Program Director Georgia Dillane programming@wkcr.org
Director of Operations Ben Erdmann operations@wkcr.org
Student Life Director Teddy Wyche studentlife@wkcr.org
Publicity Director Tanvi Krishnamurthy publicity@wkcr.org
Business Manager Casey Lamb business@wkcr.org
Jazz Heads
Rachel Smith & Stephen Park jazz@wkcr.org
New Music Head
Vivien Sweet newmusic@wkcr.org
Classical Head
Melisa Nehrozoglu classical@wkcr.org
American Head
Stephen Dames american@wkcr.org
In All Languages Head
Alma Avgar Shohamy ial@wkcr.org
Latin Head
Natalie Najar latin@wkcr.org
News & Arts Head
Macy Hanzlik-Barend news@wkcr.org
Sports Head
Isabelle Fishbein sports@wkcr.org
Dear Listeners,
It is my distinct honor and privilege to write to you one final time before my term as Station Manager comes to a close. Leadership at WKCR is very much an act of stewardship, as each group is tasked yearly with guiding and protecting the station with the understanding that they will hand it off to the next group better than when they started. Turnover is good. Sometimes things need to change a little bit in order to stay the same. I have as much pride for what the last year has been as I have optimism for the future. The station is in good hands.
Moving to our airwaves, the month ahead appears to hold just as much promise as the year. We will pay homage to our dear Phil Schaap, whose presence and legacy at WKCR cannot be quantified, on February 2nd. Additionally, per usual, we will celebrate the dazzling life and career of Nina Simone, a broadcast I personally look forward to every year with great anticipation.
However, that’s not all that’s happening this month. In this guide, you will find many writings from our former Station Manager and current On Air Editor and Librarian Ale Díaz-Pizarro. Read about Mexico City radio on page 4, hear from our American Head Stephen on page 8, and also take a stab at our most recent iteration of the WKCRossword Puzzle on page 22. You can also view a poster masterminded by our Publicity Director Tanvi Krishnamurthy on page 11, featuring all of WKCR’s special broadcasts from 2024.
Here’s to another wonderful month on the best spot on the dial and to another wonderful year on 89.9.
Peace and love,
Ted Schmiedeler Station Manager
Cover art of Nina Simone by McCartney Garb.
FEATURE PIECE
SHome Radio Dispatch: Mexico City
by Ale Díaz-Pizarro
omeone recently asked me what music I’ve been listening to. Aside from the new Bad Bunny—which is excellent—I was surprised to find that I didn’t have many other answers. That’s not to say the first month of the year, which I spent mostly in Mexico City, has gone by in silence: rather, I was listening to the radio.
Working at WKCR whets your appetite for radio, but it also heightens your expectations for it. And the Mexico City radio ecosystem, nostalgically overpopulated with 80s hits and 2010s pop, is inoffensive if a little stale. There are a few exceptions, namely “El club de los Beatles,” a bizarre show that plays all Beatles, from all eras, with little commentary, and that only airs at the crack of dawn or very late night, despite the station that transmits it billing itself as “the home of the Beatles” and tweeting mostly Paul McCartney-related things—a show weird and idiosyncratic enough to be interesting. By and large, however, tuning into Mexico City radio is like plugging into my dad’s iPod: nothing on there is bad, but it doesn’t exactly stretch my musical horizons.
Three years ago, however, my mother had given me a recommendation when she understood that what I did at WKCR was
something more than peddling Scorpions and Foreigner: “You should try listening to Reactor 105.7. That was, like, the station for cool kids when we were growing up. Those guys are weird.” In my brief sojourns in Mexico City since then, coming home from college in December and May, I had tried to heed her advice, and had found something closer to KCR there: a noon program on the history of rock and roll offered me the first time I had ever heard a blues artist (Robert Johnson, if memory serves) anywhere on the Mexican airwaves. However, the afternoon hosts seemed to me grating and selfobsessed, and I joked that I finally understood what could possess a person to call or send an email complaining about a host rather than just switch to a different station. But this stay was different: I was in Mexico City not just to recharge before the new semester, but to finish trawling the archives for my thesis. That meant long, early drives to beat the traffic in crossing the mammoth city, and it meant insular days, spent in silence and alone in dusty rooms. The last thing I wanted in the hours in between was to sit in my car and listen to my own music, to stay in my own head—so, I thought, why not give Reactor another try?
Reactor 105.7 FM is housed at the Mexican
My car radio tuned into Reactor 105.7 FM.
Institute of Radio (IMER), a federal public radio organism with 23 stations around the country. As per its own website, Reactor is the IMER station “dedicated to young people and rock,” but it also has programs on reggae, hip hop, talk, and the city’s only dedicated LGBTQ+ radio program. Though it has dedicated shows, Reactor’s shows are by and large freeform and give their DJs complete freedom of structure— yielding moments such as Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” blasting right before a review of the children’s movie Paddington 3, a story about Gucci Mane’s wife investing his money while he was in prison, or an early-morning array of hard metal interspersed with bad jokes told by the hosts. “What eats rocks and can fly?” “What?” “A flying rock-eater.” Cue the facemelting guitars again.
