KEXP
Encyclopedia
KEXP-FM is a public radio station
based in Seattle, Washington
, that specializes in alternative
and indie rock
programmed by its disc jockey
s. Its broadcasting license is owned by the University of Washington
, which operates the station in a partnership with Paul Allen
's Experience Music Project
. The station was formerly operated under the call letters KCMU.
For the majority of its schedule, KEXP broadcasts a mix of primarily alternative rock
. The station also features weekly speciality programs dedicated to particular musical genres, including rockabilly
, blues
, world music
, hip hop
, electronica
, punk
, and alternative country
. Live, in-studio performances by artists are also regularly featured.
KEXP is broadcast in the Seattle area on 90.3 FM
; on the Internet
via streaming audio
; and on Intelsat
's Galaxy 18
satellite.
KEXP's streaming costs are covered by the University of Washington (UW), which also provides most of the Internet technology used by the station. KEXP is often a testing ground for the university’s Computing and Communications department, leading to features not found by other stations. In addition, music licensing fees associated with internet radio are covered by the station's affiliation with National Public Radio. The association and financial help by these two organizations have allowed KEXP to experiment with its online offerings. The station is located at 113 Dexter Avenue, on the corner of Denny Way.
undergraduates John Kean, Cliff Noonan, Victoria ("Tory") Fiedler, and Brent Wilcox. KUOW-FM
(94.9), then an instructional radio station, now an NPR affiliate, had recently made some cutbacks that had removed most opportunities for student involvement in the station. The four students convinced the Communications Department to provide space and a tiny budget with which they bought "turntable
s, tape cartridges, and a few other items like plywood
." They built their own console cabinets, successfully petitioned the UW and the FCC
for a frequency and a license, and ultimately raised their own antenna. The 10-watt
signal "barely reached the Ave
" (the commercial heart of Seattle's University District
).
In 1972, the station started operations as KCMU, a small album rock station staffed by University of Washington
students that broadcast at 90.5 FM to the UW campus. (The "CMU" in its call letters referred to the abbreviation of the campus's Communications Building, the station's home.)
In 1975, its signal strength was boosted to 182 Watts, carrying the signal off campus for the first time.
In 1981, under the direction of Jon Kertzer, KCMU turned to its listening audience for public funding after the UW's budget was cut. KCMU played mostly indie rock
but also was the first station to play rap artists like Grandmaster Flash
. Throughout the late 1980s, the station tapped into Seattle's burgeoning music scene. Members of local bands Soundgarden
and Mudhoney worked as volunteer DJs as did both Jonathan Poneman and Bruce Pavitt, the founders of Sub-Pop. During these years, Billboard Magazine called KCMU "one of the most influential commercial-free stations in the country."
From 1983–1985, Kerry Loewen (former station manager at KFJC
) was station manager.
In late 1985 Chris Knab, who co-founded the record label 415 Records
and was a former owner of Aquarius Records
in San Francisco,sold his interest in 415 Records and became KCMU's station manager. Mr. Knab moved the station away from alternative rock-only programming, adding jazz, hip hop, world music and other genres to its lineup.
In 1986, KCMU switched frequencies to 90.3 FM and upped its transmitter signal to 400 watts, increasing its broadcast radius to 15 miles.
In 1992, KCMU dropped many of its volunteer DJs and elected to run syndicated programming. Some listeners and DJs considered this a betrayal of KCMU's democratic mission, and formed a group called CURSE (Censorship Undermines Radio Station Ethics). A program called World Cafe
, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, was a particular bone of contention.
CURSE encouraged local KCMU supporters to stop donating money to the station in protest. Volunteer DJs who criticized the station's policies were fired, although a lawsuit from CURSE resulted in that policy being struck down by a United States District Court
. World Cafe was dropped from KCMU's lineup in 1993, but none of the fired volunteer staff returned to the station.
KCMU hired its three full-time paid DJs in 1996, a move that cost several volunteer DJs and led to further complaints from some listeners who decried what they perceived as commercialization of the non-commercial radio station.
In 2000, KCMU started streaming
128 kilobyte
per second mp3
compressed
audio over the Internet 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This made KCMU the first station in the world to offer online audio of this quality.
KCMU then moved from its long-time home in the Communications Bldg (CMU) to Kane Hall, at the University of Washington
.
In 2001, KCMU was recalled KEXP. At the same time, it moved to a new studio near downtown Seattle (which it broadcasts from rent free), partnered with the Experience Music Project
(EMP), and increased its power to 720 watts.
The kexp.org website was nominated for two Webby Awards in 2003, Best Radio Website and the People's Voice Award.
