WXPN Local Content and Services Report – FY-2022(1) Describe your overall goals and approach to address identified community
issues, needs, and interests through your station’s vital local services, such as
multi-platform long and short-form content, digital and in person
engagement, education services, community information, partnershipsupport, and other activities, and audiences you reached or new audiences you
engaged.
WXPN continues to evaluate and assess how the radio station addresses the needsof our listeners and our local community. As part of our mission of staying true toour core values, WXPN continues to:* Connect artists and audiences with a particular emphasis on new and significant
artists and music.
* Present a program service of the highest quality and value to its listeners.
* Establish the station as one of the region’s significant cultural institutions.
* Play a national leadership role in public radio and digital media.
* Expand the capacity, reach and value of its services to an increasingly diverse
community.
* Provide significant opportunities for students throughout the station enablingthem to evaluate potential careers in media, the music industry, and other related
occupations, and enhancing their prospects for success in these fields.
As a public, member-supported, radio station licensed at the University ofPennsylvania, WXPN produces the nationally syndicated music program World
Cafe to 280+ U.S. radio stations across the country. World Cafe features carefully
curated music from every possible genre imaginable including blues, jazz, rock,
pop, Americana, Latin, African rhythms and world music, in addition to manyothers.
WXPN’s Peabody Award winning children’s program “Kids Corner” continues toprovides a stimulating variety of educational and entertaining programs forchildren ages 5-13. Interactive segments encourage young listeners to demonstrate
their knowledge, talent, and abilities. Favorite call-in segments focus on scienceand space exploration, tech talk, pets, history, and the Kids Corner Bookmobile,
while also serving as a resource for parents, educators, and professionals in childrelated fields.

WXPN responded to the needs and interests identified by our diverse community
by providing music discovery and experiences both in live settings and preproduced programs.
* During FY22 WXPN produced and aired 39 Free at Noon concerts that had atotal of 7659 attendees* On 6/16/22 WXPN presented LAKOU MIZIK with 155 attendees* 6/4/22 WXPN presented the World Cafe 30th Anniversary Celebration with 133
attendees* On 4/13/22 WXPN World Cafe Audience Session with alt-J with 37 attendees.
* On 3/20/22-WXPN presented The Kanaval Ball at the Fillmore Philadelphia, theculminating live event of our Kanaval-Haitian Music series with 1350 attendees.
“Kanaval: Haitian Rhythms and the Music of New Orleans” connects audienceswith Haiti’s cultural heritage, as it showcases the impact and contributions of the
Haitian people on the richness and culture of the music of New Orleans throughlive and virtual music events, theatrical performance, and long form music
documentary. WXPN’s commitment to the yearlong project included thepremiere of the KANAVAL -Breaking The Thermometer to Hide the Fever
production. Musician Leyla McCalla of the critically acclaimed Carolina
Chocolate Drops was the creator and host of the live production at Fringe Arts
Theater. Excerpts of WXPN’s interview with Leyla McCalla were featured on
the WXPN Morning Show. “Breaking The Thermometer” allowed WXPN toconnect with community and our partners as we continued to educate people on
the history of Haitian culture. The WXPN documentary “Kanaval: Haitian
Rhythms & the Music of New Orleans” explored the little-known history of
Haiti and the indelible mark it left on the famed music and culture of New
Orleans, featuring live music, theatre events, and an audio documentary.
* WXPN culminated with the Kanaval Finale at the Fillmore: Philly Krewe duKanaval Ball on May 20, 2022. The celebration, in which over 1,200 people
attended, included three bands, noted DJ and dancers and was attended byhundreds of people from many diverse backgrounds. It should also be noted that
WXPN was included in a New York Times feature on “Art At Penn” for the
Kanaval project.
On 3/11/22 WXPN presented the Land of the Lost 80s Dance Party with 328
attendees.
12/10/21 & 12/11/21- Leyla McCalla: Breaking the Thermometer to Hide the
Fever with 202 attendees.

On 12/7/21 WXPN World Cafe Audience Session with Hiss Golden Messenger
with 42 attendees.
On 11/9/21- WXPN Leadership Circle Appreciation Show with Aaron Lee Tasjan
with 72 attendees.
On 10/12/21 the WXPN Member Appreciation Show with Parker Millsap resulted
in 148 attendees.
WXPN’s commitment to making great radio and to creating compelling digitalcontent connects us with audiences, the local community, and nationalorganizations. WXPN’s history is manifested in its desire and ability to share theinternational language of music by researching and experiencing the traditions thatevolved the art and its artists throughout the world. For well over a decade WXPN
researched and documented the musical and artistic roots contributing to the many
genres of contemporary American rhythms and culture.
