WXPN Local Content and Services Report – FY21

1. Describe your overall goals and approach to address identified community issues, needs, and interests
through your station’s vital local services, such as multiplatform long and short-form content, digital and inperson engagement, education services, community information, partnership support, and other activities, andaudiences you reached or new audiences you engaged.
As a nationally recognized leader in Triple A radio and the premier guide for discovering new and significant artists
in rock, blues, roots, and folk, XPN is the non-commercial, member-supported, public radio service of the
University of Pennsylvania. WXPN produces World Cafe, public radio’s most popular program distributed by NPR to276 U.S. radio stations, and the Peabody Award-winning Kids Corner. WXPN serves the greater Philadelphia area at
88.5 FM, the Lehigh Valley at 104.9 FM, Worton/Baltimore at 90.5 FM, Lancaster/York at 88.7 FM, Harrisburg at
99.7 FM, North Jersey/Poconos at 91.9 FM, and the world via online streaming at www.XPN.org. The WXPN app
brings all of WXPN to any mobile device. WXPN produces XPoNential Radio on XPN2 as its secondary radio channel
in HD, also available online.
As an important contributor to the culturally diverse Philadelphia metropolitan area, the station’s on-air, digitaland in-person engagement efforts reflected sustained involvement and growth in FY21. WXPN responds to theneeds and interests identified by our diverse community by providing music discovery and experiences. Ourcommitment to making great radio and to creating compelling digital content connects us with audiences, the local
community, and national organizations. As we build our national brand across platforms, technology-driven
distribution helps to maximize the impact of the events we produce, tell our story and the stories of the musicians,clients and audiences we serve.
WXPN’s history is manifested in its desire and ability to share the international language of music by researchingand experiencing the traditions that evolved the art and its artists throughout the world. For the past 10 years,
WXPN researched and documented the musical and artistic roots in a range of genres that contribute tocontemporary American rhythms and culture. Our recent commitment to diversity in deep dive explorations,
Kanaval: Haitian Rhythms and the Music of New Orleans connects audiences with 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 through live and virtual music events, theatrical performance and long form music documentary. As theresearch and exploration phase of the project was prolonged due to the restrictions of the pandemic on live
events, we used the time to develop partnerships locally, adding immediacy and familiarity to the project. We also
refined the expertise technically to include these local elements.
Throughout FY21, the WXPN digital staff, with insight and planning coordinated with teams from each of thestation’s departments developed a comprehensive, content rich website with a team at branding and website
design partner, Eastern Standard. The research and strategizing that went into the effort will elevate our website
visually and functionally for the audience and advance the goal of connecting artists and audiences. Kanaval andour previous deep-dive projects, Mississippi Blues, Zydeco, Latin Roots Live, and The Gospel Roots of Rock & Soulwill each be prominently featured on one easy to navigate location. Key to the success of the website
development was to migrate the music/music news blog, The Key, into xpn.org, creating a new digital platform formusical discovery. The website launch date is scheduled for February 2022.
Digitally, The Key continued to reach out into the community to chronical local events with writers andphotographers reporting the local scene. The Key is a contributor to the vibrancy and authenticity of WXPN’s
mission. WXPN Program Director Bruce Warren stated that “the breadth and diversity of what we write on The Key
is incredible,” when the blog added a new Concert News tab in May 2021. Compelling coverage from The Key,
XPNFest, and a partnership with Rec Philly featuring local artists each extended our reach and impact.
Programming speaks to where we have been and where we need to go to raise the bar and deepen the XPN
community’s connection with Black Music. The effort continues to be reflected with thoughtful, relevant content
and resources on The Key.
To realize the goal of deeper engagement with a wider audience, WXPN added on-air talent, with Host of themonthly hip-hop show, Culture Cypher Radio John Morrison who has taken on other opportunities at XPN such as
joining World Cafe Host, Raina Douris on local NPR station WHYY’s Radio Times with the program’s guest host,Kevin McCorry to talk about the best new music and artists and the songs that kept us company during the
pandemic (on 4/22/21). And, in October 2020 Rahman Wortman joined as an XPN host. A feature he added,“Welcome To the Locals” a month-long series in February ’21, that was adapted to become a recurring program in
March ’21 focusing on regional artists. Wortman said he was excited to speak about and give these artists theirfirst airplay. Queen Maya was the first in the series of music and getting-to-know the artist chats.
