I met long-time WPFW programmer Jamal Muhammed at a concert at Fort DuPont, where we both introduced Ahmad Jamal. Then He Tested Positive for COVID. We became close friends, and I enjoyed his stories about hanging out at the stage door of the Howard Theatre with his childhood friend Nap Turner in order to see Charlie Parker, or about the time he spent on Rikers Island incarcerated with Ike Quebec. It may seem as if this is a radical change but, as Douye' explains, it is actually a return to her roots. The stations frequently would be cosponsors of performances. The top of this organization at this time has no interest for freedom and democracy and equality of people of color, Porter, then also the stations programming director, declared at the time. The December numbers placed WPFW one slot behind the Arlington-based religious station WAVA-FM and tied with African-American talk station WOL-AM at No. Her father, who was African-American, met Williams mother in Yokohama, Japan, and they married there in 1955. Democracy Now! Although Sutton was employed by WHUR, he volunteered to do a show on WPFW with his friend Wash sitting in with him. Morning Brew, a new program led by Muhammad, precedes it from 6 to 8 a.m. with news and some music. What, no book? He had just played the recordings on his radio show on the campus station, WGTB-FM, but he had to give up the program to take a class that was scheduled at the same time. You need to roll [the programing changes] back quick, fast, and in a hurrysay Look, no one was consulted, say This was done in secrecy, was nontransparent, and we want this to stop right now. //--> The pandemic, Williams noted, has led her to change her selection of songs for her weekly program. //, This email address is being protected from spambots. In 2002, while acting as general manager at Pacificas WBAI in New York, Daughtry was axed during a foundation board meeting broadcast on all five stations; he sued Pacifica and settled. Advertise with Us, Sponsored Posts from our Partners Openings I call it the gentrification of WPFW, says Tony Regusters, a former general manager whose Sounds of Brasil program was axed, of the new changes. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. The dispute that has inflamed purists is over how it should change, and how gently, and when. Join Miyuki Williams today at 12 PM EST on #893FM for another edition of Sunday Kind of Love as she continues to celebrate International Women's Month with her special guests Dr. Ysaye Barnwell & Maxine Roach. I was joined on WAMU by Gerald Lee and Russell Williams, two American University students who established a Saturday afternoon workshop called Sound, Color and Movement, later titled Spirits Known and Unknown. The Caribbeana hosts Trinidadian baritone was the first voice heard on WPFW, spoken into a live mic during an equipment check in 1976. In became something of a consortium of kindred souls playing that serious American music. Philip Pannell Collapsed at a Statehood Rally. In a press release, the year-old Programmers Association declared itself on the threshold of an Occupy type revolt The board voted to pursue mediation between the partiestalks that ended without resolution, and with Daughtry still out. Morris was the first musician I interviewed on the air. The years I spent at WDCU were among the best in my broadcasting career. Its listenership is aging and dwindling, its ledger red, and its lease is about to expire. I had been offered the slot but opted to continue my weekly show, now called Jazz Sunday. For three days, WPFW was off the air. Theres a whole universe of them. Porter was offered a shorter once-a-week show that would have also featured a panel; he decided to walk. As the staffer responsible for enforcing programming standards, Daughtry reported his own infraction. Since 1997 WPFW has been the only station broadcasting jazz in Washington, with the exception of Bambergers show on WAMU. For the most part, that meant excising music from rush hour and the workday. Before Williams went on the air, she was told by Hughes that she had jeopardized the financial future of WPFW, she says, by appearing on another program several days earlier and telling listeners to withhold their credit card information as part of protest pledges. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. But in December 2012 the station manager abruptly dropped all of the daytime jazz shows to expand the talk and public affairs programming. Still, in WPFW board meetings, town-hall gatherings, and discussions with programmers and management, you wont find many people who believe the station should preserve the status quo. Liz at Large Listen to WPFW 10AM June 13, 2022 - Salute to Black Fathers! Readers like you keep our work free for everyone to read. www.press.georgetown.edu. She says that after listening to stakeholders, shell make some kind of decision to calm the situation soon. The rest is Washington-area jazz, blues and pop-classics history. The charge of gentrification is so off-base, Hughes said, redirecting course. Cant recall exactly how started listening. DC. For the stations audience, some of WPFWs personalities became legendary: There was Martin, whose Caribbean programa hybrid of news and musicled the way for a diverse lineup of Haitian, Jamaican, Afrobeat, and Latin shows. Williams has several favorite jazz artists. Williams, 64, chooses mostly timeless jazz for her sessions, with some exceptions. The programs on WDCU were included along with Paul Anthonys on WGMS. The people who have been here the longestthe Von Martins and the Tom Coleshave never been in the management. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. var addy68494 = 'production' + '@'; After Dr. Taylor became artistic director for the jazz program at the Kennedy Center, he did a show for NPR in which his trio would perform with an artist such as Jackie McLean and discuss the guests career between musical performances. I served on a program selection panel with Dr. Billy Taylor, where we discovered we had some personal connections. He says the comments have ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous, and that hes even received some threats. The station broadcast performances from the university auditorium, including the annual battle among the bands of Howard University, University of Maryland, and the University of the District of Columbia. Watson didnt last long as general manager; few at WPFW have. With the exception of Morning Brew, the Hughes Doctrine seems to separate music from news and talk, even in programs that historically blended the two. Maybe youre in a music mood, maybe youre in a talk-show mood. //, WPFW1990 K St NWSuite 14RWashington, DC 20006. