Hughes looked haggard as he stepped out of the studioweathered, unshaven. But an on-air discussion with the director Topper Carew had a major impact on my broadcasting career. Last decade, it began broadcasting some hip-hop with the Decipher programs. But changes with programmers and talk shows started changing at PFW in a way that was confusing to many listeners. Muhammad, who says he doesnt think much of Smiley and West, is nevertheless optimistic. 360, This email address is being protected from spambots. I know things must change. W. Royal Stokes, a freelance writer for the Washington Post, had two shows. This ones my complaint: You cant remain a station serving underserved communities, as WPFW professes to do, if your programming mostly reflects the whims of your more monied listeners. DC Jazz: Stories of Jazz Music in Washington, DC, The university sold the license to C-SPAN, wrote about jazz radio finding itself at an existential crossroads, How a Chicana-run community radio station changed the cultural soundscape of public broadcasting, https://www.amazon.com/DC-Jazz-Stories-Music-Washington/dp/1626165890. He eventually returned to WPFW, where hed been a programmer and a staffer beginning in the 1980s, and eventually became interim programming director. In the Washington Post on August 22, 1986, Jeffrey Yorke did a short profile of Felix Grant and also listed other jazz radio shows. 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. The discontent returned last fall with a song. Jimmy Gray did Black Fire, where he would tell stories though the music and rarely announce what he played. Hughes, who is 61, has insisted in interviews and on the air that his proposed changes arent just in keeping with the stations progressive, alternative ethos; theyre about rescuing it. And their listeners and their loyal supporters are still here. 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. The programs on WDCU were included along with Paul Anthonys on WGMS. The decade of the nineties was one of friendly rivalry between WDCU and WPFW. While WPFWs new programming is simpler to comprehend, perhaps less jarring from program to program, its also less diverseno Haitian show, no Brazilian show, no feminist show. Today's Playlist var addy29915 = 'sjoyner' + '@'; PFW PA Sells Out WPFW's 35th In A Week. Lead By Robyn Holden - Newswire Currently, Miyuki lives in Washington, DC. Jerry Washington would mix in philosophical and political commentary, discussions about what went down at the barbershop, and laments about fights he had with his girlfriend, Denise. Whats different, this time, is that the tensions between Pacificas white, Berkeley-style liberalism and WPFWs historically black focus have manifested themselves in the programming gridaffecting what the station presents publicly to listenerswhile earlier controversies largely involved behind-the-scenes power plays. Just one editorial note; Spirits Known and Unknown preceded S,C&M. Tom Porter, the host of Jazz and Justice, got the call a night before his final Monday-afternoon program. WGTB evolved into a free-form underground rock station while maintaining much of its jazz programming. Lee completed his legal studies and later became a federal judge. Father Timothy Healey, president of the university, sold the license to the University of the District of Columbia for one dollar. The 1990s were PFWs best years. See photos, tips, similar places specials, and more at Voiron Distribution Automobile Click here to see the 2023 Seniors' Resource Guide. 202-588-0999 ext. There was some community opposition to the sale, but not enough to stop the sale, and the station went off the air in 1997. A DJ looks back on 50 years on jazz radio in the nation's capital DC. The Cranky Redskins Fans Guide to Dan Snyder. What, no book? WE THANK: Environmental Justice Health Alliance, which advocates for communities that are disproportionately impacted by toxic chemicals from legacy contamination, ongoing exposure to polluting facilities and health-harming chemicals in household products. Miyuki Williams, a host at WPFW-89.3FM, Washington's "Jazz and Justice" public radio station, proudly related that anecdote Sunday. The white left doesnt think they have a black problem, says Muhammad. I feel fortunate that I am still on the air attempting to educate and entertain listeners with the music I first heard on the radio as a kid. John Hughes has caused us to be on the brink of disaster, said Katea Stitt, one of WPFWs 12 paid staffers as well as a volunteer programmer. We are 89.3 in Washington, DC. 360 Development Director 202-588-0999 ext. 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. WPFW Washington, 89.3 MHz FM blues jazz news Rating: 5.0 Reviews: 7 WPFW is the voice for alternative programming in the Washington metropolitan area. Facebook gives people the power. Your email address will not be published. Nevertheless, in the early 2000s, the stations weekly cumulative numbers began to reach past 200,000. Volunteer Coordinator Vincent Jack vjack@wpfw.org 202-588-0999 ext. Von Martin, Charlie D. I miss D Gator, Nap, Ambrose I Lane, Hodari, Gloria Minnot and so many others. Washington in turn showed me his collection of jazz and blues LPs. Torries at Wilson. 