WXPN has a significant partner in its neighboring venue, World Cafe Live (WCL). The collaborations between theradio station and the venue are numerous and as varied as the events, and often are connected to otherpartnerships especially in presenting live entertainment where WXPN major donors and members are invited.
Invitation-only Audience Sessions are taped for the World Cafe program and are valued by the audience. Becauseof restrictions around attending live performances due to COVID, WXPN devised a number of virtual shows to thatconnected the station to the audience and the audience to the artists in events we rolled-out. Virtual chats built
up to our 2020 Countdown of the Greatest All-Time Songs. The audience was invited to join by Zoom to sharecomments and questions on these chats or “Countdown Tuesdays.” On 9/29/20 at 7PM the first was moderatedby XPN Program Director, Bruce Warren and a lively discussion panel with World Cafe Host, Raina Douris, XPN
Morning Show Host Kristen Kurtis and Midday Host, Helen Leicht about the criteria that the songs on their,
personal Top 10 lists had to meet. The registered audience answered real-time polling questions including the hot
button, Just how much Springsteen is too much Springsteen when it comes to an XPN Countdown? Land Of The
Lost Host, Robert Drake conducted the next Countdown Tuesday for an 80’s greatest conversation and had a goodtime talking about 80’s quality and “schmaltzy” songs. Joining Robert on the panel were Chris Frantz of Talking
Heads/Tom Tom Club and Jade Starling of Pretty Poison. On the eve of the Countdown, a Countdown Virtual
Tailgate Party was attended by registered listeners on 12/9/20. The event was instructive, letting the virtual voting
audience know how to engage on social and how the massive Countdown playlist of songs is put together. More
importantly, it promoted fun and conversation with the hosts as they discussed their picks and hoped-for train
wrecks in the week ahead as the Countdown progressed, 12/10 through 12/17/20. The prelude had acorresponding conclusion as On-Air Hosts wrapped up an amazing chain of songs that is the Countdown.
On 12/22/20, the annual Home For The Holidays with host, Helen Leicht was pre-produced with artist, Dave Hause
and Devon Gilfillian and highlights from the past 2 years’ programs. The on-air broadcast of the show ran at thesame time as the video with encore airings on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. A virtual pre-show ‘holiday party”
for station major donors and volunteers hosted by Helen Leicht gave some of our merriest supporters a chance togather with each other at XPN.
A music meeting was very successful and well attended on 1/13/21: “New Year, New Music” gave members achance to really talk about the music that was coming out. Comments included that “participants loved it” and thatthe amount of work to benefit radio was good. A number of people participated from beyond our local listening
zip codes. For this meeting, members from the non-station personnel, Soundcheck Committee attended toencourage conversation.
While the intensity of the unknowns concerning COVID-19 have eased as many questions have been raised andaddressed providing hopefulness and a watch for the horizon, in FY21, these concerns were on the minds of thestaff, listener and community. Each attempt we made to allow for 2-way communication met with positive listenerresponse. A favorite, Songs That Got Us Through The Year (3/16/21) was a full 24-hour-long playlist, curated of
XPN-listener requests with the songs that brought them comfort, connection, strength, inspiration and joy. 800
passionate listeners sent their requests and conversed at #XPNGotUsThrough. Logyard Brewing added their voiceby sponsoring the day.
Two nights later, on 3/18/21 over 250 members joined host Dan Reed, Robert Drake and Eric Schuman and “John’s
Dollar Bin” host, John Stanley for a virtual “Music Meeting” to vote on, rank and discuss songs that *might* beplayed on the air in the coming months. Knowing their opinions mattered to XPN, interaction was rapid and madefor an exciting way to include and connect with members.
The stations weekly Free At Noon concerts, performed live at World Cafe Live had to be put on hold. To let theaudience know that we appreciated their attendance and support for the feature, “Free At Noon” flashbacks

continued in the same Noon on Fridays timeslot…until “Free At Noon Live & Virtual” came onto the scene on
1/15/21 with artist, Devon Gilfillian. The Free At Noon VIP Lounge was created to temporarily substitute for ourWorld Cafe Audience Sessions. On 4/16/21 Bruce Warren hosted artist, Langhorne Slim immediately following his
live-virtual Free At Noon show. These after-show sessions opened to sustaining and higher member donors on aregular basis.
