BEST NEW IDEA: “NON-COMM THURSDAYS”

Public radio’s most enjoyable and affordable annual conference – the Triple A NON-COMMvention – springs back to life with a series of online weekly get-togethers beginning this Thursday (5/28) at 6:00pm ET. NON-COMM Thursdays are free and will he held via Zoom.

The virtual meetings will be much like the in-person conferences, offering live music performances and discussions of key issues facing stations and artists during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Zoom-inars are produced in association with the Covid-19 Collaboration for Public Radio Music Stations. We reported on the collaboration on May 15 [link].

Dan Reed, the founder and producer of the NON-COMM, will host the first NON-COMM Thursday later this week.

S.G. Goodman

Roots rocker and storyteller S.G. Goodman will perform live during the first NON-COMM Thursdays event. Goodman is a good choice. According to a feature story in last week’s online edition of Rolling Stone [link], she grew up as an outsider in rural Kentucky.

Goodman’s first album – Old Time Feeling – was recently released by Verve. Produced by Goodman and fellow Kentuckian Jim James, the songs are earthy and otherworldly relaying her personal experiences and razor-sharp wit. She told Rolling Stone:

“I’m very aware that many people don’t have the luxury to stay in the place they were born — in that either their mental health could be in jeopardy, there’s no work there, or they’re not safe. The best way to bring about change in a place that is maybe really isolated is [to] represent your political ideas, and the best way to do that is live ‘em out in front of people.”

Goodman was slated to perform at this year's NON-COMMvention. But her appearance, and the entire conference, was cancelled due to pandemic.

Dan Reed

Reed and three guests will discuss the challenges and opportunities created by the current health crisis for Triple A and Alternative Rock stations. 

The panel includes Rita Houston from WFUV, New York; Anne Litt from KCRW, Los Angeles; and, Jordan Lee from Radio Milwaukee.

A major topic of the panel discussion will be “what has the pandemic taught you about serving your listeners and members?”

To register and attend the Zoom event, check here.