In 2004, KEXP started broadcasting on KXOT 91.7 FM in Tacoma, Washington
, which extended the station's broadcast range to Olympia
and the south Puget Sound region. Before then, KXOT was known as KBTC, was owned by Bates Technical College
, and featured a classic rock
format. Bates sold the station to Public Radio Capital for $5 million, and PRC leases it to KEXP.
As of 2005, the station has construction permits to increase the power of KEXP 90.3 FM from 720 watts to 3,300 W effective radiated power
, and KXOT from 7,900 W to 39,000 W.
KEXP began podcast
ing their live, in-studio performances beginning with Seattle hip hop
trio Boom Bap Project
who appeared on 21 July 2005.
On 3 November 2005, KEXP announced it was terminating operation of KXOT 91.7 FM at the end of the calendar year. The agreement made with EMP in 2001 is set to expire, and the radio station is preparing to support increased operating costs with a smaller budget.
On 10 March 2006, KEXP increased the power of its terrestrial frequency to 4,700 W effective radiated power. The signal is radiated in a cardioid
pattern.
In May 2006, "KEXP’s Audioasis local music program announced a 'community partnership' initiative 'designed to create connections between KEXP listeners and deserving local charities.' The hope is that these connections will result in an increase in awareness of the mission and work of local organizations and the impact they have on the larger community."
's public radio station, WNYE
, part of NYC Media Group
, was planning to overhaul their programming, moving to an all music format. The plans, detailed in a February 11, 2008 press release, are to partner with KEXP, and move to a simulcast and music format branded as "Radio Liberation." Many public radio insiders believe that NYC Media Group
intended to cast off the "public" and "non-commercial" aspects of WNYE and present itself as a commercial formatted station.
On 24 March 2008, KEXP DJ John Richards
' (a.k.a., John in the Morning) broadcast was heard on 91.5 FM in New York City for the first time as part of Radio Liberation. Radio Liberation is the collaboration between KEXP and Radio New York (91.5 FM) to introduce NY listeners to more independent music. The collaboration aimed to simulcast one part of KEXP’s original broadcasting and three originally produced programs. John Richards’ morning show is the only program that will be simulcast on the dial in both Seattle and NYC. The other programs (Wake Up, Music That Matters, and Mo’Glo) will be produced specifically for Radio New York, but not available to Seattle or online listeners.
According to the Radio Liberation microsite, “this partnership makes it possible for KEXP to reach another 14 million terrestrial listeners in New York.” KEXP has a long-standing relationship with New York, broadcasting live from there a couple times a year. In addition to information about the project, the microsite includes a list of NY concert events, Song of the Day Podcasts, and album reviews.
Additionally, "beginning this June, John Richards will split time between Seattle and New York, broadcasting his show live from both locations throughout the year."
John Richards, who frequently creates playlists based on themes opened the first Radio Liberation broadcast with the following songs:
Pixies “Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf)” (his self professed favorite band)
Harvey Danger
“Pike St./Park Slope” (Seattle band singing about Seattle and Brooklyn)
Death Cab for Cutie
“Marching Bands of Manhattan” (NYC reference)
s (page reloading unnecessary) and live streaming radio, KEXP's website includes an archive of all programs from the last two weeks as well as a massive collection of previous on-air live performances http://kexp.org/aspnet_client/live.asp. The performers in the collection are representative of the station's eclectic musical mix. These include national and international artists such as Patti Smith
, Jimmie Dale Gilmore
, and They Might Be Giants
and local Pacific Northwest
artists such as Harvey Danger
, The Long Winters
, and Maktub
.
KEXP's website was the first site on the Internet to offer a 128 kbit/s, high-quality stream of live radio. Innovations such as the high-quality stream helped KEXP's website to win a Webby Award for best radio website in 2004. It had been nominated for the same award in 2003 but failed to win.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
based in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, that specializes in alternative
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
and indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
programmed by its disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
s. Its broadcasting license is owned by the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
, which operates the station in a partnership with Paul Allen
Paul Allen
Paul Gardner Allen is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. Allen co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates...
's Experience Music Project
Experience Music Project
The EMP Museum is a museum dedicated to the history and exploration of both popular music and science fiction located in Seattle, Washington...
. The station was formerly operated under the call letters KCMU.
For the majority of its schedule, KEXP broadcasts a mix of primarily alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
. The station also features weekly speciality programs dedicated to particular musical genres, including rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
, hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
, punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, and alternative country
Alternative country
Alternative country is a loosely defined sub-genre of country music, which includes acts that differ significantly in style from mainstream or pop country music...
. Live, in-studio performances by artists are also regularly featured.