Local Radio Heritage – The Lost Dedications
In the month of June WXPN’s The Many Moods of Ben Vaughn syndicated program returned to the past to pay
tribute to the radio audience and the place that local radio – its personalities and music – has always held in thehearts and lives of the listener. On Saturday, June 26 – 5PM the program dedicated the entire hour to airing The
Lost Dedications, featuring Philadelphia’s long-time radio personality and host of The Geator’s R’n’R R&B Express,
The Geator, Jerry Blavat. The Geator had amassed a huge amount of materials from “yon teens” and he hired Ben
Vaughn to organize his archives for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. A box of unopened letters was found with song
requests and dedications that Blavat received at the studio in Camden at a humble 250 watts on 1320 AM where
he was free of the “format radio” approach of commercial stations in 1962. The teenagers always called the stationand made requests for song dedications: very specific dedications, filled with a litany of names and places andinside jokes. The studio’s phone lines often got jammed, and when they couldn’t get through so, the Geator’s fanswrote letters. Sometimes those messages made it to the airwaves, and sometimes they stayed in their envelopes.
When WXPN program director, Bruce Warren and Ben Vaughn spoke about the found letters, this special feature
was born. During the show, Jerry Blavat read the requests and recalled and played the music with roots that link us
to the present. Blavat said, I don’t just play music – music tells a story about life. My audience back then, as theaudience of today, identifies with the song. It speaks for the human experience.” Reflecting on his own experienceand childhood connection to The Geator, Vaughn describes himself as a radio fanatic. Growing up in Mount
Ephraim, New Jersey, he got his start listening to Philly’s pop stations WIBG and WFIL, and the soul station WDAS.
The program was a very special feature for anyone, host and listener alike, who loves radio, today and yesterday.
John Vettese covered the event on The Key and played an all-request show leading into The Lost Dedications.
WXPN XPoNential Music Festival presented by Subaru
In Section 2 of this report, the virtual XPNFest (7/24-26/20) is described. WXPN set out to recreate community,
playfulness and having a fun time virtually with the cancellation of the annual XPoNential Music Festival cancelled
as a live event. For the Friday and Saturday night performances, Festival archives were streamed online; Sunday
featured all new performances on-air and through video stream from artists who had been slated to play live at
XPoNential.
As the time to start planning for live shows wasn’t too far out on the horizon, these live-virtual features delighted
audiences and helped to keep a lighter note in the air at a crucial time.
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 andengaged with other important organizations in the area.
In FY21 WXPN engaged with partners to support programming that brings artists and audiences together. We
adapted digitally to create virtual events for a live and virtual music experiences with interactive features.
2020 XPoNential Music Festival
Because of pandemic restrictions in effect in July 2020, the 2020 XPoNential Music Festival was reimagined to beenjoyed and experienced digitally. The virtual XPNFest (7/24-26/20) set out to recreate community, playfulness
and having a fun event with trivia games, contests and of course, the spinning wheel of musical prizes, social
channels to share experiences and past and current Festival photos, and the view of the beautiful Philadelphia
skyline via the Skyline webcam.
Building up to the virtual Festival, our digital team produced Friday Night Double Features (2 archived full
performances from previous festivals) streamed at xpn.org at 7PM to lead up to the XPN Fest and build
engagement and interest with the audience. The Friday night and Saturday night performances were curated fromthe previous 5 years of Festival archives and were streamed online; Sunday featured all new performances on-air
and through video streaming. Devon Gilfillian was a featured artist along with Liz Phair, Michaela Anne, The
Districts, Great Time, Nicole Atkins and Illiterate Light. Subaru was the lead sponsor with underwriting support
from the Philadelphia Contributionship and Dog Fishhead Brewery.

WXPN Musicians On Call program and the (Virtual) WXPN 5K Run for Musicians On Call
WXPN’s Musicians On Call (MOC) program brings artists and music to the bedsides of patients at participating
hospitals. Support for the program is also built through an annual WXPN 5K Run as well as other awareness events
hosted by the station. The impact and dramatic growth of the work of Musicians On Call is now experienced in
medical facilities in 20 cities including Philadelphia across the country. WXPN's Musicians On Call program was thefirst participant in the expansion outside of the program’s headquarters in New York 15 years ago and iscommemorated for its leadership on the National MOC Wall of Fame. The contribution of On-Air Host &Philadelphia’s face of Musicians On Call, Helen Leicht, with leadership of WXPN General Manager Roger LaMay,
Associate General Manager Quyen Shanahan, and Director of Marketing Kim Winnick has grown XPN’s service toinclude 11 programs at 9 hospitals and has served over 80,000 patients in the Philadelphia region.