Listening to Reactor, I was reminded of what former WKCR Program Director Sam Seliger ('24) says about what it means to be a radio DJ: your responsibility is to know what your listeners will want, even if they don’t know that they want it yet. Channeling Sam and challenging myself, I made the resolution not to turn the dial, and just roll with whatever the Reactor DJs had in store. Not all of it was good, of course—a five-minute stint of Mexican reggae followed by local hip hop was especially painful—but it was interesting, and my resolution proved easier to fulfill than I anticipated: I didn’t feel like turning the dial at all. Sure, when something was bad, I wanted to not hear it, but not more than I wanted to know what was coming next. Listening to the radio is an exercise in suspense as much as it is one in trust.
Having been behind the microphone many times myself, I intimately know how radio shows can come together in the moment, how a theme you didn’t anticipate might rear its head in a happy coincidence. Many of my shows have started off as collections of miscellany from the WKCR library and ended up being about Soviet classical pianists, about folk music’s tackling of diversity in the American project, about Cecil Taylor as a uniting figure… Perhaps that attuned me to how these shows,
too, came together: some with blunt force— like the radio DJ who solicited of her listeners songs with the word “automatic” somewhere in the lyrics, title, album, artist, or concept— and others more fortuitously, as DJs hit a stride or as listener requests shaped the show into something different. The same DJs who were interspersing hardcore rock with childish jokes asked, many mic breaks later, “What happens when you throw a rock in the air directly over your head?” “What?” “The flying rock-eater eats it.” The callback was so simple, so spontaneous, that I burst out laughing in the car. Sure, it would have been funny alone, but it was funnier having heard the earlier joke— having allowed a whole show to form itself around it.
That was my main takeaway from my days spent with Reactor: a radio show’s ability to create a community, a moment of genuine interaction. A flying rock-eater podcast bit, rewindable and relistenable, wouldn’t have had the same effect, the same you had to be there quality of radio. I heard hosts greet listeners, bicker with them, make fun of them, praise their musical picks. If it initially struck me just how often the hosts gave out the station WhatsApp number and asked listeners to Tweet at them (after all, we don’t do that at WKCR), it grew less salient as I witnessed the listeners become an element of the broadcast, their song requests and comments like building blocks for the DJs to work with. At WKCR, where hypercurated shows are our bread and butter, I had fallen into the habit of seeing listener calls as a sidebar, perhaps taking Sam’s aphorism to a tyrannical extent. The philosophy here was different: listener calls were not an addition to the show but an integral part of it, and hearing DJs work a program out of that was an experience of discovery.
So, on my last day of driving in Mexico City, when the flying rock-eater hosts played “R&B” by English Teacher as one of the best records of the year and it made me think of Habibi’s “In My Dreams,” I didn’t keep it to myself, but decided to jump into the fray. After all, I had an opinion too—that the English Teacher
release had been alright, but that Dreamachine hit all the same spots and better—and I was also a radio DJ, so why not weigh in? For the first time, I was grateful for Mexico City’s ridiculously long red lights, scrambling to find the WhatsApp number (which it seemed like they’d mentioned at every mic break except the one I needed) and draft a text in between what were frankly unsafe driving practices. Finally, a few blocks away from my destination, I had a message: “Hi y’all, I’m also a radio DJ in New York and you’ve been the best discovery of my mornings in the CDMX traffic. That English teacher tune reminded me of “In My Dreams” by Habibi, from another one of the best records from last year. If you have time, it’d be dope to hear it.”
A few minutes later, I pulled into the driveway of my destination, right as their song was ending. Hopeful, I turned the car off and sat inside. Then, the voice of the hosts came on… “We just got a very cool greeting, from a colleague…” They read my message and then expressed how happy it made them to hear from a fellow radio DJ, how important it is to hear others in the business and support them, and how honored they were to know that another DJ was listening, finding their work meaningful and important. They never did play my song, but the connection was electrifying. So often we hear that radio is a dying medium, and so often it is countered by platitudes about radio’s spontaneity, its quality of connection, its moral superiority over the algorithm. I’m a regular offender of this rhetoric during WKCR fundraisers, mostly because these platitudes seem to be directed to a listener: I do WKCR because I want to and I think my shows are cool, but you should listen because… Being on the other side of the speaker, however, was cleansing, a salve for what radio is really all about, the connections and moments it fosters. I was not listening to music by myself—the city was listening with me. And when I sent in my message, the city heard a moment of radio solidarity as well. As we become increasingly atomized, tuned into our A.I. DJs (which are, in no uncertain terms, akin to a musical antichrist)
and the same rotation of songs on streaming, the act of being engaged with radio as a present listener feels radical. But to the vast majority of the commuters I was sharing an airwave with, it wasn’t radical but an everyday act—to get some company on the way to work and outsource the work of picking your tunes. Still, the significance is there: to listen to radio is to share, to participate in something communal at a time where individualistic consumption is the name of the game. When the next WKCR fundraiser asks me to think again about why radio is important, it will frankly be my time as a listener at Reactor, more than as a host at WKCR, that shapes my answer.
None of this subtracts from the fact that to be a radio DJ is a unique position and responsibility. Perhaps that is why, later that same day, I opened my Instagram to find a follow request from one of the DJs whom I’d sent a greeting to that morning. There had been a flicker of recognition, of familiarity, of kindred: regardless of whether we play the same things or not—I’d be hard-pressed to believe they’d find a spot for opera or arcane American folk on there—we believed in the same things, upheld the same things, were a community unto ourselves. What a privilege, and a duty, it is to be a steward at WKCR. And if I was surprised that they’d taken the time to find me, perhaps I shouldn’t have been, because I knew where to find them as well: on Twitter at @flyingrockeater. Not really, of course—but hey, I’m in on that joke now too.