KEXP is broadcast in the Seattle area on 90.3 FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
; on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
via streaming audio
Streaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider.The term "presented" is used in this article in a general sense that includes audio or video playback. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather...
; and on Intelsat
Intelsat
Intelsat, Ltd. is a communications satellite services provider.Originally formed as International Telecommunications Satellite Organization , it was—from 1964 to 2001—an intergovernmental consortium owning and managing a constellation of communications satellites providing international broadcast...
's Galaxy 18
Galaxy 18
Galaxy 18 is a Space Systems/Loral 1300-series hybrid communications satellite owned by Intelsat and located in geosynchronous orbit at 123° W longitude, serving the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, and Canada with 24 C-band, and 24 Ku band transponders...
satellite.
KEXP's streaming costs are covered by the University of Washington (UW), which also provides most of the Internet technology used by the station. KEXP is often a testing ground for the university’s Computing and Communications department, leading to features not found by other stations. In addition, music licensing fees associated with internet radio are covered by the station's affiliation with National Public Radio. The association and financial help by these two organizations have allowed KEXP to experiment with its online offerings. The station is located at 113 Dexter Avenue, on the corner of Denny Way.
History
Groundwork for the station that would eventually become KEXP began in 1971, started by University of WashingtonUniversity of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
undergraduates John Kean, Cliff Noonan, Victoria ("Tory") Fiedler, and Brent Wilcox. KUOW-FM
KUOW-FM
KUOW-FM 94.9 is a National Public Radio affiliate radio station in Seattle, Washington. It is a top-ranked radio station in the Seattle/Tacoma media market...
(94.9), then an instructional radio station, now an NPR affiliate, had recently made some cutbacks that had removed most opportunities for student involvement in the station. The four students convinced the Communications Department to provide space and a tiny budget with which they bought "turntable
Phonograph
The phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...
s, tape cartridges, and a few other items like plywood
Plywood
Plywood is a type of manufactured timber made from thin sheets of wood veneer. It is one of the most widely used wood products. It is flexible, inexpensive, workable, re-usable, and can usually be locally manufactured...
." They built their own console cabinets, successfully petitioned the UW and the FCC
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
for a frequency and a license, and ultimately raised their own antenna. The 10-watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
signal "barely reached the Ave
The Ave
University Way NE, colloquially The Ave , is the commercial heart of the University District and the off-campus extension of the University of Washington in Seattle. Once "a department store eight blocks long," The Ave has gradually turned into what now resembles an eight-block-long global food...
" (the commercial heart of Seattle's University District
University District, Seattle, Washington
The University District is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, so named because the main campus of the University of Washington is located there. The UW moved in two years after the area was annexed to Seattle, while much of the area was still clear cut forest or stump farmland...
).
In 1972, the station started operations as KCMU, a small album rock station staffed by University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
students that broadcast at 90.5 FM to the UW campus. (The "CMU" in its call letters referred to the abbreviation of the campus's Communications Building, the station's home.)
In 1975, its signal strength was boosted to 182 Watts, carrying the signal off campus for the first time.
In 1981, under the direction of Jon Kertzer, KCMU turned to its listening audience for public funding after the UW's budget was cut. KCMU played mostly indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
but also was the first station to play rap artists like Grandmaster Flash
Grandmaster Flash
Joseph Saddler better known as King Grandmaster Flash, is an American hip hop musician and DJ; one of the pioneers of hip-hop DJing, cutting, and mixing....
. Throughout the late 1980s, the station tapped into Seattle's burgeoning music scene. Members of local bands Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
and Mudhoney worked as volunteer DJs as did both Jonathan Poneman and Bruce Pavitt, the founders of Sub-Pop. During these years, Billboard Magazine called KCMU "one of the most influential commercial-free stations in the country."
From 1983–1985, Kerry Loewen (former station manager at KFJC
KFJC
KFJC is a non-commercial college radio station in Los Altos Hills, California at Foothill College, using an Variety radio format that features a broad spectrum of music styles and public affairs programming. KFJC's broadcast is 24/7 in the San Francisco Bay Area...
) was station manager.
415 Records
415 Records was a San Francisco record label created in 1978. The label focused its efforts on local punk rock and new wave music acts of the late 1970s through the late 1980s, including The Offs, The Nuns, Romeo Void, and Wire Train...
and was a former owner of Aquarius Records
Aquarius Records (store)
Aquarius Records is an independent record store and the oldest record store of any sort in San Francisco, California, established in 1970. Aquarius is known for carrying an obscure selection of psychedelia, metal, and world music, and has an extensive mail order catalog. The store's selection is...
in San Francisco,sold his interest in 415 Records and became KCMU's station manager. Mr. Knab moved the station away from alternative rock-only programming, adding jazz, hip hop, world music and other genres to its lineup.
