to early 20th century Jazz culture, this organization is striving to keep their culture and history alive.  

Kansas City is home to a big part of jazz history. According to Anita Dixon—who is spearheading the Mutual Musicians Foundation’s radio project—Kansas City is credited with birthing the swing era and the ensuing three decades of the original art and music. Jazz is a huge part of the city’s history and yet, they still do not have a radio station to tell that story and preserve it.

“Kansas City, known for Count Basie and swing music… does NOT have a station that is dedicated to the music. It is outlandish! It’s ridiculous…to turn on a radio when [you] come to Kansas City and not hear the music that you came to hear, cause it’s just not there.” 

This is why there is a strong need for a community radio station in the city, not only just for the preservation of this rich culture and history, but for the opportunity to let it flourish.

The Mutual Musicians Foundation has been in operation for 93 years, and has been advocating for the city’s jazz heritage through events and public education. Innovative and effective, they held a ‘Pianothon’ fundraising event where they invited pianists from all over the nation to come to Kansas City and perform. It raised not only the profile of the organization, but $5,000 in contributions. Through these kind of events they’ve been able to expand their programmatic work, which in turn has benefited their community. One of their proudest impacts in the community has been supplying free music lessons to those who wouldn’t be able to afford them otherwise.

The Mutual Musician’s Foundation is also part of a grassroots network of organizations who are bringing mesh broadband networks to their community as well. They see the need for all aspects of the community to have access to information, dialogue and entertainment.  

The community that Mutual Musicians Foundations serves is comprised of many different cultures and backgrounds, even within the small radius that they plan on broadcasting in. The planned coverage area includes Vietnamese, African-American, Somalian, Laotian, and Hispanic communities, and the Foundation plans to provide programming as diverse as these neighborhoods. Once they are on the air, there are hopes for a variety of world music programs, educational talk shows for everyone, and definitely a program dedicated to local music from Kansas City.

Prometheus has been helping the Mutual Musician’s Foundation prepare to apply for a low power FM license so they can fill the cultural gap in Kansas City’s media landscape. What could your community do with its own radio station? 

Supporting Prometheus allows us to provide crucial technical and engineering expertise to groups who are taking advantage of the largest expansion of community radio in decades. Your donation today helps us get more groups through the application process. 

Please donate today! Our campaign closes on October 9 and we still have a ways to go. We can get there with your help. Thank you!