The jazz aficionado hosts "A Sunday Kind of Love" at noon on Sundays on WPFW 89.3 FM. For a decade he broadcast a show on Saturday nights on a commercial station where his ratings were good and the advertising book solid. It was light out, but the Nightwolf was howling. As a VISTA volunteer, I became connected to a community organization in Adams Morgan called The New Thing Art and Architecture Center, where I met Sondra Barrett, who was teaching African dance to children. Russonello notes the explosion of music on the internet and the change in listening habits through downloads and online music services. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Gear Prudence Jerry shifted the focus of the Saturday afternoon show to the blues and created a persona that was a brilliant mix of fantasy with a dose of reality that he called the Bama. In African American parlance, a bama is someone from the country, unsophisticated in city ways and very likely to wear overalls. When a recent Sunday fell on the birthday of Nina Simone, Williams featured two hours of the pianist-vocalists recordings, from her heart-rending rendition of I Loves You, Porgy to the classically trained artists own compositions, including the sad, angry, rousing civil rights protest anthem, Mississippi Goddam., Among other highlights of Williams show are her tributes to Eva Cassidy, the legendary vocalist, born and raised in the Washington area, who died of cancer in 1996 at the age of 33. Saxophonist Byron Morris had a program named after Rahsaan Roland Kirks Bright Moments. Tom Cole started a Sunday morning show focusing on guitar music called G-Strings that is still on the air today. Miyuki Williams has been working as a Host of A Sunday Kind of Love at Wpfw for 8 years. Hughes argues that listeners vote with their dollars: If they liked the programming more, theyd give more. The proposed changes would have moved Caribbeanawith its mix of Caribbean public affairs talk and music from 7 p.m. Saturday to 10 p.m. Sunday. Downloads to iPods are convenient, but background and appreciation for the music is lacking. 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. The Caribbeana hosts Trinidadian baritone was the first voice heard on WPFW, spoken into a live mic during an equipment check in 1976. All rights reserved. Now, a faction of supporters is petitioning Pacifica to fire Hughes, who must implement his changes, move the station, win back the confidence of his volunteer and paid staffs, and convince listeners that WPFW deserves their money, even though no ones sure what the stations schedule will look like in a few weeks. Not mentioned was the fact that when WMAL management first announced it was dropping his show in 1979, the outcry in letters and phone calls was so overwhelming that the station kept him on the air with a public apology, including advertisements on Metro buses. WPFW faced other challenges in 2013, but new managers and their positive attitude instill the programmers with confidence that the jazz shows will continue. But even then, because fundraising covered only a fraction of the costs and Pacificas bylaws wouldnt let stations accept any kind of corporate underwriting, the foundation footed some of the bill for years. One highlight was a visit by Charles Mingus. Gloria Minnot (sp) was one of my favorite programmers. Father Timothy Healey, president of the university, sold the license to the University of the District of Columbia for one dollar. document.getElementById('cloak9275').innerHTML += '' + addy9275+'<\/a>'; Hearing his voice was always a guarantee that Id hear an old favorite or a new release or if I was lucky, a combination of both! General Manager John Hughes defends his programming changes on the air at WPFW. Williams returned with his Japanese wife to the states, and Miyuki, a self-described Japanese-Afro-American, was born in Philadelphia in 1956. After I had Topper on my show to talk about the jazz performances and other programs at the New Thing, he decided that the organization should have its own radio show. Williams became a professional sound technician for film and won Academy Awards for Glory and Dances with Wolves. var addy_text25885 = 'membership' + '@' + 'wpfw' + '.' + 'org'; Those additions wont be implemented, listeners learned later in the week, until the station has moved. miyuki williams's Tweets. or call 202-588-0999 ext 344. What we do in this business goes to your head and your heart. He understands where the outcry comes from, he said. var addy_text68494 = 'production' + '@' + 'wpfw' + '.' + 'org'; The DJ told the caller, If you think you can do a better