By Kayt |
Radio in the Midwest: One Station That Gets It Right!
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Michael Packer is the Station Manager of WYCE radio in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a very innovative, non-commercial independent station that is a fine example of what radio in America SHOULD be! And in credit to the station’s fine musical taste, when asked “You do actually play Red Elvises’ music, right?” Michael replied with an enthusiastic: “Yes, we do play their music!” No matter where you live you can give WYCE a listen online by clicking here! |
Red Pages: Hello Michael, and welcome to the Red Pages!
Michael Packer: WYCE is honored to be profiled on the Red Pages...
RP: Where is WYCE located?
MP: WYCE is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan and broadcasts at 7,000 watts
on 88.1FM.
RP: How long has the station existed? Can you give us a brief history?
MP: [The station] has existed in its current form for 15 years. prior to
that WYCE was a small 100 watt station that was part of a local community
education program and was designed to teach people about careers in radio.
WYCE was purchased by the Community Media Center when the community
education program got out of the radio business. Subsequently it became a
1,000 watt station and, two years ago, leaped to 7,000 watts. There are three
staff members on the station and 75 volunteers programming the music. WYCE
is non-profit, community radio for West Michigan. We get no funding from
government or the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. We are solely funded
through listeners, local businesses and special fund-raising activities.
RP: What type of music does the station play? What’s a typical
day's playlist like?
MP: WYCE plays an eclectic mix of folk, blues, jazz, rock and
worldbeat music 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The library consists of
around 10,000 CDs and 2,000 pieces of vinyl. We teach Programmer classes
twice a year. Programmers are allowed to create their own show utilizing the
library. The only caveat is that it must be a mix of the five aforementioned
genres and within those genres, a mix of sub-genres (for instance - Blues
has acoustic, electric, gospel, R & B, Soul, Divas, et al. Rock has
contemporary, pop, zydeco, surf, esoteric, et al). WYCE supports local
non-profit organizations through blood drives, swinging hammers for our
local Habitat for Humanity, on-air PSAs and interviews and a variety of
other ways. WYCE also presents numerous concerts with national artists each
month, including FREE shows where we pass a hat for local charities.
Concerts include the five genres and you might be able to catch anything from
Steve Earle to John Scofield to Peter Mulvey to Ottmar Liebert to Omar & The
Howlers to Dirty Dozen Brass Band to Donna the Buffalo to Candye Kane to
Brooks Williams to Hothouse Flowers to Liquid Soul etc, etc, etc... Oh -
and, of course RED ELVISES!!!!!!
RP: How did you first hear of and get interested in Red
Elvises?
MP: I first heard of Red Elvises while working at our local NPR affiliate and
receiving a promotional copy of "I Wanna See You Belly Dance." (What is
that? 1998?). Red Pages’ Interviewer’s Note: Yes, that would be the year and song
that got me into them too!
RP: What about the band do you like best?
MP: What do I like best about the band? I am, of course, tempted to say the
shoes. But I think it's a combination of musical prowess and the sense of
humor the guys bring to their music and shows. Their musical abilities are
superb and they have a hell of a lot of fun in the process!
RP: What do you think of Red Elvises' new (2003) lineup and sound?
MP: I like the new line up and sound!!! While still a fan of Zhenya's guitar
playing I think the new band embraces a more fun-time, energetic Las Vegas
schtick approach to the performances, while retaining great musicianship!
Having just seen the new line-up for the first time a week ago - and
approaching the show with a tad of hesitation - I can say that I was
extremely impressed and would recommend the new band to anyone!
RP: Do you have any suggestions for getting other stations to play Red
Elvises' music?
MP: Getting other stations to play Red Elvises.... I hate to admit it, but
the industry I'm in is driven by corporate goliaths (Clear Channel, et al)
and is a bastion of derivative crap…
Red Pages’ Interviewer’s Note: I heartily agree!
MP: …The Red Elvises are almost too good for most radio! I think the pocket for Red Elvises is in non-commercial, independent stations. The Red Elvises need to find someone to work radio service to these stations. When I first arrived at WYCE the library had NO Red Elvises, simply because they were not serviced with their CDs. I brought in "Belly Dance" one day and the phones lit up when I played it. As a result, I pursued secret agent Vladimir to book a gig and get service on the rest of their product. The Red Elvises should send a catalogue of their product to every receptive non-com in the country!
With our radio support and our listeners’ faith in the type of shows we put on (they're willing to take chances on unknown acts) we've had close to 600 people at one of our Red Elvises shows. More stations like us could help increase their fan base; we're a member of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters...
Red Pages Interviewer’s Note: Michael was gracious enough to offer to check on getting me a list of associate members of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters. In the meantime you can visit the Federation’s website for some interesting browsing and see if your state or city has a non-commercial radio station that might be persuaded to play Red Elvises! (If you contact any stations, remember to do so with courtesy and respect, of course. Keep in mind that not all of them will have the right format to play Red Elvises and that most will probably not be anywhere near as cool as WYCE).
RP: What can Red Elvises fans do to help support WYCE, a station with
the good taste to promote Our Favorite Band?
MP: Red Elvises fans can support WYCE by listening online, contributing funds (if possible)
and coming to our concerts. I've met Ron and Linda and other RE fans who have traveled to
Grand Rapids for Red Elvises shows. Red Elvises fans are the best.... We'll have the guys
back in the fall, so take a trip to West Michigan to see your favorite band.
RP: Any last words?
MP: Again, we're honored by the inclusion and are honored to be able to support
Red Elvises! Many thanks to you and all involved with the band!