LaMay has said, “There is no better example of what our community can do. We know this service works for the
benefit of patients and their families.”
His sentiment was proven true in the fall of 2020 when even a global pandemic, national civil unrest, and growing
unemployment levels didn’t deter the WXPN community from supporting the WXPN 5K Run for MOC (Virtually).
Many people who participated raised additional funds over and above the cost of their registration to exceed ourgoals, outpacing all of our previous MOC 5K events. A number of people made individual contributions of $500
gifts. Some of the success was due to increased response from teams and their friends, as participants actively
sought to make additional donations as “ambassadors” bringing other people to the 5K by soliciting them as MOC
5K team sponsors. Team Rave On alone raised over $30,000 between donations they raised and their own
registrations.
Runners, walkers, and donors participated in virtual photo sharing and posting of their race results. Newly
designed T-shirts and MOC masks were mailed to participants in time to make them a part of these photo shares,
adding deeper sense of involvement within the virtual community. In place of the annual dance party thattraditionally follows this 5K, DJ Robert Drake provided a soundtrack for people running or walking through theirtowns and neighborhoods or on the trail of one of the participating sponsors of the event, Natural Lands Trust.
Underwriting sponsor, Benjamin Lovell Shoes provided a gift certificate which we leveraged to encourage people
to record their running and walking times on the website.
In FY21, the virtual Musicians On Call 5K Presented by Subaru took place from 9/27/20 through 10/4/20. A musicalcelebration with Singer-Songwriter, Amos Lee was live streamed on Saturday October 3, 2020 at 6PM. The longtime artist volunteer for the program was at ease in the digital environment with hosts, Helen Leicht and Robert
Drake. Lee played and spoke during an hour-long set, connecting the 5K with the work of the program, and with
XPN. As a representative of the program, Lee has stated, “Some of my most meaningful moments as a musician
have been with WXPN Musicians On Call.”In June, Quyen Shanahan and Kim Winnick met virtually with the MOC New York headquarters team. In light ofpandemic restrictions around visiting patients in hospitals, they talked about how new technology has allowed theMusicians On Call (MOC) program to become more accessible to patients in hospitals. MOC virtual programs,
available on the website and via YouTube and Facebook give patients and caregivers access to the music that
supports healing by improving mood, pain tolerance and mental outlook in addition to providing humanconnection. With this addition, patients can enjoy live virtual performances, or tune into the artist’s video
performance at any time convenient during their treatment while in a medical facility.
Giving Tuesday
In FY21, Subaru continued to be a very important business partner for WXPN enriching our fundraising effort aswell as our community initiatives including helping us to kick off our extended Giving Tuesday fundraising. WXPN
was proud to partner with Subaru to support Sunday Suppers and Bunny Hop, an organization that provides
produce, groceries and prepared food for many of our Philadelphia neighbors. Sunday Suppers has, for the past
decade, enhanced the overall health and wellness of families through the transformative power of family meals,
serving low-income neighborhoods in Philadelphia. Because of the pandemic, Sunday Suppers shifted their efforts
into direct support of families across Philadelphia through the Bunny Hop food distribution program delivering
food to doorsteps, made possible by friends and neighbors who volunteer their time.
From 11/28/20 through Giving Tuesday, 12/1/20, Subaru’s support would help to provide 2 food boxes to local
families in need through distribution by Sunday Suppers and Bunny Hop for every gift to WXPN. Our collaborative
effort raised the much-needed funds for the station and supported Bunny Hop’s essential work with a gift of 1,333
food boxes. We raised $61,000 and heard from 854 members, gaining almost 300 new members. XPN members

shared wonderful messages of gratitude and appreciation for what we do; many said that they also loved thepartnership to support families dealing with food insecurity.
In FY21 WXPN collaborated with educational institutions to provide opportunities for station staff to connect withstudents. These connections make information available to the students interested in careers in public radio, andto others interested in what makes a radio station run. Descriptions of this outreach and value to the community islisted below. These examples involve students at varying levels of education and provide insights to the public
radio environment and to community building appropriate to the student’s needs and interests.