In 1986, KCMU switched frequencies to 90.3 FM and upped its transmitter signal to 400 watts, increasing its broadcast radius to 15 miles.
In 1992, KCMU dropped many of its volunteer DJs and elected to run syndicated programming. Some listeners and DJs considered this a betrayal of KCMU's democratic mission, and formed a group called CURSE (Censorship Undermines Radio Station Ethics). A program called World Cafe
World Cafe
World Cafe is a two-hour long, nationally syndicated music radio program that originates from WXPN, a non-commercial station licensed to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The program began in 1991 and was originally distributed by Public Radio...
, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, was a particular bone of contention.
CURSE encouraged local KCMU supporters to stop donating money to the station in protest. Volunteer DJs who criticized the station's policies were fired, although a lawsuit from CURSE resulted in that policy being struck down by a United States District Court
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
. World Cafe was dropped from KCMU's lineup in 1993, but none of the fired volunteer staff returned to the station.
KCMU hired its three full-time paid DJs in 1996, a move that cost several volunteer DJs and led to further complaints from some listeners who decried what they perceived as commercialization of the non-commercial radio station.
In 2000, KCMU started streaming
Streaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider.The term "presented" is used in this article in a general sense that includes audio or video playback. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather...
128 kilobyte
Kilobyte
The kilobyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Although the prefix kilo- means 1000, the term kilobyte and symbol KB have historically been used to refer to either 1024 bytes or 1000 bytes, dependent upon context, in the fields of computer science and information...
per second mp3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
compressed
Lossy data compression
In information technology, "lossy" compression is a data encoding method that compresses data by discarding some of it. The procedure aims to minimize the amount of data that need to be held, handled, and/or transmitted by a computer...
audio over the Internet 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This made KCMU the first station in the world to offer online audio of this quality.
KCMU then moved from its long-time home in the Communications Bldg (CMU) to Kane Hall, at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
.
In 2001, KCMU was recalled KEXP. At the same time, it moved to a new studio near downtown Seattle (which it broadcasts from rent free), partnered with the Experience Music Project
Experience Music Project
The EMP Museum is a museum dedicated to the history and exploration of both popular music and science fiction located in Seattle, Washington...
(EMP), and increased its power to 720 watts.
The kexp.org website was nominated for two Webby Awards in 2003, Best Radio Website and the People's Voice Award.
In 2004, KEXP started broadcasting on KXOT 91.7 FM in Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
, which extended the station's broadcast range to Olympia
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
and the south Puget Sound region. Before then, KXOT was known as KBTC, was owned by Bates Technical College
Bates Technical College
Bates Technical College, located in Tacoma, Washington, is the state’s largest public technical college. Accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, it offers two-year Associate of Technology degrees, academic certificates, and industry certifications, and maintains...
, and featured a classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
format. Bates sold the station to Public Radio Capital for $5 million, and PRC leases it to KEXP.
As of 2005, the station has construction permits to increase the power of KEXP 90.3 FM from 720 watts to 3,300 W effective radiated power
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
, and KXOT from 7,900 W to 39,000 W.
KEXP began podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
ing their live, in-studio performances beginning with Seattle hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
trio Boom Bap Project
Boom Bap Project
Boom Bap Project is an underground hip hop group formed in Seattle, Washington, currently signed to Rhymesayers record label. The group recently relocated to the San Francisco Bay area after lifetimes spent in the Pacific Northwest. The group's core members are Karim, DJ Scene, and Destro. Karim, a...
who appeared on 21 July 2005.
On 3 November 2005, KEXP announced it was terminating operation of KXOT 91.7 FM at the end of the calendar year. The agreement made with EMP in 2001 is set to expire, and the radio station is preparing to support increased operating costs with a smaller budget.
On 10 March 2006, KEXP increased the power of its terrestrial frequency to 4,700 W effective radiated power. The signal is radiated in a cardioid
Cardioid
A cardioid is a plane curve traced by a point on the perimeter of a circle that is rolling around a fixed circle of the same radius. It is therefore a type of limaçon and can also be defined as an epicycloid having a single cusp...
pattern.
In May 2006, "KEXP’s Audioasis local music program announced a 'community partnership' initiative 'designed to create connections between KEXP listeners and deserving local charities.' The hope is that these connections will result in an increase in awareness of the mission and work of local organizations and the impact they have on the larger community."