Ale is the longtime host of Saturday Night at the Opera, Saturdays 9:00 PM-12:30 AM. She is also a semiregular host of Hobo's Lullaby, Saturdays 4:00-6:00 PM.
MEET A MEMBER
SStephen, Over Soup
by Ale Díaz-Pizarro
tephen Dames is the American Department Head at WKCR, a programmer since Fall 2021, the regular host of the Saturday afternoon blues show Something Inside Of Me— and my roommate, not to mention my dear friend. The start of our friendship is intertwined with our start at WKCR: we met while on the WKCR Record Crawl of our freshman fall, and the rest has been history.
This interview took place in the kitchen of our small apartment, overhead-lit and overlooking Riverside. To set the scene, imagine us at a shitty dorm-furniture table, Stephen recovering from a bout of the flu, with two steaming bowls of homemade matzo ball soup in front of us. In a faithful audio transcript of our interview, every few sentences would be punctuated with a pause to sip from the spoon. From the fridge, a small magnetic puppet of Freud—Stephen's subject of study outside WKCR—watches over us. Our floor lamps are on, and the space beyond us is warmly lit.
Iguess we can start with all the housekeeping things, like—well, I know who you are. You do.
So, Stephen, how did you join WKCR? It was the first thing I joined when I came to Columbia. I went to the initial meeting on the lawns. I met Red [Stein, former Director of Operations & Engineering], I met Mac [Waters (‘22), former Program Director]. And then I met Sam Seliger, who you know. He was kind of my first friend at Columbia, who was this sort of ghost who haunted the station and
programmed every single American show. [At the time, Sam was American Department Head.] And I went on the WKCR record crawl, where I met you for the first time. And then, you know, I got licensed. After I failed my first exam, I got licensed. And then Sam was kind of like, “Please do American shows.” And I was like, “Yeah, wonderful.” So that's what I did.
Yeah, famously, you failed the first licensing exam. I remember how big of a deal this was in freshman year.
Both the practical and the written.
I thought you just failed the written? No, I failed both. I bet I couldn't pass the practical today.
So why American? Was it just because Sam Seliger said so?
Well, this was also the type of music that I not even necessarily like most, but feel most comfortable working with and probably have the most knowledge with. So freshman and sophomore year I programmed Night Train. I love soul, I love funk, and I also really loved this stay-up-all-night experience. And then sophomore and senior year I've been programming the blues, which I also really love. I program shows in a number of departments, but I've only regularly ever programmed a show in American because I've never felt quite comfortable enough to regularly do a different show.
So why did you go for American Head?
I feel like there's a good answer to this. I feel like there's an inspirational answer for this.
But, honestly, because I felt like I could do a decent job. You know, I loved just being a programmer, and maybe I would have even loved just being a programmer more than being on the board. But it feels a little selfish, almost like you actually should help the station run if you care about it. Even if it's maybe not the most fun thing in the world, it's kind of just a good thing to do. And also I wanted—I want— the quality of American shows to be high, and I care about that.
You say you've been primarily a programmer,
and that you would have almost been happier with that; I think that's different from a lot of these interviews we've done with folks who are longstanding board members or on the executive board. One of the questions that we always ask them is: what are you proudest of in your time at KCR? And I think that you might give a different sort of answer.
There are a few shows I've done that are probably the proudest I've been of things I've done. Especially in the course of my time doing Something Inside Of Me, the blues show, I've done a lot of themed shows that I think have been pretty good. I am proud, essentially, of the programming I’ve done, both because I think it's good, and I think other people will like it, and because, just for myself, it grows what I like. It grows what I listen to, what I'm exposed to, it expands what my interests are, and it teaches me things. But, honestly, just the week-to-week show is what I carry. I mean, in the end, that's what people are listening to, right? I signed up to be at a radio station, and that is what radio is for.
We've often had this conversation—often over beers, often featuring Sam Seliger—about how American is kind of the best department at KCR. And you've said that part of you unironically believes that. So I'm gonna ask you to elaborate on that a bit.
I mean, look: I think there are arguments to be made that every department has really special things going on, but in certain ways, I think American features a really great diversity of shows. Every single American show is vastly different from every other one, and I think
Stephen Dames. Portrait by McCartney Garb.
they take a specific knowledge of a genre, of a period. And honestly, I find American shows really fun. I really love the people who listen and call in to them. I love their titles. I love the theme songs. And I also think we have a really great library to draw from in American, which we don't for every department. So yeah, I would be happy programming any American show. And that's probably not the case with any other department. And, I mean, jazz is very special: there's a great history with Latin too. But WKCR American, even if you're leaving aside hip hop—which has its own, crazy history at KCR and is a subset of American—I find each show genuinely wonderful in its own way, with its own history, audience, and impact.
I don't want to ask you the things that are always asked, like what are you doing after graduation? Or what will you miss the most about KCR? Because I think what someone will miss about KCR is almost always the thing they've talked about during the interview, and so often the response just ends up being "the people."
That's actually not what I'm gonna miss.
So what are you gonna miss about KCR? Honestly, the library. Like, I won't have all those records anymore. That's pretty sad.
But you do have some personal, crazy records of your own. What was the last record you purchased, Stephen?