job, come on in, and Ill teach you.. It now has a 24-member listener-elected oversight boardall Pacifica stations have since the early 2000sthat is as unruly as just about any experiment in microdemocracy. Melody Gardot, Over the Rainbow, Rick Williams, Evening Drive Jazz: When Pacificas national board confirmed the local boards selectionPhil Watson, a long-time black media activist whod had an early hand in WPFWs foundingPorter denounced the move on his Morning Conversations show, resigning on air. Another programmer on the station was a Georgetown student named Ken Steiner, who got hooked on jazz while attending a Duke Ellington concert on campus and later became an Ellington scholar. AND WE THANK Black Republic Media, an online news and media organization that is reclaiming our story to counter the dehumanizing narratives of settler colonialism.And of course thanks to all of you who came out or otherwise supported our event that honored 125th birthday of Paul Robeson, Earth Day and National Poetry Month! The FCC ruled that commercial stations could not simulcast all of its programming on both AM and FM. Cant recall exactly how started listening. The Bama Hour would become the most popular show on WPFW. Email: shepperd@cua.edu, Chicanas who stepped up to the microphone for the first time were not only hearing their own voices audibly broadcasted over public airwaves, they also were announcing the arrival of a sonically distinct Chicana public sphere.. Your destination for buying luxury property in Voiron, Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes, France. Washington soon got another phone call this time from Williams. I had had a good run at the station, interviewing my heroes and even being honored by the proclamation of Rusty Hassan Day in 1984 by Mayor Marion Barry on the fifteenth anniversary of my show. He convinced the management of WGMS, the classical music station in Washington, that it should air jazz, Americas classical music. Staffers and volunteer programmers at WPFW, the D.C. "jazz and justice" radio station that is also Washington City Paper 's neighbor one floor below, have declared no confidence in the station's. In 1983, just short of his thirtieth anniversary, the station dropped him permanently. Although Tell Me More already airs on WAMU-FM, D.C.s NPR affiliate, at 2 p.m., Hughes envisions it as a WPFW tent post. Later, there was soul programmer Bobby Bennett, a survivor of the old WOL-AM. Stokes would later edit Jazz Times and publish four books on the music. 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. Theres a whole universe of them. 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. Downloads are convenient, but background and appreciation for the music is lacking. My favorite show, however, was with a retired letter carrier, cab driver, and pianist who played only for family and friends, my wife, Sondras, father. Miyuki Williams Profiles | Facebook Privacy Policy WPFWs deficit is small enoughbetween $150,000 and $200,000, Hughes saysthat its easy to imagine a few sponsors making up the difference. 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. The station was shut down for a few months in 1976 and finally ceased broadcasting on January 29, 1979. document.getElementById('cloak39617').innerHTML = ''; Terms & Conditions Martin was asked to stick to music, he says, and contribute news to Morning Brew. Hughes, who had been chief operating officer of Howard Universitys TV station WHUT, came on in 2011. 1888PressRelease) March 01, 2012 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 mobilized the more than 150 volunteer DJ's in the intricate 'Buddy System' The objective is to create effective on-air pairings of programmers to 'pitch' together . The weekly cumulative listenership climbed into the low six figures in the early 1980s. The New Website For Concerned Members and Supporters of WPFW, 89.3 FM, wpfwfm.org, jazz and justice radio in the nation's capital, Washington. By mid-decade the lineup included Bill McLaurin, Whitmore John, Steve Metalitz, Tim Masters, and later Candy Shannon. 