The New Website For Concerned Members and Supporters of WPFW, 89.3 FM, wpfwfm.org, jazz and justice radio in the nation's capital, Washington. Can WPFW modernize while remaining D.C.s jazz and justice station? Facebook gives people the power. Not mentioned was the fact that when WMAL management first announced it was dropping his show in 1979, the outcry in letters and phone calls was so overwhelming that the station kept him on the air with a public apology, including advertisements on Metro buses. We're funded by your subscriptions, your donations, advertising, and a generous grant from the Wyncote Foundation. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. they can be deemed national treasures. Music I had been employed as a union representative for a few years and decided to continue that career rather than jump into broadcasting full time. This website is an independent, community-owned media outlet with no organizational connection to WPFW or the Pacifica Radio Foundation. When a recent Sunday fell on the birthday of Nina Simone, Williams featured two hours of the pianist-vocalists recordings, from her heart-rending rendition of I Loves You, Porgy to the classically trained artists own compositions, including the sad, angry, rousing civil rights protest anthem, Mississippi Goddam., Among other highlights of Williams show are her tributes to Eva Cassidy, the legendary vocalist, born and raised in the Washington area, who died of cancer in 1996 at the age of 33. Douye' (pronounced Doe-Yay) has re-emerged as a very talented jazz singer on her impressive new recording Daddy Said So. In the early days, it was a cauldron, says WPFWs news director, Askia Muhammad, whos had several stints on staff and was an early programmer. There will be an 89.3 FM, there will be a product on these airwaves whether its Pacifica or its WPFW or whether its jazz and justice or whether its NPR liteI believe itll be something awesome, I hope it will. Great post! Torries at Wilson. Other programs that had been cut were offered their old slotspartially quelling the programming outrage. 202-588-0999 ext. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Ken Steiner came over from WGTB. Would you train me to be a DJ? He said, Yes. The top of this organization at this time has no interest for freedom and democracy and equality of people of color, Porter, then also the stations programming director, declared at the time. addy9275 = addy9275 + 'wpfw' + '.' + 'org'; Hopefully well meet again, but that may not be the case. Hughes thinks he knows the way to WPFWs future. Lee completed his legal studies and later became a federal judge. I grew up hearing Julie Andrews sing My Favorite Things, and singing it [myself] in choir. Vince Evans, Wes Biles, Jeff Neal, Lyle link and Dave Cole. New Engineer jobs added daily. His recounting of his times on air and the connections he made in the citys jazz community are the subject of an essay in the book DC Jazz: Stories of Jazz Music in Washington, DC. Congressman John Conyers (D-Mich.) had the debuts of our shows mentioned in the Congressional Record. WHUR veteran Robyn Holden also joined the family of volunteer announcers broadcasting jazz and blues. The show is now three hours. Coronavirus, Carry-out Critic Russonello notes the explosion of music on the internet and the change in listening habits through downloads and online music services. Washington soon got another phone call this time from Williams. But his solutionto professionalize the sound of WPFWs broadcast by bringing in more outside content, most of which he says would have been relatively cheapis tantamount to a resource-starved newspaper filling its pages with wire content: The quality will be high; the opportunity cost is the local charisma. (We had a very good relationship and very good conversations about radio, Hill says of his former boss. Mumble Sauce, About Us still broadcasts at 8 a.m., and now repeats most days at 5 p.m. By mid-decade the lineup included Bill McLaurin, Whitmore John, Steve Metalitz, Tim Masters, and later Candy Shannon. or call 202-588-0999 ext 344. Morris was the first musician I interviewed on the air. Nevertheless, in the early 2000s, the stations weekly cumulative numbers began to reach past 200,000. Stay tuned or visit our website anytime to support this totally listener sponsored station for jazz and justice! Beginning last week, listeners found mostly news and talk throughout the workday and jazz at night. var addy68494 = 'production' + '@'; var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; How people listen to music has changed dramatically. District Line Daily: Our news, politics, arts, food, and sports coverage in one email every weekday. In a press release, the year-old Programmers Association declared itself on the threshold of an Occupy type revolt The board voted to pursue mediation between the partiestalks that ended without resolution, and with Daughtry still out. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; Washington, DC, is fortunate to have WPFW still broadcasting the music with knowledgeable programmers. The university sold the license to C-SPAN to close a budget gap for $13 million. I was also working at WRC/NBC TV and sometimes WMAL-AM during those hours so I had many guest hosts sit in the air chair and spin their faves for that diverse listening audience including; Vincent Thomas, Wayne Tucker, Kahlil Wheaton and Sheila Eldridge from WHUR-FM, Art Cromwell, Tom Porter, Chip Donelson and sometimes Mr Black Fire Jimmy Gray. Williams said her appreciation of jazz began when listening as a kid to the records played by her father, a career Army soldier, at their home at Fort Dix, New Jersey. We view these changes as . This comprehensive, searchable directory covers He says the comments have ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous, and that hes even received some threats. var addy39617 = 'news' + '@'; Membership Department All inquiries regarding your membership (pledge gifts, tax statements, membership status) please email membership@wpfw.org. Hi Christine, you can buy the book here: https://www.amazon.com/DC-Jazz-Stories-Music-Washington/dp/1626165890, Your email address will not be published. As some music hosts heard last week that their programs were canceled or rescheduled, they had to decide what to play for the last time. The program was hosted, as it has been for the past 36 years, by longtime D.C. resident Miyuki Williams. or call 202-588-0999 ext 344. I have no idea where I got the nerve or the notion that I could do it, but at the next phone booth I got to, I called him and asked, Mr. He convinced the management of WGMS, the classical music station in Washington, that it should air jazz, Americas classical music. Privacy Policy var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; I helped to get the first shows on the air in July 1969. Its like CIA handbook, to neutralize the station. I was so addicted to PFW that I started listening 24/7, started volunteering phone duty and pledging my financial support. He eventually returned to WPFW, where hed been a programmer and a staffer beginning in the 1980s, and eventually became interim programming director. //--> Evidently I passed his hipness test because he asked me if I would take over his show. I thought that jazz should be played on as many stations as possible. Washington, are you serious? Miyuki Williams 48. Wpfw is part of the Broadcasting industry, and located in District of Columbia, United States. But only around 6 to 7 percent of its listeners donate each year, while nationwide in 2007 17 percent of public radio listeners gave to stations, according to an Arbitron report. It was serendipity that started my broadcasting career. Washington in turn showed me his collection of jazz and blues LPs. Bowsers Car-Centric Design Changes Have United Advocates Behind K Street Transitway Cuts, MPD Chief Robert Contee to Retire, Take FBI Job. Hughes allegedly suspended him indefinitely, instead of the customary two weeks; he then transferred Daughtry to another position, Daughtry says, and eliminated that job soon after. Soccer She related the conversation to her listeners on Sunday, leaving out the offending credit card language. Readers of our three print editions pick up more than 179,000 copies each month at more than 2,000 distribution sites. The next day, the stations call-in shows were flooded with upset listeners, many of whom threatened to stop giving to WPFW, which is almost entirely funded by donations. She was an incredible artist who was incited to become an activist because of the killing of four little girls in a Birmingham churchShe sacrificed for the greater good.. He spoke of his early years in West Virginia, playing piano in houses of prostitution as a teenager; hopping a freight train to Washington, DC, where he played professionally on U Street; meeting his wife, Mary, at a Hot Shoppe; his friendship with John Malachi and what a thrill it was to have Billy Eckstines band perform at the army camp in Louisiana where he was stationed in 1944; service in the Pacific. Rusty Hassans career in Washington, D.C., jazz radio spans four stations and more than five decades. I have been broadcasting jazz over the Washington airwaves almost continuously ever since. The charge of gentrification is so off-base, Hughes said, redirecting course. Unfortunately WDCU became a victim of the District of Columbias budget woes. Martin was asked to stick to music, he says, and contribute news to Morning Brew. The rest is Washington-area jazz, blues and pop-classics history. WGTB evolved into a free-form underground rock station while maintaining much of its jazz programming. Cant recall exactly how started listening. In a decade or two, when Internet radio comes standard in