Oh, yes, thank you, Ale. Let me go get it so I can read it off right now. The last record that I purchased—or rather, was purchased for me by my girlfriend—was the Reverend Gary Davis, 1956 to 1957. Now this record was purchased at a place called the Record Shop in Red Hook, where my girlfriend used to work. I got it both because I like the Reverend Gary Davis quite a bit, and played him on Something Inside Of Me a few times over the past couple months, and also, because I’d never seen a record like this before. It's a completely blank record on the outside. It's hand typed, and there's no lettering on the record itself. And I talked to
Carter, I asked him what this was, because I'd never seen anything like this. And he said that this was a test print for a record that never came out, so there maybe are only five or ten of these that exist, which I think is really cool.
What does the price sticker in the corner say? It says $15 bucks, and it is worth significantly more than that, but I'm never gonna sell it.
You'd never donate it to the KCR library. No, no, I'm selfish.
Well, what is your favorite item in the KCR library? I kind of feel like I know what you're gonna say. It’s Shaft.
It's Shaft, yeah. We have the theme song [from the 1971 blaxploitation film Shaft]—actually, it's a complete soundtrack, but really you only want to play the theme song. It’s awesome. It's really, really good. The Simpsons do a parody of it. I think maybe I'll give you a more serious answer too, because that's my favorite kitsch thing. My actual favorite album in the library, the one I love the most, is B.B. King Live in Africa. It has one of my favorite songs of all time on it, "Sweet Sixteen." This was recorded during the Ali-Foreman fight in Africa, the Rumble in the Jungle, [whose accompanying music festival Zaire 74] featured such artists as B.B. King and James Brown. It’s one of the most famous fights in boxing history, and also the subject of the movie When We Were Kings—one of my favorite documentaries—which includes a live version of B.B. King singing this song. Incredible album, really glad to have it in the library.
Maybe we can end with a few silly questions. What is your favorite KCR show to listen to?
Oh, that's Across 110th Street, which I listen to every week. Both Ayanna [Heaven] and Deacon [Strange] are awesome: they're very different shows, they have different ways of approaching the stuff, but they're both really, really good, very talented, and I am a regular listener to their shows.
I mostly just want to give you a chance to plug them. What's your beer of choice?
Oh, my beer of choice. I'm gonna be pretty pretentious here and I'm gonna say… What do I want to give this answer to? I mean, I'm just gonna say any English bitter.
That is way more pretentious than anything I thought you were gonna say. Yeah, any English bitter? That's what I want.
That is good. You know, like that thing about would you have a beer with the President? Would you have a beer with the American head?
Would you have a beer with an American head, and he didn't even pick an American beer? I could have said PBR, and, you know, the people would have clamored.
Has Freud seeped into your shows yet? Has Freud made a cameo?
I mean, there is a sort of—there's an unconscious to the blues. I can't say that I mentioned Freud on air yet, but it's interesting to think about the types of sexuality we see in the blues.
How do you feel about the Beatles? I'm pro.
Favorite Beatle?
George.
Yeah, good answers. You listened to KCR before you joined, right? Yeah. I'm a New Yorker.
How is KCR going to stay a part of your life after your time at the station is over?
I hope to be in the city next year, and I don't want to be an alum with a regular show. The alumni who should have regular shows have to be really special. I think I do a good job with Something Inside Of Me, but I think it's a show that other people should program. But I'd like to occasionally fill in a show or two when there's time, and then I'm just going to continue listening like. I don't know how else the station
stays in your life, besides the memories you have of it, if it's not just listening to it. I guess we’re gonna do the corny thing you talked about, but yes: if it's not the friends I made, the memories I have of it, or the music that I've learned about from it, then yeah, it's just that I'm gonna continue to listen.
For what it's worth, I think you're really special.
Well. Thank you very much. I appreciate that.
The bowls of matzo ball soup sit, empty, between us. As Stephen grabs the Reverend Gary Davis record to put it back, I push my chair back to stand up and put them in the sink.
In March, April, and May, make sure to tune in Saturdays 2-4 PM to hear Stephen host Something Inside Of Me—and maybe even call in before he graduates.
2024 Broadcasts in Print
Led by Publicity Director Tanvi Krishnamurthy, the WKCR Publicity Team has assembled a poster depicting and celebrating all of the special broadcasts hosted on our airwaves 2024. If you, like all of us at the station, are dying to have one on your wall, stay tuned for more information about how you can make an exclusive, high-quality print version yours!
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Sin Fronteras
Jazz Alternatives
Nueva Canción
Som do
Special Broadcasts
SPECIAL BROADCASTS
Phil Schaap Memorial
Sunday, February 2nd, all day
February 2nd marks 55 years since Phil Schaap’s first broadcast at WKCR. In the many years since, we have continued to learn from his wealth of knowledge and unwavering belief in The Alternative. Since Phil’s passing in 2021, his contributions to the station remain central to our programming. This year we celebrate Phil’s life and memory with a selection of archival programming diving into the works of Sidney Bechet, Clark Terry, and naturally, a bit of Bird. It’s hard to imagine we’ll ever stop learning from Phil. Happy listening!
Nina Simone
Friday, February 21st, all day
Join WKCR in celebrating the 92 birthday of the great Nina Simone. 24 hours almost seems insufficient for a musician and artist of her caliber. Our broadcast is sure to feature her genre-defying work, collaborations, and activism. Only on 89.9.
A Night at the Village Vanguard
Saturday, February 22nd, 6:00 PM-12:00 AM
We will broadcast both sets of Jakob Bro & Joe Lovano’s Once Around The Room featuring Larry Grenadier, Anders Christensen, Thomas Morgan, Eric Harland, and Jorge Rossy as part of a celebration of the legendary club’s 90th anniversary.