In addition, XPN continued airing “Live from the Kelly Writers House” during thefall and winter months of FY22. The series of programs originates and is recorded
live from the Kelly Writers’ House located on the campus of the University ofPennsylvania, and featured dozens of local creatives, writers, poets and musicians,
sharing their work with the audience. Episodes included: The Cannery Reading
Series, the West Philly Community Poem, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Speculative Fiction
show, You Can’t Kill A Poet program, Comedy Night, Univ. of Pennsylvania
Class of 2022 Undergraduate Writers, and a show dedicated to Walking Around
Philadelphia/Ways of Walking.
WXPN also celebrated the holiday season with a slate of special programmingwith the 13th Annual XPN “Home For The Holidays” Concert aired via video
livestream at XPN.org on December 21st at 8pm. The concert was simulcast on the
XPN radio broadcast at 88.5 FM, and re-broadcast on Christmas Eve during Robert
Drake’s 24 hour holiday marathon: “The Night Before”. “Home For The Holidays”
was an event for Philadelphia regional artists to take to the stage and perform theirrenditions of holiday classics for the XPN audience. The concert featured a rangeof local performers.
(2) Describe key initiatives and the variety of partners with whom you
collaborated, including other public media outlets, community nonprofits,
government agencies, educational institutions, the business community,
teachers and parents, etc. This will illustrate the many ways you’re connectedacross the community and engaged with other important organizations in thearea.
On November 10, 2021, WXPN announced that Black Music City, a collaboration
between Philadelphia public music radio stations WXPN and WRTI, as well as
talent incubator REC Philly, would return for 2022. For a second year it provided
grants to Black artists to produce new artistic work inspired by Philadelphia’s richBlack music history. For its second year, the program is anticipated to grant a totalof nearly $100,000, doubling its impact from last year, where $48,000 wasawarded in grants to 23 local Black musicians, songwriters, journalists, visual
artists, and more. Black artists in the greater Philadelphia region were encouraged
to apply via numerous on-air and website promos. A committee of Black
Philadelphia professionals in the arts, media and business reviewed applications to
select and award grants between $1,000 and $3,500, which were announced
February 1st, 2022. Work completed and submitted by grantees was featured in
specially produced Black Music City videos and a celebratory Juneteenth (June19th) event. The works were also promoted by the project’s partners to the broader
Philadelphia arts community and beyond.
Also in FY22, WXPN engaged with partners to support a number of live
programming events that brought artists and audiences together. The 2021
XPoNential Music Festival took place Sept. 17-19 at Camden’s Wiggins Park andthe nearby BB&T Pavilion. In South Jersey’s biggest rock event of the year, over
30 music artists performed on three stages in what was the regular festival of thepandemic era since 2019 and not having to go to an all-virtual format, which was
the case last year. The 2021 music festival took place in September instead of its
usual July, due to inclement weather and other concerns for staff and attendees.
Proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID test were required of allattendees. The Camden Children’s Garden, which features a variety of children’s
activities and educational exhibits was also open for festival attendees on Sept. 18
and 19. Music performances from the Wiggins Park stages were live-streamed forthe online audience attending remotely. Subaru was the lead sponsor with
underwriting support from many other businesses and organizations.
The WXPN 5K Run benefitting Musicians On Call took place on 10/17/21. The
program brings artists and music to the bedsides of patients at participating
hospitals. The impact and dramatic growth of the work of Musicians On Call is
now experienced in medical facilities in 20 cities across the country, including
Philadelphia. The program was the first participant in the expansion outside of the
program’s headquarters in New York and is commemorated for its leadership on

the National MOC Wall of Fame. WXPN presents 11 programs at 9 hospitals andhas served over 145,000 patients in the Philadelphia region.
WXPN to serve our community through ”Giving Tuesday” by partnering with
Subaru to raise funds for the non-profit organization “Caribbean Community in
Philadelphia.” WXPN News Director Bob Bumbera interviewed theorganization’s founder and President Miranda Alexander. Alexander talked about
the mission of her group, which she founded in 2013. She stated that the missionof her organization is to "positively reframe the narrative about and for Haitian and
Caribbean people and to create a community with innovative programming andproviding real life solutions and the needs of the Haitian people, who have sufferedthrough so many natural disasters and political strife are at the forefront of theorganization’s efforts.” Through our partnership with Subaru, we were able toprovide one week’s worth of food basics and temporary shelter to a Haitian
migrant family living in Philadelphia, for every 10 people who donated to WXPN.