Joint venture with WNYE--Radio Liberation
In August 2007, New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's public radio station, WNYE
WNYE (FM)
- History :WNYE is operated by the NYC Media Group, a division of the City of the New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications. The program started out as a high-frequency AM station in 1938, switching to 42.1 MHz FM in 1942. In 1946, it moved to 91.7 MHz, in a new FM...
, part of NYC Media Group
NYC Media Group
NYC Media is the radio, television, and online media network of the City of New York. It oversees four public television channels, two public radio services, and an Internet video on demand service....
, was planning to overhaul their programming, moving to an all music format. The plans, detailed in a February 11, 2008 press release, are to partner with KEXP, and move to a simulcast and music format branded as "Radio Liberation." Many public radio insiders believe that NYC Media Group
NYC Media Group
NYC Media is the radio, television, and online media network of the City of New York. It oversees four public television channels, two public radio services, and an Internet video on demand service....
intended to cast off the "public" and "non-commercial" aspects of WNYE and present itself as a commercial formatted station.
On 24 March 2008, KEXP DJ John Richards
John Richards (disc jockey)
John Richards is an American radio personality. He is the host and producer of The Morning Show and Audioasis on 90.3 FM KEXP Seattle, Washington. He is also KEXP’s associate program director and is referred to on air as "John in the Morning" which was composed as the intro song for The Morning Show...
' (a.k.a., John in the Morning) broadcast was heard on 91.5 FM in New York City for the first time as part of Radio Liberation. Radio Liberation is the collaboration between KEXP and Radio New York (91.5 FM) to introduce NY listeners to more independent music. The collaboration aimed to simulcast one part of KEXP’s original broadcasting and three originally produced programs. John Richards’ morning show is the only program that will be simulcast on the dial in both Seattle and NYC. The other programs (Wake Up, Music That Matters, and Mo’Glo) will be produced specifically for Radio New York, but not available to Seattle or online listeners.
According to the Radio Liberation microsite, “this partnership makes it possible for KEXP to reach another 14 million terrestrial listeners in New York.” KEXP has a long-standing relationship with New York, broadcasting live from there a couple times a year. In addition to information about the project, the microsite includes a list of NY concert events, Song of the Day Podcasts, and album reviews.
Additionally, "beginning this June, John Richards will split time between Seattle and New York, broadcasting his show live from both locations throughout the year."
John Richards, who frequently creates playlists based on themes opened the first Radio Liberation broadcast with the following songs:
Pixies “Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf)” (his self professed favorite band)
Harvey Danger
Harvey Danger
Harvey Danger was an American indie rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1993, and rose to prominence in 1998 with the single "Flagpole Sitta." On August 29, 2009, the band played its final show at the Crocodile Cafe in Seattle....
“Pike St./Park Slope” (Seattle band singing about Seattle and Brooklyn)
Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie is an American alternative rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. The band consists of Ben Gibbard , Chris Walla , Nick Harmer and Jason McGerr ....
“Marching Bands of Manhattan” (NYC reference)
Website
In addition to features such as dynamic playlistPlaylist
In its most general form, a playlist is simply a list of songs. They can be played in sequential or shuffled order. The term has several specialized meanings in the realms of radio broadcasting and personal computers.-In radio:...
s (page reloading unnecessary) and live streaming radio, KEXP's website includes an archive of all programs from the last two weeks as well as a massive collection of previous on-air live performances http://kexp.org/aspnet_client/live.asp. The performers in the collection are representative of the station's eclectic musical mix. These include national and international artists such as Patti Smith
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
, Jimmie Dale Gilmore
Jimmie Dale Gilmore
Jimmie Dale Gilmore is a country singer, songwriter, actor, recording artist and producer, currently living in Austin, Texas.-Biography:...
, and They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...
and local Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
artists such as Harvey Danger
Harvey Danger
Harvey Danger was an American indie rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1993, and rose to prominence in 1998 with the single "Flagpole Sitta." On August 29, 2009, the band played its final show at the Crocodile Cafe in Seattle....
, The Long Winters
The Long Winters
The Long Winters is an American indie rock band based in Seattle, Washington.-Early history:Singer-songwriter John Roderick was born in Seattle, Washington, and grew up in Anchorage, Alaska. He later returned to Seattle, formed the Bun Family Players and the The Western State Hurricanes...
, and Maktub
Maktub
Maktub is a Seattle, Washington-based music group formed in the late 1990s that combines elements of hip-hop, rhythm and blues, soul, and funk, with a sprinkling of jazz and rock.-History:...
.
KEXP's website was the first site on the Internet to offer a 128 kbit/s, high-quality stream of live radio. Innovations such as the high-quality stream helped KEXP's website to win a Webby Award for best radio website in 2004. It had been nominated for the same award in 2003 but failed to win.