Sundays 2:00-7:00 PM THEMED
SHOWS
SUNDAY PROFILES
Folk Masses
February 9th, 2:00 - 7:00 PM
Host: Ale Díaz-Pizarro
The mass is one of the oldest musical forms: from Palestrina's Missa Papae Marcelli to Bach's Mass in B minor, the setting of the Catholic liturgical text to music is an enduring tradition in the Western canon. Following Vatican II, which allowed for the Mass to be celebrated in vernacular languages, it was only natural that these changes would extend to its musical form: starting from the 70s, a growing number of mass settings influenced by folk musics of the world began to emerge. Join host Ale DíazPizarro on a tour of some of these exceptional works, including: the Missa Luba, a pre-Vatican II example from the Congo; Ariel Ramírez's famous Andean-infused Misa Criolla; José Torregrosa's Spanish Misa Flamenca; and—so you won't miss your Sunday jazz—Mary Lou Williams's Mary Lou's Mass, which marked the first time that jazz was performed inside St. Patrick's Cathedral.
February 16th, 2:00 - 7:00 PM
Host: Sid Gribetz
Labeled: Bethlehem Records
February 23rd, 2:00 - 7:00 PM
Host: J Cohn & Steve Mandel TBD
SPORTS
Women's Basketball: vs. Harvard
February 16th, Sunday, 12:00 - 2:00 PM
Announcers: Ted Schmiedeler, Perry Wakatsuki, & Mason Lau
Women's Basketball: vs. Brown
February 28th, Friday, 4:00 - 6:00 PM
Announcers: Justine Dugger-Ades, Ale Díaz-Pizarro
Show Listings
JAZZ
Daybreak Express, weekdays 5-8:20am
Out to Lunch, weekdays 12-3pm
Jazz Alternatives, weekdays 6-9pm
The core of our jazz offerings, these three programs span the entire range of recorded jazz: everything from New Orleans jazz, jazz age, swing era, bebop, hard-bop, modal, free, and avant-garde. Hosts rotate daily, offering an exciting variety of approaches, some of which include thematic presentation, artist interviews, or artist profiles.
Birdflight, Tues.-Thurs. 8:20-9:30am
Archival programs from the late Phil Schaap, one of the world’s leading jazz historians, who hosted this daily forum for the music of Charlie Parker for about 40 years.
Now's The Time*, Fri. 8:20-9:30am
The newest show from WKCR Jazz is dedicated to jazz as a living art form, providing a weekly space to listen to the young and current musicians pushing the genre forward.
Traditions in Swing, Sat. 6-9pm
Archival programs from the late Phil Schaap, this awardwinning Saturday night staple presents focused thematic programs on jazz up until about World War II. Schaap presents the music, much of it incredibly rare, from the best sound source, which is often the original 78 issue.
Phil Lives*, Mon. 3-5am
Archival broadcasts of longform programs from late NEA Jazz Master Phil Schaap.
CLASSICAL
Cereal Music, Mon.-Thurs. 9:30am-12pm
An entirely open-ended classical show to start your weekdays. Tune in to hear the most eclectic mix of classical music on the New York airwaves!
The Early Music Show, Fri. 9:30am-12pm
Dedicated primarily to European medieval, Renaissance, and baroque music, all from before 1800 (±50 years).
Extended Technique*, Wed. & Thurs. 3-6pm
WKCR’s first interdepartmental show (in the New Music and Classical departments) dedicated to contemporary classical music. You’ll hear everything from 12-tone and minimalist compositions to film and video game scores, and all things in between.
Afternoon Classical, Fri. 3-6pm.
Similar to Cereal Music, most of Afternoon Classical has no restrictions on what type of classical music to play. The last hour of the show, however, is dedicated fully to the music of JS Bach.
Saturday Night at the Opera, Sat. 9pm-12:30am.
One of NYC’s longest running opera shows, Saturday Night at the Opera is a 3.5 hour show that allows operas to be played in their entirety, with room for commentary, descriptions, and some history.
NEW MUSIC
Afternoon New Music, Mon. & Tues. 3-6pm
Our daytime new music program features a wide variety of music that challenges boundaries and subverts categorizations. Shows include everything from seminal new music compositions to the most challenging of obscure deep cuts and new releases.
Transfigured Night, Tues./Thurs./Sat. 1-5am
Our overnight explorations into the world of new music, Transfigured Night rewards our late night listeners with a wide range of sounds and experimental music.
Workaround*, Fri. 9-10pm
WKCR presents live DJ sets from Columbia students and local artists.
Live Constructions, Sun. 10-11pm
This weekly program features a live in-studio performance or a performance pre-recorded specially for the show.
AMERICAN
Honky Tonkin’, Tues. 10-11pm
One of WKCR’s longest-running American music programs, Honky Tonkin’ lands in the harder side of Country music. Emphasizing the greatest voices in the genre, Honky Tonkin’ is a country music dance party every Tuesday night.
Tuesday’s Just as Bad, Tues. 11pm - Wed. 1am
Tuesday’s Just as bad explores the world of blues prior to World War II. Shows weave their way through the first decades of recorded music history and turn to the postwar years in the final half hour.
