On April 16, the noncomMUSIC Alliance will host the first Public Radio Music Day. NPR member stations across the country will celebrate the special role that noncommercial stations play in the music world — on both the local and national level. Many are hosting on-air and online events, virtual studio sessions, appearances by special guests and more, so check out how your local public radio station is celebrating below:
WXPN
Philadelphia, pa.
You can view the complete scheduled programming for WXPN here. Some highlights:
WATCH:World Cafe will be livestreaming a "World Cafe Performance Film Festival" of past World Cafe performances, back-to-back, from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. ET.
WATCH: Check out interviews and live performances by local and national artists including Strand of Oaks and Natalie Prass on WXPN's Facebook Live, which will broadcast one session per hour starting at 12 p.m. ET.
ON-AIR: Tune in to a special segment featuring songs about the radio on World Cafe with host Raina Douris from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. ET. You can also listen to a playlist of those songs here.
WFUV
New York, n.Y.
WATCH: Steve Earle will perform via livestream at 7:00 p.m. ET.
ON-AIR: FUV Live will be airing past performances from Andrew Bird at City Winery at 1:00 p.m., The Lone Bellow at Rockwood Music Hall at 5:00 p.m.,Craig Finn at Rockwood Music Hallat 9:00 p.m. and Son Little at the Sheen Center at 11:00 p.m. (All times Eastern.)
KCRW
Los Angeles, Calif.
WATCH: Jamila Woods perform a live session recorded for KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic exclusively for Public Radio Music Day.
KEXP
Seattle, Wash.
ON-AIR: Throughout the day, KEXP will feature stories from listeners discussing the role of public radio during the COVID-19 outbreak, as well as testimonials from artists about the role public radio has played in their careers.
WRTI
Philadelphia, Pa.
WATCH: WRTI will share Live Sessions featuring saxophonist Teodross Avery and acclaimed Philadelphia jazz organist Lucas Brown.
ON-AIR: WRTI Classical and WRTI Jazz will be featuring local artists from the Philadelphia region.
Radio Milwaukee
Milwaukee, Wis.
You can view the complete scheduled programming for Radio Milwaukee here. Some highlights:
ON-AIR: Radio Milwaukee will be shuffling the deck on its regular programming, extending segments and airing sessions from its 12 years as a station.
Tune in for a city-wide singalong to Violent Femmes' "Blister in the Sun" at 6:00 p.m. CT.
90.9 The Bridge
Kansas City, Mo.
ON-AIR: The Bridge will be sharing a mixture of live sessions, interviews, specialty shows and artist takeovers throughout the day. Listen to a session with Lake Street Dive at 1:00 p.m. CT, an interview with Radiohead's Ed O'Brien at 5:00 p.m. CT, the World Cafe Public Radio Music Day special at 7:00 p.m. CT and more.
WMOT
Nashville, Tenn.
WATCH: Artist Sierra Hull will discuss the important role that public radio has played in her career.
Mountain Stage and West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Charleston, W.va.
WATCH: Singer and songwriter Joe Pug stopped by Mountain Stage for a performance in early March.
West Virginia Public Broadcasting will be airing Death Sex & Money's radio special about Bill Withers and John Prine at 8:00 p.m. ET.
The team behind Mountain Stage will be sharing some its favorite sets currently housed on the NPR Music page.
WFAE
Charlotte, N.c.
WATCH: Tune into a live Songversation with neo-soul singer Anthony Rodriguez from Soulganic and host Joni Deutsch at 12:00 p.m. ET.
Maine Public Radio
Lewiston, Maine
WATCH: In celebration of the Maine bicentennial, Duke Levine and Kevin Barry perform "Sam Brown Hill," a song written by Levine about one his favorite places in Maine, in an exclusive release for Public Radio Music Day.
KOSU
OKlahoma City, Okla.
ON-AIR: From 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. CT, KOSU will share mini-sets recorded from the home studios of more than a dozen local musicians.
NPR Live Sessions
WATCH: Gardens & Villa perform live with special guests from Foxygen and Pure Bathing at 5:30 p.m. ET.
About Local Public Radio Music Stations
In the United States, 734 public radio stations feature music as a primary or significant part of their formats, serving all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. Collectively, these stations reach 20.5 million listeners weekly, playing a variety of music formats including classical, jazz and adult album alternative. A recent noncomMUSIC Alliance report, "Connecting Through Music," details how public radio music stations are essential to the discovery of new music and emerging artists by making music more accessible for audiences with:
Local hosts and expert curation tailoring content to local audiences and the local music scene.
Live music performances in-studio and in communities so fans can experience music firsthand.
Music journalism and news that help artists promote their music and concerts to build audiences.
Multiple platforms — on-air, online, on stage, podcasts and video — providing listeners with convenient, engaging listening experiences.
Educational and cultural programming, providing context and analysis of music, songwriters, composers and performers.
About the noncomMUSIC Alliance
The noncomMUSIC Alliance celebrates local, nonprofit public radio's role in connecting artists with the communities that enjoy and support their music. Established in 2018, the Alliance currently has nearly 150 locally-owned and operated partner public radio music stations united by their shared values of music discovery, curation, preservation, performance and community. To learn more about the noncomMUSIC Alliance, please visit noncomMUSIC.org.
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