(Virtual) Professional Panel for our Professional Skills Forum II (PSF2) course on Monday, November 30th, 4:055:40 PM, November 30, 2020. WXPN Senior Sales Representative, Suzy Swartz served as one of 5 virtual panelists
on the Professional Panel in the Professional Skills Forum class for Rutgers-Camden’s School of Business. Panelists
represented non-profit and for-profit organizations including Merrill Lynch, WAWA and Campbell’s Soup and thePhiladelphia Campaign for Working Families and shared their professional and career insights with 31 of the
School’s students. Participating students were 2nd or 3rd year Business students, some of whom were transfer
students completing their 1st semester at Rutgers-Camden. The panelists were asked to briefly share a descriptionof their current role, the career path taken to reach it, professional experiences, and career insights. Students
prepared thoughtful questions to instigate discussion. Sample questions were provided to the panelists in advanceto help them prepare for the class. Students connected with Suzy Swartz after the class via LinkedIn to inquire
about careers at WXPN and about working in the non-profit sector in media.
The class was coordinated by Natalie Cox, MBA, Adjunct Faculty, Student Experience Officer, Internships at Rutgers
School of Business, Camden, NJ. Ms. Cox reached out following the class to thank the panelists for their
participation and indicated that their participation was valuable and that they will be asked back. “I reallyappreciate your willingness to share your career journey with our students and I’m so happy that we were able toconnect in this way. We appreciate your sacrifice and enthusiasm to help guide our Business students in theirprofessional development, and I look forward to keeping you on my short-list of local professionals to join us for
future events.”
Suzy commented that the underwriting team works with underwriting partners to share their message with the
XPN community of listeners and members and explained that copy drafted for on-air meets with FCC compliancestandards. She discussed WXPN’s on-air hosts and diverse radio programs including specialty programming such as
the XPN Greatest Songs Countdown and shows with iconic hosts David Dye and Helen Leicht who both haveretained strong ties to this community and Philly radio for decades.
In talking about the station’s events, Suzy spoke about the XPoNential Festival and working with partners on site
activation and providing A to Z deliverables for this 3-day massive undertaking, that we produce ourselves. The
2020 Festival itself turned virtual in its 27th year due to COVID-19 but was an outstanding virtual success withplenty of lessons about connecting artists with audiences.
When asked about what she looks for when working an internship fair, she said, “I spoke highly and rightly so of
the Rutgers University Camden students and that XPN has been lucky in working with so many hard working andenthusiastic students. I shared that I am impressed when students do their research on the station.” She notedthat students “came prepared to meet, with good questions, and ready to share their skill sets.” The following day,several students had already reached out to connect again. Suzy received messages that students were looking
forward to connecting again and a Senior Finance Major related that she was interested in the non-profit
experience and would like “to learn about opportunities at great organizations such as WXPN.”
Live at the Writers House-FY21
Live at the Writers House note: In light of COVID-19 restrictions the series’ hosts, performers and bands recorded
their performances remotely. Kelly Writers House (KWH), Locust Walk, University of Pennsylvania, Live is acollaboration between the Writers House and WXPN. Five episodes were recorded between the months ofOctober 2020 and April 2021 and broadcast on WXPN. Kelly Writers House coordinator, Alli Katz and the KWH staff
book guests; Alli hosts and produces the episodes and delivers them to WXPN News Director Bob Bumbera. Bob isalso the Executive Director for Live. During this reporting period, the pre-recorded audio was edited for preproduced shows. The partnership provides the platform for these performances to be heard by XPN’s radio
audience, and also provides an experience for student assistants to work with WXPN to air the series. The
production enriches the local creative community, live audience and listeners. In addition to student

performances, Philadelphia and regional writers from a variety of backgrounds are represented. Musical guests arepart of the series’ production. During the reporting period the following sessions were recorded and produced:• October 2020: “Drexel’s MFA Program” Produced and hosted by Alli Katz. Recorded remotely. Performers:
Angel Hogan, Daniel Nathan Horn, Leah Mele, Lexi Reader, Beth Ann Downey, Jeanine Cook. MusicalGuest: Seraiah Nicole. Recorded 9/28/20-WXPN On-Air 10/8/2020.