* Indicates show was created after January 2022
LISTINGS FOR LISTENERS
Night Train, Wed. 1-5am
All aboard! One of our two overnight programs in the American department, Night Train rolls through the postwar R&B and soul tradition, from the genre’s emergence in the 1940’s and 50’s through the funk revolution in the 1970’s. Shows often feature extended live recordings and concerts.
Offbeat, Fri. 1-5am
Offbeat is committed to broadcasting undiscovered new hip hop music. Shows typically focus on exposing underplayed or up-and-coming new artists, including experimental instrumental artists not typically played on mainstream hip hop radio.
Across 110th Street, Sat. 12-2pm
Kicking off our Saturday afternoon American music run, Across 110th Street airs soul, funk, and dance music from the 1960’s through the 1980’s and 90’s.
Something Inside of Me, Sat. 2-4pm
Something Inside of Me is WKCR’s Saturday afternoon blues show, focusing mostly on the electric and post-war styles.
Hobo’s Lullaby, Sat. 4-6pm
Rooted in the folk revival of the 1950s and 60s, Hobo’s Lullaby airs American folk and traditional music styles from the early 20th century through the present day. From old staples like Leadbelly, Elizabeth Cotton, and Woody Guthrie to contemporary stalwarts like the Carolina Chocolate Drops and lesser known artists, domestic traditions are alive and well on Hobo’s Lullaby.
Notes from the Underground, Sun. 12:30-2am
Notes from the Underground showcases contemporary hip hop and rap music with an emphasis on emerging and experimental artists. The program also hosts local and visiting artists for interviews, freestyles, and guestcuration.
Amazing Grace, Sun. 8-10am
Greeting listeners on Sunday morning, Amazing Grace shares with listeners the world of the African-American gospel tradition.
The Moonshine Show, Sun. 10am-12pm
On the air for nearly 60 years, The Moonshine Show showcases the American Bluegrass tradition, from the earliest roots in vernacular string-band music, through
* indicates show was created after January 2022
the genre’s pioneers in the 1940s and 50s and advancements in the 60s and 70s, through the leading innovators and stars of today.
The Tennessee Border Show, Sun. 12-2pm
One third of WKCR’s country music programming, along with Honky Tonkin’ and the Bluegrass Moonshine Show, Tennessee Border highlights the singer-songwriter tradition, from Hank Williams and Townes Van Zandt to Lucinda Williams.
LATIN
Caribe Latino, Mon. 10pm-12am
Caribe Latino is a music program that features the diverse, upbeat music from numerous Latin communities in the Caribbean. Popular Latin rhythms such as Salsa, Merengue, Bachata and Latin Jazz take center stage throughout the program.
Urbano Latinx, Tues. 12-1am
A weekly Latin show airing contemporary sounds from Latin America, the Caribbean, and the diaspora, Urbano Latinx features mixes of salsa, merengue, Latin punk rock, and more.
Sin Fronteras*, Wed. 12-3pm
Falling in the space of Out to Lunch on Wednesday afternoons, Sin Fronteras explores the tremendous Latin Jazz tradition.
Nueva Canción, Wed. 10-11pm
Nueva Canción is an exploration of protest music created throughout Latin America during the 60s and 70s and its numerous other manifestations throughout other countries and time periods.
Som do Brasil, Wed. 11pm - Thurs. 1am
From samba and bossa nova to MPB, hear the numerous and enchanting sounds and rhythms of Brazil.
Sonidos Colombianos, Fri. 10-11pm
Sonidos Colombianos presents music from one of the most culturally diverse countries of Latin America: Colombia! Our bilingual musical tour is guaranteed to include not only cumbia, but also the guitar-based bambuco from the Andean region, the harp llanero music from the Eastern Plains, the marimba-infused currulao from the Pacific Region, and the accordiondriven vallenato of the North Atlantic Coast.
LISTINGS FOR LISTENERS
The Mambo Machine, Fri. 11pm - Sat. 2am
The Mambo Machine is the longest running salsa show in New York City. The program presently plays a wide spectrum of Afro-Latin rhythms, combining new and old into an exciting, danceable mix.
El Sonido de la Calle*, Sun. 2-4am
A companion show to Saturday night’s American Notes from Underground, El Sonido de la Calle highlights the diverse world of contemporary Spanish-language hiphop and dance music.
IN ALL LANGUAGES
The Celtic Show, Mon. 12-1am
Music from across the island of Ireland throughout the era of recorded music, particularly focusing on traditional folk and vernacular music forms.
Coordinated Universal Time, Mon. 1-3am
Coordinated Universal Time brings our listeners the latest cut of music from anywhere in the world, especially highlighting music that does not get attention in America. Our programming tries to bring the hottest and the most recent tunes to WKCR’s airwaves.
The African Show, Thurs. 10pm-12am
The longest running African music radio show in the United States, the African Show brings you a variety of music from the entire continent of Africa.
Middle Eastern Influences, Fri. 12-1am
During the hour-long show, Middle Eastern Influences features a wide range of beautiful tracks from regions of the Middle East, North Africa, and even, at times, South Asia.
Sounds of Asia, Sat. 6-8am
Rechristened from Sounds of China, Sounds of Asia explores the recorded musical traditions and innovations of Asia and the Pacific islands.
Eastern Standard Time, Sat. 8am-12pm
One of New York’s most popular Reggae programs, Eastern Standard Time takes listeners through Saturday morning from 8 am to noon with the hypnotic sounds of Reggae and Jamaican dance music.
