Beginning on Friday, September 18th we'll be making some changes to our weekend and overnight schedule.
These changes include a new locally produced independent music program from Jason Brown, host and producer of The Elliot Potter Show, which aired on KRCU from 2008 to 2013. The new show is called Left of the Dial, after the Replacements song of the same name, which is a reference to the position of the radio dial that non-commercial radio stations are typically located on. In the era of college radio these stations were reliable sources of independent, unsigned, and otherwise “underground” artists. Left of the Dial is a radio program molded in that tradition, with a strong focus on new music but with a flexibility to allow a variety of genres, themes, and eras to be explored. Left of the Dial will air Fridays from 9:00pm to 11:00pm and Saturdays from noon to 2pm on KRCU.
That’s not the only new music program making its way to KRCU’s airwaves; NPR’s All Songs Considered is coming back to the schedule Fridays at 8:00pm. All Songs Considered is NPR's guide to discovering new music below the radar. Every week, host Bob Boilen and producer Robin Hilton go through hundreds of new albums to find music that's worth getting excited about, whether it's the latest Swedish pop band, a hip hop artist going ambient, or a singer-songwriter with a twisted new take on love.
To get a taste of All Songs Considered, have a listen to producer John Congleton as he serves as guest DJ:
Following All Songs Considered will be Alt.Latino from NPR Music. Every week, Alt.Latino introduces listeners to new alternative Latin music, including diverse genres such as cumbia, Mexican garage rock, Panamanian rap, heavy metal mariachi and many more boundary-blurring sounds from around the world. In addition to music, Alt.Latino features interviews and insightful conversation about Latin events and culture. Hosts Felix Contreras and Jasmine Garsd's discussion of music and culture reflects their experiences as Latino immigrants (third and first generation, respectively), and is informed by Felix's long career covering Latin music and culture for NPR, NBC, and Univision. Alt.Latino can be heard Fridays at 8:30pm on KRCU.
Have a listen to a recent episode of Alt.Latino:
These program additions are a response to a survey KRCU conducted in February 2015 as well as listener comments throughout the year and during KRCU’s membership campaigns. “It was clear when we ceased production of The Elliot Potter Show that a lot of listeners missed the opportunity to discover new music on KRCU,” said KRCU General Manager Dan Woods. “Hopefully adding Left of the Dial as a two hour program and in the time-slots it will broadcast in will allow us to offer our listeners the chance to discover and enjoy new music while continuing to offer listener favorite programs such as This American Life, The TED Radio Hour, and our many other program offerings.”
With Left of the Dial airing on Saturdays between noon and 2pm KRCU will be shifting This American Life and Snap Judgment later in the day on Saturdays, with This American Life airing at 2pm and Snap Judgment airing at 3pm. The TED Radio Hour will continue to air Tuesdays at 7pm, Radiolab will continue to air Wednesdays at 7pm, Snap Judgment will continue to air Thursdays at 7pm, and This American Life will continue to air Fridays at 7pm.
KRCU will also add jazz music programing overnights on Fridays and Saturdays with Jazz Network from public radio station WFMT in Chicago, and will expand the broadcast of WFMT’s Beethoven Satellite Network overnights Sunday through Thursday. The Midnight Special, WFMT's program featuring "folk music with a sense of humor," is getting an earlier time-slot between 10pm and midnight on Saturdays.
In an unfortunate note Wits, a staff favorite, is no longer being produced for radio. In a statement posted on the Wits website they share that "for the time being we have also suspended the live shows and podcast so we can step back and think about what a Wits 2.0 might become in the digital world." In its place we'll be adding another run of BackStory, a lively story-driven American history program produced by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.
Listen to a recent episode of BackStory:
Finally, The TED Radio Hour from NPR will be airing Sundays at 5pm. The Tuesday at 7pm run of The TED Radio Hour will remain.
A complete look at our new schedule can be viewed here.
If you have any questions or comments, please let us know. You can comment to our post on Facebook, or email us at comments@krcu.org.