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Behind the Scenes with Resonance FM Programmer Ed Baxter
Interview conducted by Julie Shapiro
> How did the Resonance FM project begin?
Resonance has had two incarnations. First it was an RSL (restricted service
license) station, broadcasting for one month in the summer of 1998 as part of
John Peel's Meltdown Festival at the Royal Festival Hall in London. This was a
project instigated and produced by myself and Phil England. Phil spent a couple
of years putting together an extensive program of international radio art (on a
scale never attempted before or since), which was featured on the station. When
it was all over, we wondered what to do next, but the nature of RSLs is such
that it was impossible to procure another license the following year. So
despite our interest in radio, and despite the participation of over 600
people, over the course of its 28-day life, the most the project could
accomplish was to produce a series called The London Underground (which ran for
six months on WFMU in New Jersey), participate in a few theoretical
conferences, and make some proposals to BBC Radio 3 (all turned down).
> So how did phase two of Resonance, its current incarnation, take
shape?
In Summer 2001, the Radio Authority (the body that controls the airwaves in
Britain) put out a call for organizations willing to take part in its Pilot
Access Scheme—the UK's first attempt at community radio. I filled in the forms
and obtained a license. We are one of fifteen such projects around the country,
but we are the only arts-based station and the only one in central London. The
others range from a station that serves the Christian community in a provincial
town to a Punjabi station in Southall, to a children's station in Leicester,
and so on. This second incarnation of Resonance is a more vast and more
ambitious project: With an RSL you know that you'll experience a long month of
activity but that at the end you can lie down in a darkened room for two weeks
to recover. Conversely, so far Resonance104.4 FM has been on air for 25 months
and our license has been extended till December 2004 (when we must bid for a
five-year license).
> How do you define the "community" served by Resonance?
The "community" in the other cases is more easily defined than is the case with
Resonance: We serve the artistic community of central London, if you like, but
that was pretty much a virtual community before the radio station brought it
into being.
> Was the web component a crucial part of the initial planning, along
with the on-air broadcast? How much traffic does the site get?
It wasn't seen as crucial but we recognized from the outset that this was a
necessity. It adds to our FM presence. The site has an average of 820 people
listening per day, and in the first week of July, stats revealed that 70% of
those listeners were outside the UK, in countries ranging from the US to Japan
to Ecuador. On a monthly basis, the site sees about 42,000 visitors per month.
> Can you describe what a listener might hear on Resonance FM throughout
the course of any given day?
You hear all manner of music, confessional radio, contemporary literature and
art, weird stuff, humor, live bands, discussions and a few surprises. Let me
look at last Wednesday's schedule: Over the course of the day we had Far Side
Radio, presented by Paul Fisher, devoted to new music from the Far East.
Indymedia News Wire followed that, with alternative local and activist news
items. A little bit later came Dan Wilson with Epistaxis Time, a half-hour show
which this week was dedicated to an exploration of manic depression; this found
Dan in a cupboard taking pills and singing the same phrase ("Why is life so
very miserable?") over and over on top of some plodding guitar chords til the
show ended. The Harmon E. Phraisyar Show came next, a half-hour picaresque
radio-art comedy series made by Xentos "Fray" Bentos; then a fifteen-minute
show of rock-climbing, followed by another fifteen minutes about health issues
in inner London. In the evening, UpCountry by John Wynne was on, with country
and western music mixed with hardcore noise and extreme audio events. Kash
Krisis, a radio extension of a gay nightclub, followed, with risqué humor and
dance music. The last live show of the day was Saltpetre Radio, with poetry,
rap, and spoken word, introduced by poet Selena Godden.
> How do you find contributors/djs, and do you mostly work with
London-based artists?
Most of the contributors live in London, a few send stuff from all over the
world. We are lucky to have on tap hundreds of talented and knowledgeable
people. [See end of interview for information about how to get involved with
Resonance FM.]
> How has Resonance FM affected the London Music Collective, the
organization that started it?
For the last two years it has dominated LMC. [Ed: the LMC is a charity and
membership organization devoted to contemporary music. The organization
promotes improvised and experimental music via concerts, an annual festival,
workshops and publications.] Only this Spring did we manage to put on some
regular live gigs again. The station has been a financial drain on the LMC but
the directors thought it worth devoting time and money to set it up. On the
other side of the equation, the station has brought many more and new people in
contact with LMC and the music it champions. So it has refreshed the
organization, which in any case reinvents itself every few years.
> What has Resonance FM done for the larger arts community in London,
and beyond?
It has provided a resource, a meeting point, a mechanism that galvanizes people
and brings people together. It has created a community, in fact. It also offers
a working blueprint for projects elsewhere.
> When we hear about radio in the UK, it usually has something to do
with the BBC. How does community radio fit into the larger broadcasting scene?
It is the third tier, after BBC and commercial stations. But I'm not sure how
Resonance fits in exactly: what we do has little in common with anyone else. I
think our civic and artistic role is quite different to that of the BBC, which
has a national and international political function. The commercial stations
meantime offer aural wallpaper and make money. I do not see community radio as
a stepping stone for a career in the BBC (other stations do think this) but as
something unique, provocative and autonomous.
> What are some future goals for the future of Resonance FM?
Obtaining a five-year license is the single goal for this year. If and when we
get that, we will make further plans. We are making links with stations in
Europe, planning radio art conferences—and always looking for new shows.
(Editors Note: Anyone interested in pitching ideas to Resonance FM should
contact info@resonanceFM.com but only AFTER reading through the FAQ section on
the site.]
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