1888PressRelease) March 01, 2012 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 mobilized the more than 150 volunteer DJ's in the intricate 'Buddy System' The objective is to create effective on-air pairings of programmers to 'pitch' together . Where is the book. Many staffers and programmers say WPFWs outlier status in Pacificaand its string of short-tenured, foundation-appointed general managers, some of whom have tried to change its cultureresults from a kind of racism. The station officially went on the air in February 1977not with the traditional Star-Spangled Banner, but with Duke Ellingtons Take the A-Train.. Sometime next year, 2390 Champlain St. NW is slated to be demolishedand although Hughes says its close, WPFW still hasnt locked down a new home. The dispute that has inflamed purists is over how it should change, and how gently, and when. "Y'all are doingreallocal D.C. Stokes would later edit Jazz Times and publish four books on the music. Jerry shifted the focus of the Saturday afternoon show to the blues and created a persona that was a brilliant mix of fantasy with a dose of reality that he called the Bama. In African American parlance, a bama is someone from the country, unsophisticated in city ways and very likely to wear overalls. Before Williams went on the air, she was told by Hughes that she had jeopardized the financial future of WPFW, she says, by appearing on another program several days earlier and telling listeners to withhold their credit card information as part of protest pledges. Hockey 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. Wpfw Location 1990 K St NW Ste 14R, Washington, District of Columbia, 20006, United States Description Read More Industry Broadcasting Media & Internet Performance/Dance A part of WPFW died over the weekend - The Washington Post We view these changes as . Maybe youre listening to a local radio broadcast over the air, or maybe youre listening to a station from another city (or country) over the Internet. document.getElementById('cloak9275').innerHTML = ''; Amina Claudine Myers, Plowed Fields, Tom Porter, Jazz and Justice: A DJ looks back on 50 years on jazz radio in the nations capital. Another programmer on the station was a Georgetown student named Ken Steiner, who got hooked on jazz while attending a Duke Ellington concert on campus and later became an Ellington scholar. But even then, because fundraising covered only a fraction of the costs and Pacificas bylaws wouldnt let stations accept any kind of corporate underwriting, the foundation footed some of the bill for years. It held weekly jazz performances at St. Margarets Episcopal Church on Connecticut Avenue, featuring such artists as Shirley Horn, Andrew White, Paul Hawkins, and Byron Morris. Join Miyuki Williams today at 12 PM EST on #893FM for another edition of Sunday Kind of Love as she continues to celebrate International Women's Month with her special guests Dr. Ysaye Barnwell & Maxine Roach. Morning Brew, a new program led by Muhammad, precedes it from 6 to 8 a.m. with news and some music. His program on WPFW, however, focused more on blues vocals than jazz instrumentals, and soon he was singing at live performances. The Airing of Grievances - Washington City Paper Building a better world one broadcast at a time and in the community. Were not traveling audience from one program to the next.. Miyuki Williams Profiles | Facebook Much of its aging, analog equipment wont survive the move, Hughes says, but he says that with a stripped down set-up, the station wont need to suspend live programming. She remembers listening for the first time to vibraphonist-band leader Lionel Hampton and singers Dinah Washington, Roy Hamilton and Frank Sinatra, among others. This email address is being protected from spambots. I call it the gentrification of WPFW, says Tony Regusters, a former general manager whose Sounds of Brasil program was axed, of the new changes. Jazz was politics; politics was jazz. Cease and desist right now.. addy9275 = addy9275 + 'wpfw' + '.' + 'org'; We don't have one. His family spokesman said that the famed artist and activist succumbed to complications from congestive heart failure at his home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Gear Prudence Later, there was soul programmer Bobby Bennett, a survivor of the old WOL-AM. I had been offered the slot but opted to continue my weekly show, now called Jazz Sunday. Check here as more shows are scheduled. Josh Shepperd, assistant professor of media studies at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., and national research director of the RPTF, is Faculty Curator of the Rewind series. Theres a whole universe of them. Miyuki Williams has been working as a Host of A Sunday Kind of Love at Wpfw for 8 years.
Over the next few years other WDCU programmers joined me on WPFW, including Faunee Williams, Candy Shannon, Steve Hoffman, and Tim Masters. ), Near the end of her show, Williams played You Take My Breath Away by Tuck & Patti. Whoops! Great post! Then consider the Beacon your resource for trustworthy information on health, money, technology and travel topics, as well as entertaining features, arts and events. wpfw wpfw 89.3fm-pacifica radio "wpfw the kulcha shak wpfw-fm business matters with andy shallal Wpfw Global Presence Search All Employees Key Employees of Wpfw Askia Muhammad News Director Phone Email Ma Minott On Saturday, there are mostly soul and oldies programs; on Sunday, mostly jazz, Latin music, and reggae. Daughtry was filling in on a Saturday for soul DJ Andrea Bray, and played Marvin Youre the Man by the jazzy hip-hop act Digable Planets, which contains the word shit, an obscenity that could have lead to an FCC fine. The charge of gentrification is so off-base, Hughes said, redirecting course. Mumble Sauce, About Us There were the commentaries of Communist activist Dorothy Healey; the feminist and lesbian program Sophies Parlor; analysis from pro-ayatollah Iranian-Americans during the 1979 hostage crisis. How people listen to music has changed dramatically. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. In 2002, while acting as general manager at Pacificas WBAI in New York, Daughtry was axed during a foundation board meeting broadcast on all five stations; he sued Pacifica and settled. After Dr. Taylor became artistic director for the jazz program at the Kennedy Center, he did a show for NPR in which his trio would perform with an artist such as Jackie McLean and discuss the guests career between musical performances. For now, Hughes plans remain half-realized. Its listenership is aging and dwindling, its ledger red, and its lease is about to expire. D.C.'s queen of Sunday jazz for 36 years - NewsBreak In 2010, Pacifica unsuccessfully attempted to force Daughtry out, burning through two WPFW general managers in the process. //