• November 2020: “Healthcare Workers” Produced and hosted by Alli Katz. Recorded remotely. Performers:
Mara Gordon; Jules Lipoff, I. W. Gregorio. Musical Guest, Knifeplay - performed: "Tears" and "Held My
Hand." Recorded 10/26/20-WXPN On-Air 11/5/20.
• February 2021: “Sports Narratives” Produced and hosted by Alli Katz. Recorded remotely. Alli Katz –Introduction. Kerith Gabriel, Jamie-Lee Josselyn, Kevin Kinkead, Dan McQuade. Musical Guest: Ghosh.
Recorded 2/2/21 – WXPN On-Air 2/11/21.
• March 2021: “Commedians” Produced and co-hosted by Alli Katz and Ronald Metellus. Recorded
remotely by performers featuring: Jasmine Ellis, Kyle Harris, Milly Tamarez, Brandon Mitchell andCassandra Dee. The musical guest is Al Maralen (Alex Asifo). Recorded 2/20/21- On-Air 3/11/21.
• April 2021: “Undergrad Live”, featuring Penn undergrads: Lizzy Lemeiux , Ollie Dupuy, Sofia Sears, Wes
Matthews, Devon Inman, with musical guest - Karen Kim. On-Air April 8, 2021.
3. What impact did your key initiatives and partnerships have in your community? 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 or strengthening conversational ties acrossdiverse 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
Prior to the advent of COVID-19 in FY20, WXPN began research for a multi-platform endeavor that would come toembody related current issues including immigration. Local and national engagement with the Haitian and
Caribbean community was envisioned as a key aspect of WXPN’s project Kanaval: Haitian Rhythms and the Musicof New Orleans. That engagement is described fully in Section 6.4 of this report. WXPN’s planned launch of live,
audience attended music events and a theatrical performance was sequentially rescheduled then postponed as
pandemic restrictions endured. In FY21, the 3-part Kanaval documentary debuted on February 1, 2021, hosted byHaitian American singer-songwriter Leyla McCalla and produced by Alex Lewis, who had also been a producer on
our previous, Gospel Roots of Rock & Soul documentary. Kanaval: Haitian Rhythms & the Music of New Orleans
was first made available on public radio stations across the country throughout February 2021. The show is
distributed by NPR (National Public Radio). A glance at the Kanaval website showed stations and air times where
the documentary could be found. Approximately 40 NPR system stations carried the three-hour documentary in
February, as part of Black History month. It was made available for streaming and via podcast in early March 2021.
Through Kanaval, WXPN developed relationships with Haitian musicians. In May 2021, A video premier of a live
studio session in Haiti with Paul Beaubrun and a 7-piece Haitian band received 3,500 pageviews as it was being
streamed on xpn.org as described in Section 4 of this report.
Producing the Kanaval project brought WXPN together with community leaders in our region. These included
Media In Neighborhoods Group (MING), a film company that specializes in the multimedia documentation of
criminal justice issues and marginalized communities. This partnership produced the 3-part video series, Nou La,
the Haitian Diaspora in Philadelphia as described in Section 6.3.
This project connected us with Philadelphia administrators as participants with the Philadelphia Office of
Immigrant Affairs for a press conference outside City Hall celebrating Immigrant Heritage Month. World Cafe
Host Raina Douris hosted this film exploration of the Haitian experience in our neighborhoods. On the same day as
the press conference an outdoor Jazz performance as part of our Black Music City initiative was taking place in
Philadelphia’s City Hall. Because of the station’s aptitude for exploration and delivery, WXPN stands at the centerof cultural leadership in our region.
Black Music CityIn FY21, Black Music City called upon Black creatives in the greater Philadelphia area (PA, NJ, DE) working in any
creative medium to submit their project 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 most significant musical developments. That legacy is a source ofinspiration and interpretation for today’s Black creatives. The applicants submitted projects to tell clear,significant and relevant stories that fits the theme of this program in a unique, innovative style. Recipients of the
grants received $1,000 to $3,500 to bring their projects to life. WXPN partnered with Philadelphia’s noncommercial Classical and Jazz radio station from Temple University, WRTI and with REC Philly to meaningfully assist
young Black artists across multiple disciplines to develop their artistic career pursuits creating Black Music City. The
grant applications were accepted 12/14/20-1/25/21. Twenty-three grant recipients were selected in February andworked on their projects with their grant funding, starting in March with a submission deadline of 5/27/2021.