WXPN presented an original project by Haitian-American singer-songwriter Leyla
McCalla called “Breaking the Thermometer to Hide the Fever”- a live
multidisciplinary performance, hosted by Leyla McCalla @ FringeArts in
Philly. The performance explored the legacy of Radio Haiti (the island nation’s
first privately owned Creole-speaking radio station) and the assassination of its
owner, Jean Dominique, in 2000. The production combined storytelling, dance,
video projection, and audio recordings from the Radio Haiti Archive at Duke
University, and was guided by Leyla McCalla’s own personal experiences in Haiti.
WXPN also continued to collaborate with educational institutions in FY22 toprovide opportunities for station staff to connect with students. These connections
make information available to the students interested in careers in public radio, andto others interested in what makes a radio station run. Live at the Writers House isa collaboration between the Kelly Writers House at the University of Pennsylvania
and WXPN. News director Bob Bumbera and KWH coordinator Alli Katz
collaborated to produce episodes that aired monthly. The partnership provides theplatform for these performances to be heard by XPN’s radio audience, andprovides an opportunity for student assistants to work with WXPN to air the series.
The production, that also features live musical guests enriches the local creative
community and listeners.
(3) What impact did your key initiatives and partnerships have in yourcommunity? Describe any known measurable impact, such as increased
awareness, learning or understanding about particular issues. Describe

indicators of success, such as connecting people to needed resources orstrengthening conversational ties across diverse neighborhoods. Did a partner
see an increase in requests for related resources? Please include direct
feedback from a partner(s) or from a person(s) served.
Kanaval: Haitian Rhythms and the Music of New Orleans presented an opportunity
for WXPN to engage with the local and national Haitian and Caribbean
communities. The 3-part Kanaval documentary debuted on February 1, 2021 andcontinued in FY22. It was hosted by Haitian American singer-songwriter Leyla
McCalla and produced by Alex Lewis. McCalla has a wide-ranging body of work,
both solo, as well as in the folk collective Our Native Daughters and the band
Carolina Chocolate Drops. These past few years, she has stepped into the realm of
theater with the production Breaking The Thermometer To Hide The Fever, which
premiered at Duke University in early 2020 and was staged at FringeArts in
December 2021 as part of the XPN Kanaval project, with director Kiyoko McCrae
and production designer Zuri Obi.
CPB support allowed the Kanaval project team and WXPN to think more
ambitiously about what activities would best tell the intertwined stories of Haiti
and New Orleans with community involvement in a respectful, authentic way. We
engaged a wide cohort of Haitians and Haitian American contributors to offer theirpoints of view on the project website, news stories produced with our collaborators
at WWNO, and the radio documentary itself.
In FY22, Black Music City again called upon Black creatives in the greater
Philadelphia area (PA, NJ, DE) working in any creative medium to submit theirproject ideas honoring Philly’s Black music history and apply for a project grant.
Philadelphia’s rich Black music history has cultivated numerous groundbreaking
musical styles and artists and has been at the forefront of some of the world’s mostsignificant musical developments. That legacy is a source of inspiration andinterpretation for today’s Black creatives. The applicants submitted projects to tellclear, significant and relevant stories that fit the theme of this program in a unique,innovative style. Recipients of the grants received $1,000 to $3,500 to bring theirprojects to life. WXPN partnered with WRTI and REC Philly to assist young blackartists across multiple disciplines to develop their artistic career pursuits creating
Black Music City. Grant recipient Musician Zeek Burse, (a two-time grantrecipient) presented “La La La (The Evolution of Love).” The Black Music City
grant helped Burse finish the project. Burse stated: “I’m really, really grateful that
I did [apply],” “I believe it will … shine more light on just equality and knowing
the earth and one another, loving nature.” Jazz vibraphonist and grant recipientKelsi Bolden said the Black Music City funding gave her the opportunity toadvance her career while learning valuable lessons about leading a band. Bolden
and her band performed “Beams of Heaven: The Sound and Legacy of Charles
Albert Tindley”, a tribute to a lesser-known Philadelphia gospel composer andpioneer.
(4)Please describe any efforts (e.g. programming, production, engagement
activities) you have made to investigate and/or meet the needs of minority andother diverse audiences (including, but not limited to, new immigrants, people
for whom English is a second language and illiterate adults) during Fiscal
Year 2021, and any plans you have made to meet the needs of these audiences
during Fiscal Year 2022. If you regularly broadcast in a language other thanEnglish, please note the language broadcast.