360, This email address is being protected from spambots. Readers of our three print editions pick up more than 179,000 copies each month at more than 2,000 distribution sites. Miyuki Williams Email & Phone Number - Wpfw | ZoomInfo Worried that the anti-Pacifica invective could turn obscene or libelous, Watson had engineer Bob Daughtry instruct techs at WPFWs transmitter at American University to pull the plug. She related the conversation to her listeners on Sunday, leaving out the offending credit card language. I miss and reminisce those days. Its like CIA handbook, to neutralize the station. DC Black Fathers Matter Project. var addy29915 = 'sjoyner' + '@'; Everyone agrees that WPFWPFW to its most loyal listenershas to change. Local Station Board Chairman Tony Norman listens to complaints from listeners and programmers outside the studio. A DJ looks back on 50 years on jazz radio in the nation's capital READ on for inf. WPFW Listen Live - 89.3 MHz FM, Washington, United States | Online 202-588-0999 ext. Required fields are marked *. Who the hell wants Cornel West on this station? demanded Jay Winter, standing outside the Adams Morgan building where he hosts the self-described most dangerous show on radio. He had found out that week that his 7 p.m. Friday program about native peoples, The Nightwolf Show, would move soon to the much less dangerous hour of 1 p.m. Its a setup for The Nightwolf Show to fail, Winter said that afternoon of Friday, Nov. 30, citing his online listenership west of the Mississippi. Food News Democracy Now! //--> The Bama Hour was so popular that WPFW gave him another show featuring jazz on Sunday afternoons called The Other Side of the Bama. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; Hi Christine, you can buy the book here: https://www.amazon.com/DC-Jazz-Stories-Music-Washington/dp/1626165890, Your email address will not be published. HEAR William T. Newman Jr. interviewed by Miyuki Williams on WPFW 89.3 FM's "Sunday Kind of Love." SEE photos from the Avant Bard production. The Best in Jazz Radio | Open Sky Jazz Regards, Find fun, interesting, informative things to do Or post your upcoming event on our website! journalism. A lot of creative people, a lot of ideas, a lot of churning.. It is open to the public and. Arbitron figures routinely rank WPFW in the high 20s among local radio stations. I was mostly drawn to the Caribbean & African music. licenses, a crash course in interview technique and expanded my appreciation of constructive criticism. The ensuing letter campaign supporting my show did not change the decision of WAMU management. Currently, Miyuki lives in Washington, DC. DC. Hockey The 1990s were PFWs best years. Washington also benefited from the addition of three new FM stations in the 1970s that featured jazz: WHUR, WETA, and WPFW. There will be an 89.3 FM, there will be a product on these airwaves whether its Pacifica or its WPFW or whether its jazz and justice or whether its NPR liteI believe itll be something awesome, I hope it will. In 1980, an anti-proliferation program included a War of the Worlds-style simulated nuclear attackone which some listeners believed was real, according to a 1981 Post article. But in the final analysis our visions about radio are different. Jazzing up the Radio: Maintaining Tradition | District of Columbia I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say covered traditional jazz, while Since Mintons featured bebop and beyond. To Hughes, whos led the nonprofit WPFW for nearly two years, the solution is running a station of musical obsessives and anti-establishmentarians more like a businesswhich means, in his telling, crafting a less jarring programming schedule that he hopes will bring a bigger audience and fill the stations coffers with more donations. Suddenly, D.C.s community station would feature new shows from San Francisco, Los Angeles, New Yorkand most heretically, in the eyes of some stakeholders, from mainstream organizations like National Public Radio and Public Radio International and personalities like West, Tavis Smiley, and Michel Martin. I met long-time WPFW programmer Jamal Muhammed at a concert at Fort DuPont, where we both introduced Ahmad Jamal. community.". WE THANK: Environmental Justice Health Alliance, which advocates for communities that are disproportionately impacted by toxic chemicals from legacy contamination, ongoing exposure to polluting facilities and health-harming chemicals in household products. Mumble Sauce, About Us Much of WPFWs current upheaval centers on how you define the stations community. document.getElementById('cloak25885').innerHTML = ''; (We had a very good relationship and very good conversations about radio, Hill says of his former boss. Discover your dream home among our modern houses, penthouses and villas. jtemplate.ru - free extensions for joomla, Daniel Ellsberg Warns Risk of Nuclear War Is Rising as Tension Mounts over Ukraine & Taiwan, After Terminal Cancer Diagnosis, Daniel Ellsberg Reflects on Leaking Pentagon Papers & His Legacy, "Provocative & Dangerous": Biden to Send Nuclear-Armed Subs to South Korea as Activists Demand Peace, "Courage Is Contagious": Zooey