Winning Becomes Eclectic: Fresh Listen KEXP Seattle, KUTX Austin

The first time I turned on KUTX Austin, Texas, it was playing “The Stroke” by Andre Williams. This was a big deal for me. “The Stroke” is a late-‘60s collectors’ classic by one of R&B’s eccentric cult heroes. In 1967, that song came home to me in a pile of radio station castoffs as a kid. And while I know at least three-four specialty show hosts who probably do play it every now and then, it took me a lifetime to actually encounter it on the radio. And, as best I can tell, it was not during a specialty show.

KUTX made its first appearance earlier this year in a column about successful 2010s launches that were in the top 5 in their market. Recently, KEXP Seattle, launched 20 years ago, has also posted the sort of numbers not typically associated with adventurous non-comm outlets. In the just-released March PPM, it was up 4.3 – 4.9 – 5.3, setting a station record for the third straight month, and making it fourth in the market 6-plus. 

It has been just over a decade since KCMP (The Current) Minneapolis redefined the industry’s expectations of what a non-commercial Alternative station could do. Bob- and Jack-FM Adult Hits outlets had shown that an “on shuffle” audience could accept a somewhat wider, slightly deeper mix of hit music. Until KCMP’s carefully curated eclecticism, Adult Hits was taken as the exception that proved the rule about audiences not wanting true variety. 

By that time, mainstream Alternative radio was one of the first current-based formats to face challenges, attributed to a finicky audience that could never be happy with any broadcast outlet and was more likely than others to find their music through rapidly proliferating other sources. Stations like KUTX or KEXP would seem to face those challenges, too. Everybody now can have the mix tape that is exactly right for them. Who wants to sit through somebody else’s version?

But the audiences for stations like KEXP and KUTX are also the ones who understand the radio history of music curation and music advocacy. The post-COVID shuffling of the radio deck has produced a series of outliers that defy radio programming dogma, especially of the PPM era, including the success of Triple-A WXRT Chicago. Like Minneapolis, they also have the advantage of markets with a rich music history and current music scene. It’s possible that the unlikely successes of the last year will dissipate at some point, but listening levels were already on the rebound in March. 

I heard KUTX on April 20. You would expect a certain slant to that day’s programming, and I was listening just after the news about Derek Chauvin’s conviction for the George Floyd murder was announced, meaning that the station was tasked with capturing two moments. Here’s the station with Laurie Gallardo and Jody Denberg at 4:30 p.m.:

• Run the Jewels, “Ju$t”
• Black Pistol Fire, “Black Halo”
• Blur, “Go Out”
• Half Dream, “Celia”
• Cure, “In Between Days”
• Q, “Take Me Where Your Heart Is”
• Thievery Corporation, “All That We Perceive”
• Frank Ocean, “Thinkin’ ‘Bout You”
• Peter Tosh, “Legalize It”
• Aundra Day, “Tigress and Tweed”
• Wilco, “What Light”
• Hiatus Kaiyote f/Arthur Verocai, “Get Sun”
• Heartless Bastards, “Revolution” (KUTX performance version)
• Tom Petty & Heartbreakers, “You Don’t Know How It Feels”

KUTX had a strong progressive R&B/Hip-Hop component. At KEXP, it was even more prominent when I listened on April 19 and 20. After a weekend of gun violence, there was a different theme here. Larry Mizell Jr.’s early afternoon show began with a sobering shout-out to “Chicago, Austin, Kenosha, Columbus, Omaha, and LaPlace, La.”

Here’s KEXP at 1 p.m., April 19:

• De La Soul, “Trying People”
• Dark Time Sunshine, “Hell Nah”
• Thievery Corporation f/Notch, “Drop Your Guns”
• Sault, “Don’t Shoot Guns Down”
• El Michels Affair, “Perfect Harmony”
• Bernie Worrell, “I’ll Be With You” in honor of the P-Funk keyboard virtuoso’s birthday, along with …
• Talking Heads, “Girlfriend Is Better (Live)”
• Rat Columns, “I Can’t Live on Love”
• India Jordan, “And Groove”
• Prince, “Manic Monday”
• Kaytranda, “Caution”

And here’s the station the following day at 4 p.m. Earlier on 4/20, it had played Black Sabbath, “Sweet Love.” It also played “Never Too Much” in celebration of Luther Vandross’ birthday. KEXP has a “real time” playlist to which personalities add a running commentary on the music, artist info, and listener interactions. In the afternoon, KEXP’s Kevin Coles, besides talking about the verdict, dedicated a set to a listener struggling with emotional issues in Denver, as well as listeners to Salt Lake City and Austin.

• Kendrick Lamar, “Alright”
• Primal Scream, “Come Together”
• Jurassic 5, “Freedom”
• Oadisee, “That’s Love”
• Parliament, “Flash Light”
• Musical Youth, “Pass the Dutchie”
• Royals, “Peace, Love and Dub”
• George McCrae, “I Get Lifted”
• Brittany Howard, “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher”
• True Loves, “Famous Last Words”
• Beyoncé & Jack White, “Don’t Hurt Yourself”
• Beyoncé, “Black Parade”
• Chaka Khan, “Like Happiness”
• Arlo Parks, “Hope”

Eclectic non-comms have gained an unlikely advantage in the PPM era, being essentially commercial-free, although the stations still had breaks of several minutes encompassing sponsorships and fund-raising.

Each station tried to bring levity to its listener appeals. “We’re a laid-back station in a laid-back town, so it’s okay that you haven’t contributed,” said a KUTX promo. The KEXP promo talked about how donors are not only generous, but generous lovers as well. This was followed by a auto-dealer-style disclaimer. “Supporting KEXP does not guarantee becoming a generous lover. Becoming a generous lover takes time and communication with your partner. Attractiveness is subjective. If you are open to new things and have a good sense of humor, people may find you attractive.”