every new car, we might all be listening to the same jazz programming everywhere. . I agree. In 1983, just short of his thirtieth anniversary, the station dropped him permanently. She remembers listening for the first time to vibraphonist-band leader Lionel Hampton and singers Dinah Washington, Roy Hamilton and Frank Sinatra, among others. Mwiza Munthali 49. I served on a program selection panel with Dr. Billy Taylor, where we discovered we had some personal connections. Hughes argues that listeners vote with their dollars: If they liked the programming more, theyd give more. Photo courtesy of Miyuki Williams PRINT By Robert Friedman Posted on March 30, 2021 My favorite show, however, was with a retired letter carrier, cab driver, and pianist who played only for family and friends, my wife, Sondras, father. Recreating their efforts which led to the Fall 2010 drive being among the most successful in recent memory, 'PFW Programmers Association members Miyuki Williams, Robyn Holden and Katea Stitt again . The station officially went on the air in February 1977not with the traditional Star-Spangled Banner, but with Duke Ellingtons Take the A-Train.. All rights reserved. Once artists reach a certain level of proficiency at ceramic design, playing an instrument, painting, etc. document.getElementById('cloak26045').innerHTML = ''; document.getElementById('cloak68494').innerHTML = ''; All that amour aired on the aptly named A Sunday Kind of Love, the weekly noon to 2 p.m. program on Washingtons Pacifica Radio station. On Nov. 30, a few hours after General Manager John Hughes used a previously scheduled appearance on the air to defend the changeshe also apologized for the impolitic rolloutthat discontent spilled into the streets, with about a dozen programmers and listeners gathering outside to find out what, exactly, was happening to their station. Brother Ah, a jazz host and former compatriot of John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk, found out the day of his last show. Then consider the Beacon your resource for trustworthy information on health, money, technology and travel topics, as well as entertaining features, arts and events. The staff that are members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists had seen their pay cut by 50 percent; eventually Hughes restored them to three-quarters pay. The series is created in partnership with the Radio Preservation Task Force, an initiative of the Library of Congress. At Georgetown, meanwhile, WGTB was featuring a womens collective called Sophies Parlor and health advice from the Washington Free Clinic. 344VolunteersThis email address is being protected from spambots. He proceeded to miscue songs, start something then change his mind and play something else, and start a cut from the middle of the song. But in February 1977 when Von Martin played Take the A Train to open the WPFW-FM signal to the Washington airwaves, I opted to keep The New Thing Root Music Show on WAMU. He is currently a professor at American University. Muhammad, who says he doesnt think much of Smiley and West, is nevertheless optimistic. Its emotional, Hughes said. To check out how hip he was, I asked to see what he had. ), Near the end of her show, Williams played You Take My Breath Away by Tuck & Patti. But changes with programmers and talk shows started changing at PFW in a way that was confusing to many listeners. Wpfw Location 1990 K St NW Ste 14R, Washington, District of Columbia, 20006, United States Description Read More Industry Broadcasting Media & Internet Then again, even resolving the problems with Pacificas model wont change this: Consumption habits and media consolidation mean that radio is no longer a medium around which communities gather. For decades AM radio dominated the airwaves with Top 40 music programming, but there were also some commercial jazz shows, such as Felix Grants on WMAL-AM. I interviewed Albert Murray. W. Royal Stokes, a freelance writer for the Washington Post, had two shows. Once it finally launched, the largely black-oriented WPFW and its frequently Afrocentric take on public affairs stood out from the mostly white Pacifica leadership and its news-and-talk stations in Berkeley, Los Angeles, Houston, and New York City. It may have sounded crazy and desperatebut to many of the programmers of WPFW, so was the state in which they now found the station. Im most familiar with jazz, but I also love the blues. I was now on the air with my friends Jamal Muhammed, Tom Cole, Miyuki Williams, Larry Appelbaum, Hassan Ali, Nap Turner, and Askia Muhammad. Williams became a professional sound technician for film and won Academy Awards for Glory and Dances with Wolves. He is currently a professor at American University. document.getElementById('cloak29915').innerHTML += '' + addy29915+'<\/a>'; var addy_text25885 = 'membership' + '@' + 'wpfw' + '.' + 'org'; Is the WPFW community old? //