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Porter thinks the stations been going downhill since 1993, and sees little hope; staffers like Stitt, Minott and Muhammad think it can thrive with limited corporate underwriting; everyone wants more transparency and dialogue. But Hughes maintains that the new schedule is in line with the stations historic values while pushing the limits of its audience. Local Dining Guide, City Lights Discover your dream home among our modern houses, penthouses and villas. In the 1970s he established himself professionally doing voice-overs for commercials, the weather on television, and jazz shows on WRC-FM and National Public Radio. Your destination for buying luxury property in Voiron, Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes, France. Plenty has changed at WPFW, though. View the profiles of people named Miyuki Williams. Sondra and I got married in August and went to Europe, where we heard performances by Miles Davis, Cecil Taylor, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Archie Shepp, Duke Ellington, and Bill Evans. The journey he takes me on is familiar, then earth-shattering, opening my ears and my heart., Williams admires Billie Holiday for her unique voice that is so musical and expressive, creative in the use of time and timing an exquisite master storyteller.. Wash would say, If you dont like what Im playing, turn the dial and listen to Hassan. Because he frequently played scratchy records on his show, whenever I played a recording with surface noise I would announce that it was from the Jerry Washington Collection of Classic Jazz. I was soon asked to become a substitute host on WPFW, filling in for such programmers as Rick Bolling and Guy Middleton. The music I programmed reflected the times: Ascension, by John Coltrane, and Meditations on Integration, by Charles Mingus. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; This is about transformation.. I was also working at WRC/NBC TV and sometimes WMAL-AM during those hours so I had many guest hosts sit in the air chair and spin their faves for that diverse listening audience including; Vincent Thomas, Wayne Tucker, Kahlil Wheaton and Sheila Eldridge from WHUR-FM, Art Cromwell, Tom Porter, Chip Donelson and sometimes Mr Black Fire Jimmy Gray. Rev. A HUGE THANK YOU!to sponsors of WPFWs event, SPRING FOR JUSTICE held on Earth Day AT BUSBOYS AND POETS. The presence of people of color does not necessarily mean the presence of the proper ideological or philosophical perspective. Porters confederates took to the air, opening up the phone lines to supporters. But the on-air relationship and the stories were made up. This led to a permanent slot. WPFW plays a mix of jazz, Latin jazz, blues, and world music. Much of WPFWs current upheaval centers on how you define the stations community. Register for the event using the link below. A lot of creative people, a lot of ideas, a lot of churning.. I play on my program the music I love, Williams said. Even if the listeners and programmers of WPFW beat back Hughes proposed changes, how long can the magic reasonably last? I dont see any intelligent reasons behind why these decisions are being made. A few heads nodded in agreement. One of the things I appreciate is how the Japanese revere elders and artists. W. Royal Stokes, a freelance writer for the Washington Post, had two shows. The workshop was intended to train African American students in broadcasting techniques, and among those who participated in the program were Vincent Muse, David Muse, P. W. Robinson, and the late Aaron Hiter. ~ Gambling. Melody Gardot, Over the Rainbow, Rick Williams, Evening Drive Jazz: In the case of Michel Martins NPR program Tell Me More, Hughes stresses that it is an alternative on public radio in and of itself because it originated with the African American Public Radio Consortium. Basketball But an on-air discussion with the director Topper Carew had a major impact on my broadcasting career. . Maybe youre listening to a local radio broadcast over the air, or maybe youre listening to a station from another city (or country) over the Internet. By then WAMU had begun to cut back jazz programming. We also mail copies to subscribers throughout the United States. He is currently a professor at American University. or call 202-588-0999 ext 344. WGTB evolved into a free-form underground rock station while maintaining much of its jazz programming. Recreating their efforts which led to the Fall 2010 drive being among the most successful in recent memory, 'PFW Programmers Association members Miyuki Williams, Robyn Holden and Katea Stitt again . While a lot of programming is worthwhile, even essentialand just about all of it unique in an increasingly homogenous radio landscapesome of it falls somewhere between charmingly scrappy and borderline-unprofessional. Wpfw corporate office is located in 1990 K St NW Ste 14R, Washington, District of Columbia, 20006, United States and has 29 employees. A DJ looks back on 50 years on jazz radio in the nations capital. See photos, tips, similar places specials, and more at Voiron Distribution Automobile Suggestions by WPFW programmers to allow limited underwritingseveral people I interviewed dream of Bens Chili Bowl sponsorshiphave almost always been rebuffed. Hughes vision for WPFW, as embodied by his proposed new grid, retains plenty of the stations eccentric programming, and despite its faults, it makes tuning in much simpler: Theres talk during the day and jazz at night. Miyuki Williams has been working as a Host of A Sunday Kind of Love at Wpfw for 8 years. This email address is being protected from spambots. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; As opposition to the new grid mounted last week, Martin says Hughes called him and asked him to stay at Saturdayfor two hours, not three. A comprehensive dialogue with Wpfw programmers can be viewed on Dctv on Robyn Holden's Anc and You program as per the following schedule . Daughtry was filling in on a Saturday for soul DJ Andrea Bray, and played Marvin Youre the Man by the jazzy hip-hop act Digable Planets, which contains the word shit, an obscenity that could have lead to an FCC fine. Is it a community of mostly black leftwing jazz fans who are also interested in foreign affairs, zydeco, and alternative medicine? Arbitron figures routinely rank WPFW in the high 20s among local radio stations.