Today, KEXP is announcing a series of upcoming changes to our radio programming lineup, including the addition of three new weekly specialty shows, and a new host for Early. A new KEXP radio lineup will premiere on Wednesday, September 13th.
The new shows we’re adding include programs focusing on modern Indigenous music from around the world, the music of Asia, the Pacific, and the Asian diaspora, and a cross-genre exploration of psych music. All three shows are seeking inaugural hosts now, and we encourage anyone interested to view the job listings and apply at kexp.org/jobs. See more details on these new shows in the FAQ below.
In addition to the new shows, we’re also thrilled to announce that Eva Walker, current KEXP variety mix and Audioasis host and lead singer/guitarist for the band The Black Tones, will take over from Gabriel Teodros on Early, weekday mornings, 5-7 AM.
Listeners may know that Gabriel announced his decision to depart the station in late June, driven by a desire to spend more time on his own music and education work. Following that announcement, Eva was asked to come aboard as his replacement. Of course, there’s no replacing the irreplaceable, and we’ll miss Gabriel’s energy on the air as well as his contributions behind the scenes as Associate Music Director. And we’re incredibly excited to hear where Eva takes the show!
To make room for new programming, the station has also announced the retirement of three current programs - Swingin’ Doors, Friday Night, and Preachin’ the Blues. Michele Myers, host of Friday Night, and Johnny Horn, host of Preachin’ the Blues, will stay on with the station in other capacities. Don Yates, host of Swingin’ Doors, announced his retirement from his role as on-air host and Music Director in early 2023. With Don’s transition already underway, the station embraced the opportunity to bring some under-represented musical perspectives to the air.
Several current KEXP hosts are also making moves on the schedule. These moves include:
KEXP’s Chief Programming Officer Chris Kellogg shared this statement about how and why these changes were made:
"While we are fortunate to have such a strong mission guiding us, decisions like this one are not made overnight. The process leading up to this decision involved years of work, and constant conversation about what we’re doing and what we’re not doing. We have regular discussions within the organization, with volunteers, with partners, and with our audience about how well we’re adhering to our programming principles and where we’re falling short; who is being featured and who is missing. While we are sad to have to make the tough choice to retire some wonderful shows, we are incredibly excited about the coming changes to the radio lineup and the impact our new hosts and shows will have on KEXP and our listeners."
We will share additional information and details about the new radio lineup in the coming weeks, aiming for mid-late August. This will include full details about when new shows will air, as well as some additional changes to specialty show air times. As recruitment for new hosts continues, we also look forward to your feedback and ideas about this new lineup. We encourage listeners and community members to share their thoughts at feedback@kexp.org.
Q: What are the new shows? What kind of music can we expect to hear on these new shows?
A: We have three new shows, which will begin airing this fall. They are:
Global Indigenous Show (name TBD) - Indigenous Peoples are those whose connection to a land goes back before colonization, and in most cases as far back as time itself. This show is a weekly two-hour program focused on music from Indigenous artists throughout time and space, with an emphasis on the newest sounds from the many worlds of Indigenous music.
Psych Show (name TBD) - Originating out of the 60s rock and folk scenes, Psych has been one of the most interesting and exciting sets of subgenres to emerge in the last century, driven forward by artists like Jimi Hendrix, The 13th Floor Elevators, Kikagaku Moyo, Alice Coltrane, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Shabazz Palaces, Vieux Farka Touré, and many more. What is Psych? Does the music make you lose track of time? Does it take you away on a stream of sound? Does it bend over on itself and make you question your state of mind? Dive into the reverb ocean and float away for 3 hours of psychedelic sounds on (show name TBD).
Music from Asia & the Asian diaspora (Name TBD) - This show is meant to bring Asian voices and music to the center of KEXP’s programming each week by highlighting and celebrating rich musical histories along with the newest releases from across Asia, The Pacific, and the diaspora. It’s a mix of building connections at home in the Pacific Northwest and simultaneously spanning the globe. True to KEXP’s programming, it will feature the newest music from Asian communities around the world alongside the music that inspired today’s sounds.
Q: When are the new shows going to air?