Field Trip, Sun. 6-8am
Field Trip focuses on the music and practice of field recordings: music recorded outside of a studio. Tune in and you may catch field recordings that were recorded fifty years ago, others that were experimented with by your favorite Afternoon New Music artist, or even those documented in New York City by WKCR itself.
Raag Aur Taal, Sun. 7-9pm
Raag Aur Taal explores the sounds and rich cultural heritage of South Asia. The term “Raag Aur Taal” roughly translates to “melody and rhythm,” indicating the classical nature of this program.
Back in the USSR, Sun. 11pm-12am
Back in the USSR features music from across the former Soviet Union and soviet states across Eastern Europe and East and Central Asia, from the mid-20th century through the present.
NEWS & ARTS
Monday Morningside*, Mon. 8:30-9:30am
Monday Morningside is WKCR’s morning news broadcast to kick off the week, featuring news segments on events around Morningside Heights and upper Manhattan. If you’re not an early bird, all episodes are available as podcasts on Spotify!
SUNDAY PROFILES
Sunday Profile, Sun. 2-7pm*
A WKCR staple, programmers use five hours to showcase longform profiles of pioneering artists. While the primary focus remains on jazz music, we also feature other styles and traditions from across WKCR’s different programming departments.
* indicates show was created after January 2022
Reflections on Nina Simone's Legacy
by Alma Avgar Shohamy
The time has rolled around once again, the best time of the year in at least one respect: in the month of February we celebrate the birthday of Nina Simone, the High Priestess of Soul, born Eunice Waymon on February 21st in 1933. What can we say about her that hasn’t already been said? How can we honor her memory as lovers of music, life and justice?
Even writers, whose worldbuilding happens through words, often declare that Nina Simone’s genius defies and surpasses the written word. It’s true! It couldn’t be any other way! You can’t totally do this woman justice in writing. Her singing, her feeling, her resolve, her sound—they weave around our words and past our minds. They take up residence in our hearts and become a part of our bodies.
Writing this on Martin Luther King Day, I can’t help but think of “Why? (The King of Love is Dead)”, and those in this city who uphold King’s legacy of resistance and steadfastness. Simone performed that song with love, solidarity, deep grief and wrath, despite disagreeing with King’s methods. She sang out about Mississippi, King, and Black revolution in the face of regular death threats.
I also think of Simone’s friendship with Miriam Makeba and of her Mount Vernon neighbor, Betty Shabazz. The High Priestess exchanged words and spaces with so many people whose ideas and actions ring out around us today. She learned from and with Loraine Hansberry. She collaborated with Langston Hughes. She declared her beliefs, regrets, hopes and truths loudly! She still teaches the world about womanhood and personhood. Her voice reaches out to us, cutting through time
and history.
I remember the transformative experience of listening to Simone’s music on vinyl in WKCR for the first time. As a new programmer on Daybreak Express, I made sure to include a Nina Simone tune (or 20) in every show. There is something so extraordinary about listening silently to “I Want A Little Sugar in My Bowl” while bleary-eyed in the early hours, and then leaping out of the creaky chair (which you might hear moving around in the background during mic breaks) to dance to “Do Nothin’ Till You Hear From Me”. Sharing music with you all on the air, playing these old records and celebrating another Nina Simone birthday in the station reminds me to practice slow rediscovery. There are new lessons waiting inside every tune of Simone’s. She’s telling us about herself and the world! She’s showing us new ways to move and be, and those ways curve in new directions every day.
In the February 2023 On Air Guide, Fenway Donegan notes that Simone’s song “Mississippi Goddam” “denounces all… who champion slow, piecemeal approaches to justice” (p. 19). The article discusses Nina Simone In Concert, describing Simone’s interactions with her audience throughout the recorded performance—the jokes, the silences, the piercing message of “Pirate Jenny” and the way that she ends the show with a spoken ‘that’s it.’ She ends it that way, decisively, with care and certainty.
Nothing about her work is piecemeal. When you close your eyes while a Nina Simone tune is on, the space behind your eyelids fills with shapes and feelings and blooming colors. The baroque and classical influences dance among
the blues and folk tunes, up and down the piano. She hums, croons, groans, screams, whispers and announces. You feel the love and you feel the rage. You feel the work and music of justice in your stomach. “She inspires one to dream, to yearn, perhaps to suffer, if the song is one of sorrow,” wrote Claude Hall. “She is so great she communicates human understanding and affection for her fellow beings even while she attacks the towers of Wrong or Prejudice lyrically.”
Writer Ismatu Gwendolyn recently released an essay called “The Mythical Black Artist,” otherwise entitled, “Everyone inspired by Nina Simone; Nobody singin’ Mississippi Goddam”. Gwendolyn reflects, too, on that seminal song and its impact, as well as its reflection of Simone’s life. The essay refers back to that reflection repeatedly, bringing the song into a consideration of what revolution looks like and how our world has changed since the times of Ms. Simone.
Eunice Waymon, Nina Simone, is someone to listen to, refer to, marvel at, someone to respect to the greatest extent. I keep a poster of her in my room; when I look up at her she reminds me of honesty and humility, care and anger. Nina Simone continues to inspire countless people today with her music and the lessons of her life. She inspires us to hold our loved ones close, to build community, to attempt healing from cycles of trauma and violence. To create a world of justice and liberation.
We honor her by listening to her. By swaying to “Just In Time;” learning the hope, wrath and resolve of “Backlash Blues;” crying from the earnestness of “What More Can I Say” and the careful, kind rendition of “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues”—where she sighs between verses, “Well, that’s it, folks, that’s it."