Zephyr & Justin Jones on the GOP's Silencing of State Lawmakers, This meeting is open to the public and will be held by, This meeting is hybrid. Hughes says research by the Radio Research Consortium shows its largely over 55. But I was depressed until Edith Smith, general manager of WDCU, called, offering me airtime on Sunday afternoons. She was an incredible artist who was incited to become an activist because of the killing of four little girls in a Birmingham churchShe sacrificed for the greater good.. WPFW plays a mix of jazz, Latin jazz, blues, and world music. document.getElementById('cloak29915').innerHTML += '' + addy29915+'<\/a>'; Film/TV His detractors say listenership and fundraising would be higher with better marketing and that there are too many pledge drives, leading to donor fatigue; they criticize Hughes for not seeking other revenue streams. In 1976 I participated in getting a new station on the air as part of the Pacifica Network that would play jazz, blues, and world music. Where is the book. //-->, This email address is being protected from spambots. . Morris was the first musician I interviewed on the air. Over 50 or love someone who is? Washington, are you serious? We know that Miyuki is single at this point. Williams, 64, chooses mostly timeless jazz for her sessions, with some exceptions. The underground format would become a feature of commercial FM stations such as WHFS. Hughes said WPFW needed to expand its audienceto bring in younger audiences and respond and adjust with respect to social media. In an earlier conversation, hed told me the regions changing demographics required that the station evolve. There was some community opposition to the sale, but not enough to stop the sale, and the station went off the air in 1997. We also mail copies to subscribers throughout the United States. This comprehensive, searchable directory covers She added that I would start the same weekend as Felix Grant, who would be hosting a show on Saturdays. Jo Reed heard her literary show On the Margin was gone after her final broadcast. The decade of the nineties was one of friendly rivalry between WDCU and WPFW. 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. Miyuki Williams Sunday Kind Of Love Donnie McKethan American Songbook Larry Appelbaum / Reuben Jackson Sound of Surprise Jim Byers Latin Flavor Classic Edition Daniel del Pielago Pa'Lante Tony Carr This is Reggae Music Time Artist Song Title Album Label Andre Radio Andy The Reggae Experience Time Artist Song Title Album Label But Hughes maintains that the new schedule is in line with the stations historic values while pushing the limits of its audience. The show is now three hours. //--> Greg Sashi Kearse (former jazz columnist at Howard University, Afro-American Newspaper), Hi Greg, sorry that we didnt previously provide a link. 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. The university sold the license to C-SPAN to close a budget gap for $13 million. Bowsers Car-Centric Design Changes Have United Advocates Behind K Street Transitway Cuts, MPD Chief Robert Contee to Retire, Take FBI Job. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. District Line Daily: Our news, politics, arts, food, and sports coverage in one email every weekday. Hughes looked haggard as he stepped out of the studioweathered, unshaven. But an on-air discussion with the director Topper Carew had a major impact on my broadcasting career. On a station-sponsored cruise, I hung out with Jay McShann, Clark Terry, and my friend Yale Lewis. No showdown at WPFW had been as dramatic as the events of 1993, nor has any since. On Nov. 30, a few hours after General Manager John Hughes used a previously scheduled appearance on the air to defend the changeshe also apologized for the impolitic rolloutthat discontent spilled into the streets, with about a dozen programmers and listeners gathering outside to find out what, exactly, was happening to their station. The bigger hurdle is Pacificas fundamentally broken model. On Saturday, June 2, from 1 p.m.-3 p.m., we will host "Jazz FM: Maintaining Tradition," a presentation on jazz music and history in the D.C. and Baltimore areas.With help from veteran broadcasters Miyuki Williams of WPFW-FM and George "Doc" Manning of WEAA-FM, we will explore the media's role in jazz preservation as Williams and Manning share their on-air and off-air experiences on presenting . I agree. var addy25885 = 'membership' + '@'; 700 V ST NW Washington, DC 20001 (202)462-3700: Uncle Julio's Rio Grand Cafe Bethesda Row 4870 Bethesda Ave. Bethesda, MD 20814 301-656-2981 www.unclejulios.com Under the . //