WXPN has a proud history of producing programming for a racially and culturally
diverse audience. It continues to include the Latin Roots Series, which began in2012 by the WXPN based, nationally syndicated radio show: World Cafe Live.
World Cafe’s Latin Roots series celebrates the sounds of traditional and newalternative Latin music through radio, online features and live events. As part of
WXPN’s commemoration and celebration of “Black History Month”, World Cafe
Live contributing host John Morrison produced and hosted weekly segments called"Unsung Black Musicians of Rock & Roll”, and daily “New Voices” features,along with a Spotify playlist that included new interviews with guests such as The
Roots’ Questlove. World Cafe’s Black History Month featured Tuesdays withXPN Host John Morrison, with deep dives into "The Black Roots of Rock & Roll”
along with a daily feature on World Cafe: New Black Voices music discovery
feature of new artists with music playlist for social/web.
During the weekdays on XPN, Midday Host Mike Vasilikos presented a feature
called “Black Inspirations”, that were presented weekdays at 10:30AM where Mikefeatured a contemporary Black musician and albums by black artists that haveinspired them. Also, XPN Host Rahman Wortman reprised a series he had done theprevious year on the XPN Local Show called: “Give Them Their Flowers” alongwith an accompanying digital component on xpn.org. The series featured four
black local musicians talking with other black artists who inspired them and how
Philly's Black Music history inspired them.
On March 8, 2022, WXPN celebrated International Women’s Day with an entire
programming day dedicated to women who made a difference. Beginning with the

XPN Morning Show, host Kristen Kurtis focused on women super-group and sister
acts; the women of blues, jazz and rock and roll, which was complemented byNews Director Bob Bumbera’s hourly reports on the history and importance of
these legendary women artists. Also featured during the Morning Show onInternational Women’s Day were songs by women who are inspiring Gen-Z girls
today, and general song requests from the XPN listening community. The World
Cafe featured an interview with Janis Ian and covers of women/by women. Deb
D’Alessandro hosted a special edition of Amazon Country, WXPN program oflesbian issues and music. Kids Corner host Kathy O’Connell re-created some ofher favorite performances from variety shows past of women singing together.
As referred to in the prior section of this report, on GivingTuesday WXPN wasproud to once again partner with Subaru to support “Caribbean Community in
Philadelphia”, a non-profit organization which offers basic resources like food,clothing, and housing to Haitians in our community whose home country is unsafe
for them because of issues like natural disasters, human rights abuses, resource
shortages, and health crises. For every 10 people who donated to WXPN money
was donated to provide one week’s worth of food basics and temporary shelter to a
Haitian migrant family living in Philadelphia. WXPN;s Giving Tuesday dedicatedraised $10,000 for the effort.
As part of WXPN’s ongoing Kanaval: Haitian Rhythms & the Music of New
Orleans project we presented a performance of Leyla LcCalla’s Breaking The
Thermometer to our region to educate people about Haitian culture and thispresentation helped to make that goal a reality. The project’s finale, The Philly
Krewe du Kanaval Ball on March 20, 2022, was a uniquely joyous, colorful andexuberant Mardi Gras celebration of New Orleans’ cultural and musical connection
with Haiti. The Ball was be costume optional, coming during the Mardi Grasseason, at The Fillmore Philadelphia with bands, DJs and dancers and foodvendors. The capstone event of our #XPNKanaval project, the Kanaval Ballfeatured the legendary New Orleans Preservation Hall Jazz Band, as well as thePort-au-Prince based mizik rasin bands Boukman Eksperyans and RAM. DJ sets
were hosted by Michael Brun, an award-winning DJ and producer from Haiti now
based in New York. The ball also featured a performance by Haitian folkloric
dance company Nadia Dieudonné & Feet of Rhythm. The Ball was free to the
public with registration. Documentaries produced for both of these projects werebroadcast for Black History Month and in June for Black Music Appreciation
Month.

WXPN Musicians On Call serves nine area hospitals with visits to 145,000
patients, family members, and caregivers since 2004. In FY21, due to pandemic
restrictions the program was prevented from returning live to bring music to thebedsides of patients in the hospitals we serve. Hospitals and hospital staff were stilldealing with effects of the pandemic, and we looked for ways that the program
could continue to bring the transforming power of music to staff and patients
through the expanded virtual bedside performance program. The program
continued into FY22, building our community through, music, relationship andlifted spirits.
