Hello! It’s XRAY’s fall pledge drive AKA the time each year that I ask you to support the station. I’m entering my 4^th year as the board president; fundraising does not get easier. But, there are lots of great things happening at XRAY and I am very excited about the station’s next chapter…

I always like to highlight some of the great programming on our station: who knows – maybe you’ll tune in! Here are two gems:

1. I just wrote a profile of DJ Action Slacks and in the process was reminded of how fantastic her show, Respected Ladyland, is. The long & short of it is: Action Slacks has an unmatched collection of 45s from the 50s-70s featuring female artists, many of whom are very obscure yet very talented. She’s playing music you cannot hear elsewhere & layering it with thoughtful context. Really great work.
2. Speaking of profiles, I wrote one last spring of DJ Joe Ball & his program Long Distance Call. I mostly think of his program as a source of Japanese City Pop, but it is broader: officially, it is “a weekly exploration of retro-futurist musical optimism.” I’ll say: it’s a smooth way to start your weekend, Fridays @ 6pm.

Remember, you can listen to dozens, sometimes hundreds, of past episodes of these shows (and many more) through our archives. Happy to make personalized recommendations to donors!

On a more serious note: XRAY really does need your support. The Trump administration is applying unprecedented pressure on media organizations to control their speech. The FCC has been weaponized in a way inconsistent with its mission and even the biggest media conglomerates are kowtowing (so long, Stephen Colbert). Meanwhile, local public media have been hard-hit by cuts to federal funding. On the Oregon coast, a small NPR affiliate gave up because it could no longer afford to be on the air. Same scenario in Warm Springs, OR too. This is scary for your friendly neighborhood media scholar…

XRAY does not receive any federal subsidies which, oddly, is an unexpected strength. But, we are now competing with more mouths for the same foundation dollars: grantmaking is cutthroat today. So, we need grassroots support more than ever.

If you can kick in a few bucks, please help XRAY out. Thanks!

PS. Check out the merch!