African Music Radio Programs

Streaming Live African Music from the Pacific Northwest:

	Los Angeles	New York
Day of the Week	Pacific Time	Eastern Time	Program	Station
Monday	6pm - 9pm	9pm - Midnight	Best Ambiance	KEXP
Thursday	2:30pm - 4pm	5:30pm - 7pm	Africa O-Ye!	KBOO
Thursday	7pm - 9pm	10pm - Midnight	Music of Africa	KBCS
Saturday	2pm - 4pm	5pm - 7pm	Music of Africa (rebroadcast of Thursday show)	African Internet Radio

Seattle Area African Music Radio Programs

African pop music has had a home on Seattle non-commercial radio since the 1970s. Although not devoted to solely to African music, KRAB-FM was the early pioneer having several shows touching on African themes, including music. In June, 1984, Jon Kertzer started one of the first feature programs of African music in the US with his two hour weekly show, The Best Ambiance, on KCMU. The program has been running continuously ever since on KCMU and KCMU's successor, KEXP. Jon is back as the host of Best Ambiance with Doug Paterson filling in about every fourth week.

Today, the Seattle area has five hours of African music programs weekly on two public stations, plus considerable exposure of African music within regular programming (on public radio) throughout the week.

The weekly Seattle African music schedule:

The Best Ambiance, hosted by Jon Kerzter and Doug Paterson.
Mondays, 6 - 9pm Pacific time zone (0200-0500 GMT Tuesdays), 90.3 FM--KEXP Seattle. This station has the best streaming audio options anywhere plus they retain a two week archive of The Best Ambiance.
Music of Africa, hosted by Doug Paterson.
Thursdays, 7pm - 9pm Pacific time, 91.3 FM--KBCS Bellevue/Seattle. Streaming with live playlist. Archived playlists and last two programs archived here. Playlists also emailed by subscription request.
Send information about stations and programs having significant African music content to DPaterson@aol.com. I will mention them and link them here.

NOTE: The listings below for African Music Radio in North America are now badly out of date. Many of them are still correct. However, a number of shows have changed day and time and others are no longer being produced. I'm in the process of updating the entire list. If you know of African music programs in the US or Canada (or Mexico for that matter) that are not on my list, please drop me a note -- Doug 21 February, 2010.

African Music Radio in North America:
Nearly all of these stations offer online streaming of the programs.

Saturday

Kumekucha Saturday mornings from 8-9am ET (5-6am PT); streaming audio from Penn State University on The Lion 90.7FM, WKPS, State College, PA. From Durham, NC; World Music Grab Bag on WXDU, 88.7 FM. It's heard Saturdays 1-3pm ET (10am -noon PT) and live on the web.
KGNU Boulder CO (88.5FM) presents African Roots Saturdays 6-8pm ET (3-5pm PT). Dance to the beat of her jungles, streets and townships: jitjive, Rai, Soukous, African jazz, Mbnaqanga and Afro-Caribbean rhythms. Afrodisia with Joe de Cordoba, Jill Rosenbloom and Bill Nyerges.
Afro-Dicia (well developed program website), Saturdays, 6-8pm ET (3-5pm PT), KPFK 90.7FM, Los Angeles. Host: Nnamdi Moweta. Live stream from KPFK.org and rebroadcast 24/7 on afrodicia.com.
African Rhythms can be heard Saturdays, 6-8pm ET (3-5pm PT) on WFSS 91.9 Fayetteville, NC. It's hosted by Joe Ross and Nosa Obanor.Saturdays, 6-8pm ET (3-5pm PT), Mustapha hosts African Sounds on WHCR 90.3 (City College of New York in Harlem).
World Journey with The Goddess or Rodger, Wizard of 'OZ, 5-7pm ET (2-4pm PT) on WWOZ 90.7 New Orleans.
Oh Africa radio program Saturdays from 8:30 - 10:00pm ET (5:30-7pm PT). CJSW 90.9FM Calgary Alberta Canada.
Africa and World Beat with DJ Lovey airs every Saturday evening, 8-midnight ET (5-9pm PT), on WEAA 88.9FM Baltimore. Check station homepage for streaming availability.
Sunday

In New York City, Kola Nut presents World Beat, 6-8am ET (3-5am PT) Sundays on WLIB 1090AM. "The best in music and information from the African continent."

On 90.7FM WUVT, Blacksburg Virginia, you can hear DJ Lo on African Voice from 2-3:30pm ET (11am-12:30pm PT). Try the Java player to listen live.

Every Sunday afternoon from 4-6 pm ET (1-3pm PT) on WNCU radio (90.7 FM), Senegalese native Bouna Ndiaye hosts Bonjour Africa, a radio program dedicated to the music of Africa.
Sundays, 6-8pm ET (3-5pm PT), Michael Stohr & Nadine McNulty host Karibuni, "a musical journey around the continent of Africa, listen to the classics and the latest hits, hear interviews with artists and get news and information on the local African music scene ... in Toronto." CIUT 89.5 FM, University of Toronto, Ontario
From Richmond, Virginia, you'll hear Ambiance Congo from 3pm-5pm ET (Noon-2pm PT) on WRIR, Richmond Indie Radio, hosted by David Noyes. The program alternates each Sunday with Charles Williams', The Other Black Music You Don't Get To Hear On Richmond Radio
Africa Kabisa, a program of comtemporary African pop music, airs from Cambridge, MA on WMBR 88.1FM on Sundays, 4 - 6pm ET (1-3pm PT). "Since 1992, we have been sharing the vibrant sounds of contemporary and classic African music with the Boston area and beyond." Africa Kabisa is hosted and produced by DJ Julia Goldrosen and co-hosted by Cyriaque Puemi Sukam. There is a streaming archive of the show which features the last two programs aired (and sometimes more).
Motherland Influence Sundays 5:00-7:00pm ET (2pm-4pm PT). Richmond Indie Radio (WRIR) hosed by Charles Williams and David Noyes.
Africa Media Collective hosts an African current affairs and discussion program, Africa Now, every Sunday night from 9-10pm ET (6-7pm PT) on WPFW 89.3 FM (Pacifica Radio) Washington DC