(5) Please assess the impact that your CPB funding had on your ability toserve your community. What were you able to do with your grant that you
wouldn't be able to do if you didn't receive it?
CPB funding helps to support WXPN’s general operations and gives us theopportunity to devote assets to seek other resources to help pay for new andcreative initiatives and services. In FY22, WXPN received $481,220 from CPB,
which represented 5% of the station’s overall revenue. With this much needed andappreciated financial support, WXPN was able to accomplish programming,
digital, membership, marketing, and community engagement goals. CPB funding
helped give exposure to artists who are not played on commercial radio stations,and most importantly make the efforts needed to share and spread the music in thelocal and national communities. This support allowed us to take chances and play adiverse roster of music, not just the music of established and well-tested artists.
This was also reflected in WXPN’s music discovery outreach that benefits new andlocal artists. WXPN’s continuing programming includes shows that address theconcerns of diverse audiences. Voices from the LGBTQ community heard on
Q’zine, Out-Music & Amazon Country were part of the programming for Pride
Month programming. Kids Corner is a radio show focusing solely on kids and theirinterests and concerns. In March of 2022 Kathy O’Connell, the Peabody Award
winning host of Kids Corner appeared on Children's Music Network Panel,
speaking to artists from a promotions and marketing point of view of breaking into
the industry.
As a community resource, WXPN brings local musicians into partnership in
support of WXPN Musicians On Call, furthering our mission of connection, andresponding to the voices of patients and their families calling out for solace. When
we are able to return to the 9 local hospitals we work, the artists involved withWXPN Musicians On Call, along with the program’s volunteer guides will again
bring song and comfort to these patients and families facing some of the mostdifficult health challenges of their lives. At present, artists bring their musicvirtually to patients as described in this report. In directing our effort towardspecific aspects of our mission, we learned and strengthened in all areas ofconnecting across platforms.
To add perspective and interest and to thank public radio members, the special
feature “Public Radio Music Day” was presented. Elements of the day included afull day of member requests to curate the music from 6AM to 7PM on 11/10/21.
Bob Bumbera reported on the bipartisan resolution for Public Radio Music Dayfrom Senator Chris Coons (DE) and Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA).
Throughout the day our airwaves carried member and artists messages about whatpublic radio means to them. Listeners were also invited to hear a collaborative
session between XPN PD Bruce Warren and WRTI.
WXPN continues to explore music and culture through our nationally distributed
World Cafe program. Starting on 10/14/21, the program celebrated its anniversary
with a roster of programming and events to mark 30 years as an influential source
for music discovery. To commemorate the milestone, we launched “30 Over 30”(30 years over 30 weeks), a series of special programming features that highlighted
its rich history as a trusted music guide. The highly regarded World Cafe is a
dynamic, carefully crafted platform for musical discovery without genre
boundaries.
World Cafe is distributed by NPR currently running on over 280 US radio stations
and heard by approximately 575,000 listeners each week including artists,
audiences, and the radio and music industry employees. Longtime features such as
Latin Roots and Sense of Place help introduce unknown artists to a national
audience and take listeners to great music cities around the globe. Host Raina
Douris and Contributing Host Stephen Kallao also co-host the weekly World Cafe
Words and Music Podcast from WXPN. Artists have seen their profiles and careers
elevated due to being featured on World Cafe, and many credit the show withsupporting them over the years, as well as breaking numerous songs.
As had been the case for many years, WXPN produces three on-air fund drives
each year in addition to targeted fundraising campaigns for Giving Tuesday andYears’ End. Losing CPB funding would force us to fundraise for several additional
weeks. Increased fundraising time would be detrimental as additional staff timeand resources would be redirected to performing fundraising alternatives. WXPN
effectively manages funds provided by CPB to encourage growth andsustainability, and produces programming that balances new music discovery with

heritage artists, while not losing sight of the important changes in the world that
affected all of us.
As required of CPB’s Community Service Grant recipients, all WXPN staff,
interns, and work studies participated in the online Everfi harassment and bias
prevention training CPB makes available. The completion date was met. CPB
funding supported our outreach in FY21 without which the success of ourprograms and events would not have been possible. CPB funding helped to make itpossible for WXPN to grow in digital development that supported the station’s
primary mission to connect artists and audience. All the great work WXPN
delivers is dependent on growing audience, membership, business support anddiversity across our programming and operations. As always we are very gratefulto the CPB for its support which enables WXPN to continue producing impactfulprogramming and events that not only reach a wide array of listeners but also into
lesser supported minority communities.