WRTI, this 600th review is for you!…read more
Temple Public Radio 90.1 FM is amazing! Classical 6am-6pm, and Jazz 6pm-6am. NPR news updates every hour. Not really fair to the jazz side, IMO, since most people sleep 8 hours of that half, but if you hook yourself up through the website, you can get streaming of whatever, whenever. With the off-hours streaming, you don't get to hear the hosts you've come to know & love at WRTI, but you get the music on demand.
WRTI has been many things to me, a teacher, a mood-decompressor, a support for my creativity, & nonstop background noise in my homes, for many years. It's been a force in my life, for real.
When I was a kid, my dad was always bringing me tech items from his business trips to Japan. I was around 7 or 8 when I was gifted a keyboard & a transistor radio (ha ha this was the late 80s, not the 60s for God's sake). I remember gravitating toward WRTI on my radio when I played with my dolls. IDK why. My parents never listened to it, but I got the sounds in my ears early, & have loved them since.
Just as they split each weekday half & half, they try to split up the weekend, as well. Saturday offers various shows, including a long show about whatever is playing at the Met (as in Manhattan Metropolitan Opera), with a history of the particular opera, & interviews with the cast. You will learn a lot, & it's pretty fun if you're in that mood. Their "Sousalarm" is funny. They'll play a Sousa March early in the morning to wake your a%* up! You can join the Sousalarm Club, & get a certificate from WRTI! They also play "From The Top," which can be interesting, but those prodigies are often way NPD, & I have to turn it off for my gag reflex. Sunday used to have the "Wanamaker Organ Hour," which was pretty cool, & unique to Philly. Unfortunately, it's now extinct. (These are just a few of many shows.)
On the jazz side, J. Michael Harrison does "The Bridge" which covers artistic music bridging hip hop & jazz. He has a lot of poetry readings & interviews a lot of local artists & musicians. Bob Craig does a big band show on Sunday, which is kind of a neat way to wind down before starting the work week. It's comforting, cheerful, often romantic music, reminds me of my grandparents. David Ortiz does "El Viaje," a show of Latin jazz, salsa, & mambo, which is on Saturday night. IDK why this takes up prime time on Sat night? I was a Spanish student for many years, minored in college, have love for the culture, but I would really prefer some traditional jazz on my Sat night. Anyway, I don't appreciate everything, but I do adore a lot!
RIP, Harrison Ridley, Jr., who called jazz "The Positive Music," & whose catchphrase we all waited to hear every evening, "Yes Indeedy!" Now in his place is "BP with the GM" (Bob Perkins with the Good Music), who is really chill, knowledgeable, & has such a great voice!
WRTI has various call letters, & a pretty broad reach in a coverage area over eastern PA, NJ, NY, DE & MD. They are a big presence at the Cape May Jazz Fest, & many other events in the community. They have listeners around the world with, as mentioned, online streaming. My snooty NYC cousins listen to WRTI, because there is nothing like it!
Yes, bi-annually Jack & Jill do their pledge drives all the livelong day. And BP & Maureen have their throwback catchphrase (I am blanking on it at the moment), which they do to sign off every pledge drive evening. RTI LOVES to play the jazz standards, like "Take Five," over & over during the pledge drive, to try to catch your dial surfing & reel you in.
Over the years, my husband & I have donated to various orgs, & I must say that for some reason, with WRTI donations come a flood of needy mailers & beggings from all kinds of charities. This mass of, IMO, wasted paper, is not pleasant. I remember my grandparents would have similar mail, & they would earnestly sit down & study all the info for where to send checks. Not me, straight in the trash. Sorry, but I am not sitting on my grandfather's 8 figs, so with my limited moula, I donate my limited time & money to a dog rescue, plus make various Goodwill/Purple Heart donations throughout the year. When my generosity can increase, I have plenty of places top on my list, & I don't need more!
My husband will tell you how important this music is, as the fountainhead of all the contemporary tunes to have come forth since. He is a total music snob, of the jazz sort. He rolls his eyes at how all the rock artists simply copied from jazz & blues (Zepplin, Stones, Beatles, uh, like everyone!), & it's true. Yes, it's true. Hubs says, "They all derived from Les Paul, who invented multitrack recording & the electric pickup." And on, and on... and while he is a bit extreme, it is true. It is worth a listen, & appreciation, even if you don't fall in love.
...but... as WRTI Classical says (& I can't tell if this is meant snobbishly or modestly, b/c it's duplicitous)... "Reminding you that all music was once new."
