WDIY Celebrates Public Radio Music Month

will participate in Public Radio Music Month, a month long celebration in April 2012 highlighting the invaluable role played by public radio stations in supporting music. 

The initiative will link together public radio stations in communities across the United States. Stations will highlight local events, interviews, performances and other programming elements.

“WDIY and other public radio stations are an integral part of the local music economy,” said Bill Dautremont-Smith, Executive Director of WDIY. “We provide a unique and increasingly rare platform for new performers and serve as a staging ground for musical discovery. Public Radio Music Month is an opportunity for us to showcase some of the great work that stations like ours do every day in preserving America’s musical traditions and fostering and nurturing the development of music talent.”

Across the country, public radio music sounds like:

• Nationally, more than 180 public radio stations have full-time music formats and another 400 or more play music as part of their programming lineups.
• A recent study of the public radio system found that 1 in 3 listening hours was to music.
• On the whole, local public radio stations air nearly 5 million hours of music per year, the majority of which is local programming.
• WDIY provides 123 hours a week of locally-produced music programming including classical, folk, jazz, blues, adult alternative and world music.

As part of Public Radio Music Month, WDIY will feature the following events and performances:

• An interview with 1960s iconic singer-songwriter Melanie, airing as part of Folk Classics, 7-9pm on Monday, April 2 with host Steve Aaronson.
• Allentown roots rockers, Steve Brosky and Jimmy Meyer will join host Mike Space on The Blend, Tuesday, April 3 at 3pm, for an in-studio performance and “guest DJ” set.
• Jazz pianist and bandleader Dave Leonhardt, joins host Jim Waldrop for a live in-studio interview on April 9 during Milestones, 9-11pm.
• Diane Wittry, maestra of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra, joins host Waldemar Vinovskis for an interview during Morning Classics on Friday, April 13 at 10am.
• A re-broadcast of a 2006 WDIY studio performance by Bethany & Rufus and Peter Yarrow as part of Folk Classics on Monday, April 16 at 7pm.
• David Jacobs-Strain, acoustic blues guitarist & vocalist singer-songwriter, will perform live on The Blend on Friday April 20 at 3pm with host Carlos Benjamin.
• NEA Jazz Fellow, saxophonist, bandleader, composer and educator Dave Liebman, will be a live guest with host Bill Dautremont-Smith on Monday April 30, during Milestones, 9-11pm as part of International Day of Jazz.
• Additional interviews and in-studio performances throughout the entire month.