Alma is the In All Languages Department Head at WKCR.
Portrait of Nina Simone by McCartney Garb.
Emma Lacy, programmer
Billy Strayhorn, "Lush Life"
Stephen Dames, American Department Head
Steely Dan, "Do It Again"
Sawyer Huckabee, programmer
Pet Shop Boys, "Always On My Mind"
McCartney Garb, programmer
Billy Joel, "Everybody Loves You Now"
Francisco Javier Reyes, programmer
My Bloody Valentine, "To Here Knows When"
Ella Werstler, programmer
Wilco, "Impossible Germany"
Zachary Vanderslice, Engineer
Wilco, "Either Way"
AROUND
THE STATION
If you had to listen song at least once day for the rest of what would it
Solene Millsap, programmer
Masayoshi Takanaka, "Oh! Tengo Suerte"
Ben Rothman, Music Acquisition Director
Beastie Boys, "No Sleep Till Brooklyn"
Alex Arredondo, Archivist
Big Star, "Thirteen"
Melisa Nehrozoglu, Classical Department
Head
Tim Maia, "Do Leme Ao Pontal"
Casey Lamb, Business Manager
Bob Dylan, "Wigwam"
Courtney Eileen Fulcher ('21), former In All Languages Head
Dear Eloise, "Star"
Ted Schmiedeler, Station Manager
Robert Fripp & Brian Eno, "Wind on Water"
Sam Seliger ('24), former Program Director
Herbie Hancock, "Sly"
Taylor Guidry, programmer Weyes Blood, "Movies"
Rachel Smith, Jazz Department Head
Bobby Timmons, "Moanin'"
Alma Avgar Shohamy, In All Languages Department Head
Okay Kaya, "And I Have a Blessed Life"
Stella Fusaro, programmer
Piotr Illych Tchaikovsky, Op. 20 No. 20, "Danse Russe" from Swan Lake
Ella Presiado, programmer
Nina Simone, "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues"
listen to one onceityoureverylife, be?
Ale Díaz-Pizarro, Librarian
Nina Simone, "Compensation" or, The White Stripes, "Fell in Love with a Girl"
Iris Wu, programmer Innovations, "Seabird"
Caroline Anna Nieto, programmer Rufus Wainwright, "Go or Go Ahead"
Charlie Kusiel King, programmer Stardust, "Music Sounds Better With You"
Tanvi Krishnamurthy, Publicity Director Pharoah Sanders, "Kazuko"
McKenna Roberts, Engineer
Brian Eno, "By the River"
Solution to WKCRossword from the January 2025 issue: "2024 in Review" by Ale Díaz-Pizarro
WKCRossword: "Odd Couples"
by Ale Díaz-Pizarro
edited by Sam Seliger
SUPPORT WKCR
TOP 5 REASONS TO DONATE TO WKCR
1. You’d be helping a student-run, listener-funded, and volunteer-based radio station continue to bring you the absolute best in what radio has to offer. Music, arts, news, and sports— we’ve got the works!
2. You wouldn’t be a free-rider anymore.
3. WKCR donations are tax-deductible (so make sure you donate before tax season). For more info on that, or anything else business-related, email business@wkcr.org
4. Being “the Original FM,” our equipment is getting a bit old. Thanks to your 2023 donations, we were able to retire Buzz, the hamster that ran the wheel powering us. But our new hamster, Roach, needs to start saving for retirement... can you blame him?
5. Isn’t OnAir cool? Without proper funding, projects like this can’t come to fruition and, if they do, don’t make it very long. Donate to allow the little OnAir minions to stay in the job (we are all OnAir minions).
HOW TO DONATE TO WKCR IN 4 STEPS
BY MAIL
Step 1: Locate your nearest checkbook
Step 2: Indicate “WKCR” as payee and fill out as usual
Step 3: Mail check to CU Gift Systems, 622 West 113th Street, MC 4524, New York, NY 10025
Step 4: ...and VOILÀ! Just like that, you have become a WKCR supporter!
ONLINE
Step 1: head to www.wkcr.org
Step 2: Click the yellow “DONATE TO WKCR” banner at the top of the page
Step 3: Fill out the form in the giving portal and enter your information...
Step 4: ...and VOILÀ! Just like that, you have become a WKCR supporter! Did you know you can make recurring donations to WKCR when you donate online?
Just indicate your frequency preferences on the giving portal when prompted! WKCR also accepts checks to our direct address. Just follow the same steps listed above but mail the check to: 2920 Broadway, New York, NY 10027
On Air 's editorial board is Ale Díaz-Pizarro.
The editorial team for this issue was Ale Díaz-Pizarro & McCartney Garb.
Special thanks to Alex Arredondo, Alma Avgar Shohamy, Ben Rothman, Caroline Anna Nieto, Casey Lamb, Charlie Kusiel King, Courtney Eileen Fulcher, Ella Presiado, Ella Werstler, Emma Lacy, Francisco Javier Reyes, Georgia Dillane, Iris Wu, McCartney Garb, McKenna Roberts, Melisa Nehrozoglu, Rachel Smith, Sam Seliger, Sawyer Huckabee, Solene Millsap, Stella Fusaro, Stephen Dames, Stephen Park, Tanvi Krishnamurthy, Taylor Guidry, Ted Schmiedeler, & Zachary Vanderslice.
