Basically their transmitter was on one of the WTC towers, and since then, they've gotten into serious debt getting their station up-and-running again, and are in danger of losing their station.
Go to www.wkcr.org to help.
I don't know how many people here are familiar with it, but I have never found a station remotely like it. For one thing, it's the best goddamn jazz station by far -- they do day-long celebrations of performers like Max Roach, Ornette Coleman, Bix Biederbecke, Lester Young, Thelonious Monk, not to mention a 10-day festival of John Coltrane in which, among other things, his complete discography is played. There's also plenty of focus on underrepresented jazz figures from every age, interviews, in-depth (almost to much, sometimes) musical analysis.
In addition to jazz, their classical programming is also much more sophisticated than any other station I've heard, including a 10-day Bach festivals. They're also the only station I know that gives extensive attention to contemporary/avant-garde composers, and not just the ones cited by indie-rock flavor of the month x.
There are also great shows focusing on outlaw country, rare soul and funk, hip-hop, salsa, and much more.
This sounds cheesy, I know. I'm not in any way affiliated with the station, I've just been an avid fan and don't want to see it die.
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/wkcr/
― Hurting (Hurting), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 03:36 (twenty-one years ago)
i really hope they've got a good development strategy, otherwise they're going to need a HUGE influx of small gifts to stay afloat.
[sorry, day job talking out loud]
― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 03:50 (twenty-one years ago)
I am worried about them though -- they don't regularly do fundraisers (for what reason I'm not sure) and this is sort of an emergency for them. The radio announcers sound desparate.
― Hurting (Hurting), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 03:52 (twenty-one years ago)
its not necessarily a development position, but it is a huge bulk of my job.
― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 03:56 (twenty-one years ago)
they probably do fundraisers but not of the on-air telethon type, probably more like sending out letters to current donors and whatnot..
as its affiliated with a university, they may have someone in columbia's central development office overseeing the fundraising efforts.
― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 03:58 (twenty-one years ago)
still, if people can spare any amount of cash, i highly recommend they do so. plus, you'll get a nice tax deduction and the satisfaction of being a rock'n'roll philantropist.
― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 04:01 (twenty-one years ago)
Yeah, I made a small contribution. I wish I hadn't given my money to the cash-rich NY NPR station so I could sent that to WKCR too.
― Hurting (Hurting), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 04:10 (twenty-one years ago)
ten years pass...
Seriously annoying situation, and it meant that (among other things) the Paul Bley memorial broadcast and the Max Roach birthday broadcast couldn't be heard outside of NYC metro.
Not the way to treat the first station to broadcast the Sputnik signal (on tape, but still).
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Saturday, 16 January 2016 20:57 (ten years ago)