A: We’ll have more to share about this soon! As we make the final decisions related to our new set of shows, we’ll be sharing more detail on the full scope of the new KEXP lineup in the coming weeks, aiming for mid-late August. The new KEXP radio schedule will debut on Wednesday, September 13th, but we’ll give our listeners plenty of advance notice about what exactly to expect when that happens.
Q: If I think I’d be a good host for one of the new shows, how can I apply?
A: Awesome! We can’t wait to hear from you. You can find out more and apply at KEXP.ORG/jobs.
Q: Who made these choices? Who was consulted?
A: As a mission-based nonprofit, we seek to foster an ongoing dialogue about how well we’re sticking with our mission, our vision for making the world better through music, and the principles behind our programming philosophy. This involves many conversations with listeners, staff, artists, volunteers, and other stakeholders, and it is a constant part of our work. Through that process, members of our programming leadership team gradually arrived at a consensus decision for the next phase of KEXP radio. Ultimately, the final decision was made by Chief Programming Officer Chris Kellogg, with unanimous support from the other programming directors.
With this announcement, we are hopeful that we will continue to hear input and feedback, which will help give the final shape to this change and future changes. We’re fully open to hearing this feedback from staff, volunteers, listeners, donors, and especially members of the music communities we are seeking to celebrate.
Q: I think something about your new shows or your new lineup should be a little different than what you’re describing. How can I voice that?
A: We’ll be taking input and feedback from listeners, community members, staff, and artists over the next few weeks, which will help us as we take the final steps in shaping our new programming. Send your thoughts and suggestions to feedback@kexp.org and we’ll make sure they reach the right people.
Q: Why retire Preachin’ the Blues?
A: PTB has been a leading feature of our weekend lineup and listeners’ Sunday routines for many years, and we know that this change will be felt as a significant loss by many fans of the show. Johnny has been an incredible host for all of his years at KEXP, and we thank him for that service – but we’re happy to report that Johnny has agreed to stay on as a fill-in host for the Roadhouse and potentially other specialty shows as well. Ultimately, we came to recognize that the blues is a genre that has really high-quality representation elsewhere on the radio dial in Seattle, including at some great noncommercial stations who share KEXP’s commitment to music discovery. The end of this show opens the door to the beginning for new ones, with an opportunity to go into more depth in a wider range of genres and more fully serve our mission like only KEXP can.
Q: Why retire Friday Night?
A: Friday Night with Michele Myers has brought a high-energy infusion of joy and celebration to KEXP each week. Retiring this show should not be seen as a reflection of the quality and depth of curation that Michele has brought to the airwaves, and we are looking forward to continuing to hear her mix in a new time slot. As we have developed new shows over the past few years, it has become more and more clear that some under-explored genres and shows have earned a brighter spotlight. That’s what we’re doing in changing up the mix on Fridays. DJ Michele Myers is looking forward to hosting the KEXP at Night variety mix, Tuesdays at 10 PM.
Q: Why retire Swingin’ Doors?
A: With Don stepping away from his full-time job as KEXP’s Music Director and his part-time gig hosting a radio show, we have decided to take this opportunity to turn a page and do something new with the Thursday evening timeslot that has been home to Swingin’ Doors for more than a decade. We remain committed to playing music represented in the Swingin’ Doors playlist during our variety mix hours as well as during specific specialty shows, such as the Roadhouse.
Q: Why did you choose to do a psych show?
A: First of all, we want to be clear that we don’t really think of psych as a genre, but rather a subset of music that exists across many genres – and we’re definitely not just talking about psych rock specifically. We see psych as a point of view on music that is expansive rather than narrowing, and that allows us to explore across genres and traditions while remaining focused on a specific music perspective or vibe. It will offer a great chance to embrace experimentation and curiosity in many ways, and we’re looking forward to seeing where this trip takes us.
Q: Why did you choose to lump all of Asia and the Pacific into one musical category?
A: We’re very aware of the potential pitfalls of celebrating an entire continent’s music with one show, and aware that there will be a burden of representation falling on the future host for this program that will need to be addressed. At the same time, we have learned something about curating a show like this from our heritage month programming, as well as our experience with shows like El Sonido. We are hopeful that, as with El Sonido and a range of culture-specific programming presented on a less-regular basis, this new show will have an impact on the depth of curation across the dial. We’re also looking with a great deal of intention into how we can make sure the curation on this program represents the perspective of more than one specific person or culture.
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