VANCOUVER, Wash. – Re-Imagined Radio’s February episode pays tribute to Black History Month and the radio series "Destination Freedom," which focused on the democratic traditions and cultural contributions of Black Americans.
The premier broadcast and live stream will air at 1 p.m. Feb. 21 on KXRW-FM, Vancouver, and KXRY-FM, Portland. Subsequent broadcasts and streams will be provided by local, regional and international broadcast partners.
Broadcast nationwide on the NBC network by Chicago’s WMAQ from 1948 to 1950, "Destination Freedom" was written by Richard Durham, editor of The Chicago Defender. Each weekly episode used powerful radio storytelling to work against the discriminatory traditions and stereotypes faced by Blacks in American history, arts and culture. Durham’s work established the footholds for later civil and human rights movements.
Re-Imagined Radio’s “Destination Freedom Tribute” will focus on music, with excerpts from two episodes of the series, one featuring composer W.C. Handy and the other trumpeter Louis Armstrong.
“'Destination Freedom' is an important radio series for its portrayal of Black Americans and their history in the radio medium,” said John Barber, faculty member of the Creative Media and Digital Culture Program at WSU Vancouver, and producer and host of Re-Imagined Radio.
Radio Re-imagined premieres episodes on the third Monday of the month on KXRW-FM and KXRY-FM. In addition, every Sunday, an episode of Re-Imagined Radio is broadcast on KXRW only, drawing from previously broadcast episodes. Episodes can be streamed on demand from the Re-Imagined Radio website, www.reimaginedradio.net.
Community Partners
Re-Imagined Radio draws on community voice actors, Foley artists, musicians, sound artists and engineers. Partners include KXRW-FM, Marc Rose, Martin John Gallagher, Holly Slocum Design, and Regina Carol Social Media Management.
About Re-Imagined Radio
Re-Imagined Radio was begun by Barber in 2013 to celebrate radio storytelling. “We select, produce and perform stories across a spectrum of radio genres, from dramas to comedies, from oral to aural histories, from documentaries to fictions, from soundscapes to sonic journeys, from radio to sound art,” Barber said.
About WSU Vancouver
WSU Vancouver is in the homeland of Chinookan and Taidnapam peoples and the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. As one of six campuses of the WSU system, WSU Vancouver offers big-school resources in a small-school environment. The university provides affordable, high-quality baccalaureate- and graduate-level education to benefit the people and communities it serves. As the only four-year research university in Southwest Washington, WSU Vancouver helps drive economic growth through relationships with local businesses and industries, schools and nonprofit organizations.
# # #
MEDIA CONTACT
Brenda Alling, Office of Marketing and Communication, 360-546-9601, brenda_alling@wsu.edu