A highly
anticipated LPFM station has signed on in the Washington, DC suburb Takoma
Park, Maryland. Tacoma Radio, aka WOWD
FM 94.3, began broadcasting on July 16th. Takoma Radio [link] is owned by Historic Takoma [link], a 501c3
organization that preserves and presents local history.
Journalist Courtney Sexton,
in an excellent story on WAMU’s Bandwidth [link], says Low Power, High Spirits: Takoma Radio Prepares To Bring FM Airwaves To
The People.
According to
Sexton, the prime mover behind Takoma Radio is Marika Partridge, a well-known
radio producer and longtime Takoma Park resident. Partridge learned in 2013
that a new LPFM station was possible she submitted an application to the FCC.
The result was WOWD.
Takoma Radio is designed as a hyper-local service but
its coverage includes a decent chunk of the DC metro (map is on the left).
Partridge told Sexton:
“I’m talking about a mission
to serve the community and pockets in the community. If you look at the radio
dial in D.C. it’s a wasteland. I think also our ideas about ‘internet has
killed radio’ is a very privileged perspective and that still a lot of people
listen to the radio in their native languages, read newspapers in their native
languages and in their communities.”
 |
| Marika Partridge |
Partridge said Takoma Radio, affectionately known as T-Rex, has unique programming:
“We just have to consider
who’s not going to NPR programming and offer some really strong programming for
niche audiences right up against those shows. Who listens to All things
Considered? Well, not people who only speak Amharic.”
The path to the new
station was not easy. After other
organizations passed, Historic Takoma
stepped up as the project’s fiduciary. It was founded in 1979 with a mission of
preserving the heritage of Takoma Park and the nearby Takoma neighborhood in DC.
What does Radio
Takoma sound like? According to the station website, there is LOTS of music: jazz,
soul, roots, reggae, blues and alternative rock. There is special emphasis on music by local
musicians. One particularly interesting show is The Thought Bowl, featuring interviews with science writers mixed
with music. It is sort of like combining pinball with astronomy. May the force be with you!
RECOMMENDED VIDEO CLIP
I love to watch
events live on C-SPAN. I feel like I am
in the room with the participants. Plus,
there are no commentators saying the same thing over and over again. There was a true gem on Monday night at the
Democratic National Convention. Paul
Simon sang his classic Bridge Over
Troubled Waters, backed by a bluesy band. Gave me chills.
SPOKANE NEWS STATIONS ADD LISTENERS &
PRX’s REMIX RISES
Spokane is one of
my favorite noncom radio markets. There are a nice variety of stations and no
hesitation to try something new. One such experiment is Spokane Public Radio’s
KPRZ-FM which airs PRX Remix 24/7. Many stations use Remix during occasional
hours but I believe KPRZ is the only station using it all the time in a rated
market. Though KPRZ is not a major factor in the market, the number of
estimated weekly listeners went up 25% between Spring 2015 and Spring 2016.
Spokane Public
Radio’s other two stations also did well.
News/Classical KPBX was up 23% and all News KSFC was up 17%. Another noncom station not listed because
they are not a Nielsen subscriber, is Classical KSGU.
Monday-Sunday
6AM-Midnight Persons 12+
These
data are provided for use by Nielsen subscribers ONLY,
in
accordance with RRC's limited license with Nielsen Inc. Data Copyright Nielsen
Inc. Format distinctions are the sole responsibility of Ken Mills Agency, LLC.
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