RagPiano.com - Guide to Ragtime Broadcasts
A long time ago in a mountainous galaxy
far, far away...
In Durango, Colorado, that is, this young ragtime artist with a broadcasting degree obtained in California went on the air at
KDUR at Fort Lewis College, a low power FM radio station, with a weekly 2 hour show of ragtime music. This was my third broadcasting gig, my first two having been in news and as a morning-drive sidekick for a rock station (there aren't many people driving mornings in this small town). I mostly did it for the experience, but was surprised to find out as I began the second year that I had quite a number of listeners in Durango, and many who taped the shows and sent them to friends. These were fans of
A Prairie Home Companion among other broadcasts, and had trouble finding places to hear ragtime music that they didn't already have in their collection. Even today such broadcasts are hard to find in most parts of the country.
Now with Sirius and XM, digital cable/satellite, fiber optic, and the spread of internet streaming radio among public broadcast stations, shows previously available to those only in the market served by that station can be hear anywhere in the world where a decent web connection is available. So I have attempted to gather as many of these broadcasts as I can find in this one place. Some are local only to the broadcast signal on a low-powered transmitter, but many are available over a wide area, or even via the internet. I could not possibly claim that this list is complete or constantly up-to-date due to frequent changes at the local stations. However, it is somewhat comprehensive due to the help of diligent listeners who have written to me. I can use your help as well. If you know of a show that is not listed here, or one that is listed but no longer in service, please let me know using the email information at the bottom. Let's keep this truly interactive and up-to-date.
Thank You
Show Title/host
Broadcast Time
Frequency/
Location
Website or
Link
Description
of Show
Guy Rathbon's Club McKenzie
Friday 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM PT
KCBX 90.1 FM/ 89.5 FM/ 91.7 FM/ 90.9 FM/ 91.1 FM/ 95.1 FM
Central California
Traditional and some modern jazz spanning the past century.
Carl "Sonny" Leyland's
Rhythm Retrospective
Friday 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM PT
KCBX 90.1 FM/ 89.5 FM/ 91.7 FM/ 90.9 FM/ 91.1 FM/ 95.1 FM
Central California
Traditional jazz, boogie-woogie, rockabilly and some ragtime as played by the host and many other artists.
Nick Drago's Classic Jazz
Sunday 9:00 PM to 12:00 AM PT
Monday/Tuesday 10:00 PM to 3:00 AM
Friday 7:00 PM to 12:00 AM
KXJZ 88.9 FM
Sacramento, CA
Mostly traditional jazz spanning the past century with some peeks at ragtime and related forms.
Jack Rummel's Ragtime America
Thursdays
8:00 PM to 9:00 PM MT
KGNU 88.5 FM
Boulder, CO
Music, history and interviews for ragtime lovers. Also archived for later listening.
Garrison Keillor's
A Prarie Home Companion
Saturday 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM CT
MPR Worldwide
St. Paul, MN
Broadcasting almost continuously since 1974, Keillor's guests often include ragtime and jazz pianists, and always good down-home humor and music. Go to
prairiehome.publicradio.org/ for a list of participating stations or more info.
KBEM 88.5 FM
Minneapolis, MN
Recorded live in Minneapolis, Butch features great traditional jazz piano instrumentals and songs, including ragtime, New Orleans style jazz and Jelly Roll Morton.
Abdel Naroth's Thriving on a Riff
Sunday 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM CT
KVSC 88.1 FM
Saint Cloud, MN
Traditional jazz. Also available in streaming archive form.
Traditional Jazz
Monday-Friday 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM CT
Saturday 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM
WWOZ 90.7 FM
New Orleans, LA
Mostly traditional jazz recordings. Various hosts. Archived versions and playlists also available.
Bryan Wright
Internet Only
A panoply of traditional jazz, ragtime and novelty piano styles presented by my friend, pianist Bryan Wright. Must-hear podcasts.
Pandora
Internet Only
The convenience and variety of Pandora streaming good ragtime whenever you feel the need.
Live 365
Internet Only
One of the better all-ragtime stations on the internet featuring many well-known artists with regular changes in the playlist.
Last.FM
Internet Only
A variety of artists and feeds with ragtime and related genres with several interesting tracks and suggestions.
Live 365
Internet Only
Continual Dixieland and ragtime played by traditional jazz ensembles.
SiriusXM 67
Satellite
Jazz dating back to the late 1910s up through today. Subscription and XM receiver required.
SiriusXM 70
Satellite
Jazz dating back to the late 1910s up through today. Subscription and XM receiver required.
I always welcome your comments, questions, corrections, and/or requests for further information on ragtime broadcasts. You may mail me directly on
. Thank you so much. Remember that I can't respond to you without your e-mail address, and be CAREFUL to enter it CORRECTLY or no response will be forthcoming. This will only frustrate both of us. I will NEVER SPAM, so consider it between us only.