Sunday/Monday
Following Africa Now from 10pm to midnight Eastern time (7-9pm PT), Kofi Dompere presents African Rhythms on WPFW 89.3 FM (Pacifica Radio) Washington DC. Also contains an excellent 20 minute African news roundup.
Spirits of Congo Square with Uncle L on WWOZ 90.7 New Orleans, 8-10pm CT (9-11pm ET, 6-8pm PT).

Monday

The Best Ambiance, hosted by Jon Kerzter and Doug Paterson. Mondays, 9pm - 12 midnight ET (6-9pm PT), 90.3 FM--KEXP Seattle. This station has the best streaming audio options anywhere plus they retain a two week archive of The Best Ambiance.
Georgia Tech's 91.1 WREK, Atlanta, Georgia presents Sub-Saharan Vibes every Monday, 9-10pm ET (6-7pm PT). Description: "STILL NOT AN AFRO-POP SHOW! King Sunny Ade, Fela, Miriam Makeba, Master Drummers of Dagbon, people whose names we don't even know. From the modern to the ancient. Your hosts try to prove that African Music really is a 'Vast Sprawling Cornucopia of Sound'!. Fortunately, that's not an especially hard task." Streaming and mp3 of latest show.
From the University of Windsor (Windsor Ontario), Tom Fleming hosts a program "called the Freedom Principle which involves a significant content of African as well as Caribbean and Afro-American styles. The program airs every Monday at 10:00p.m.-12:00 midnight ET (7-9pm PT) on CJAM-FM 91.5 FM. Past programs include Manding Swing, Congolese Rumba, Zimbabwean Liberation, South African Jive Jazz, African Impressionism in American Jazz etc.The philosophy of the program is to see acoustic ensemble music as a world jazz incorporating many styles and rhythms which draw from indigenous sources."
Every weeknight, WPFW 89.3 FM (Pacifica Radio) Washington DC. presents Rhythms of the World, 11:00pm-12:30am ET (8-9:30pm PT). Monday host (with Caribbean flavor, a taste of African): Sidrach Franklin.

Tuesday
Tuesday mornings, 6-8 PT (9-11am ET), basabasa soukous soukous soundz has a great mix of pop music from across Africa coming from McGill University's CKUT 90.3FM. Programs are archived and available for listening on demand, download and podcasting.
Every weeknight, WPFW 89.3 FM (Pacifica Radio) Washington DC. presents Rhythms of the World, 11:00pm-12:30am ET (8-9:30pm PT). Tuesday host (with focus on Africa): Ernie Thompson.
Wednesday
From Olympia, WA, listen to Scatterlings of Africa, music of Africa with other cultural excursions 10am- Noon PT (1-3pm ET) on KAOS radio, 89.3FM.
Every weeknight, WPFW 89.3 FM (Pacifica Radio) Washington DC. presents Rhythms of the World, 11:00pm-12:30am ET (8-9:30pm PT). Wednesday host (reggae): Lady Myrrh.

Thursday

Willaim Bain hosts Chimes of Freedom, "a weekly programme of mainly dancable music from the Caribbean, Latin America and Africa," Thursdays, 8-11am ET (5-8pm PT), CFFF 97.7FM Trent University, Peterborough Ontario. World Music Links from William Bain's "Chimes of Freedom".
KBOO in Portland, Oregon gives us African music from 5:30-7pm ET (2:30-4pm PT) with Africa O-Ye!. Streaming audio from the KBOO homepage.
The African Show, Thursdays, 9:30-11:30pm ET (6:30-8:30pm PT). New York's longest running African program featuring music, news, and politics airs from Columbia University on WKCR, 89.9 FM , New York. Since the late 1970s, the program has been hosted by Dr. Lawrence Nii Nartey.
Music of Africa, hosted by Doug Paterson. Thursdays, 10pm - Midnight ET (7-9pm PT), 91.3 FM--KBCS Bellevue/Seattle. Streaming audio through Live365 and from the KBCS website. Playlists emailed by subscription request.
Every weeknight, WPFW 89.3 FM (Pacifica Radio) Washington DC. presents Rhythms of the World, 11:00pm-12:30am ET (8-9:30pm PT). Thursday host (Caribbean): Tony Carr.

Friday

African Vibe with Tim Rooney is on KRFC 88.9FM, Fort Collins, Colorado at 10am-Noon (Noon-2pm ET, 9-11am PT), featuring current and past African artists and their musical influence around the world. Streaming audio available.
Afrosonic Pop with DJK and Doc DJ 88.3 FM, KXUA, Fayetteville, AR Friday, 9-11pm ET (6-8pm PT).
Every weeknight, WPFW 89.3 FM (Pacifica Radio) Washington DC. presents Rhythms of the World, 11:00pm-12:30am ET (8-9:30pm PT). Friday host (Africa): Charlie Dee.
From Central Coast Public Radio,, KUSP FM Santa Cruz California; Rafael DeSoto and Mikey Kanner host Rhythm Afrique 5-7pm ET (8-10pm PT).

Also look for streaming African music programs from www.Live365.com.

East African Music - African Radio

To contact Douglas Paterson, send email to DPaterson@EastAfricanMusic.com.

Last updated 21 February, 2010.