Black Music City Awards host Suzann Christine produced videos spotlighting each grant recipient and documenting
the journey of their project. The awardees’ projects were submitted to a committee of prominent Black
Philadelphia professionals in the arts, media, and business who judged the final round of applicants. who were
given a total of $49,000 in grant funding.
The work was showcased and exhibited during African American Music Appreciation Month in June 2021 on
Saturday, Juneteenth, at REC Philly, the coworking space for Philadelphia creatives with which WXPN partners.
Several of the artists performed or had their work on display during the livestreamed event at the Fashion District,which took place during Black Music Appreciation Month
Bill Johnson, general manager of WRTI, received loud applause when he mentioned that the event coincided with
Juneteenth, describing music as “a defining element of the Black American
experience.”“It’s an opportunity to reflect upon the contributions of Black America to the America — theAmerican story. Not the Black American story, but the American story,” Johnson said. “Because it is woven into thefabric of everything that we enjoy, everything we look at and are a part of, it’s woven in there.” Roger LaMay,
general manager of WXPN, said the grant program is sorely needed to boost Black artists in the area and connect
them with a wider audience. “The arts and artists, it’s a known fact, are underfunded in this region,” LaMay said.
“In particular, Black artists don’t have the access to the funding in this region.” He commented on the quality andcaliber of the applicants noting that more than 600 people applied for the grants.
At the award celebration the artists received advice through a taped interview with Kenny Gamble. Gamble
cautioned that the music industry can be tough to break into but urged them to keep pushing: “They used to say,
‘Kenny, you ain’t gonna make it, man.’” Gamble with Leon Huff and their Philadelphia International Records are
credited with creating Philadelphia’s soul music genre, known as the Sound of Philadelphia. “You just got to keepon and be yourself and follow your own dreams,” he concluded to the creatives.
Scarlet Estelle Hernandez, REC Philly’s director of member success, commented, “We are here to support artists intheir endeavor of making money doing what they love.” And Grantee, Animah Danquah said that the outsidefunding through Black Music City was helpful and hoped that it would continue.
In fact, in FY22, Black Music City was re-envisioned doubling the number of grant recipients as well as the amountof grant funding for grant awards. We are on the way to that goal. Applications closed on MLK Day, 1/17/22, with
judging to follow. Grant winners will be announced on February 15, 2022. Black Music City is hosted by thecharismatic host of Black Music Heroes, local rapper and activist, and Community Curator at WHYY, Bull Bey.
Black Music City is supported by a grant from the Wyncote Foundation. Tito’s Handmade Vodka contributed acharitable gift of 19K to supplement the artist grant fund in FY21. In FY22, support comes from The Wyncote
Foundation, Tito’s Handmade Vodka and the City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy.
Black History Month and Black Music MonthIn keeping with our goals to elevate the contributions of Black artist, WXPN kicked off Black History Month (Feb.
2021) on-air with a series of focused programming including a new series on Sleepy Hollow, “Expansions in Jazz”
highlighting the influence of contemporary Black artists. On Culture Cypher Radio, Host John Morrison reviewed
the Black roots of rock and roll; World Cafe featured interviews with Black artists throughout the month, andexpert on new urban sounds Tarik Moody hosted his new weekly program Rhythm Lab Radio. Black musicians
were featured on every daypart, online and on The Key. The two-part series, Black Radio: Telling It Like It was on
2/18 and 2/28 told the story of Radio’s role in the 20th Century transformation of the African American community
through interviews, historical airchecks, comedy, drama and music to reveal the remarkable correlation between
milestones of Black radio programming and African American culture. First aired in 1966 with Lou Rawls hosting, it
was updated for re-release with new narration from original producer, Jacquie Gales Webb.

On February 1, Kanaval: Haitian Rhythms and the Music of New Orleans premiered at 8PM, and was rebroadcast
on Fat Tuesday, 2/16/21. The story of the Kanaval project was reported in The Philadelphia Inquirer on 1/29/21.
And our award-winning radio documentary, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning: The Gospel Roots of Rock andSoul was reprised on 2/28 preempting regularly scheduled programming for the afternoon.
In June 2021, Black Music Month featured interesting programming that included Host Jonny Meister with a
Juneteenth Fathers’ Day celebration of Blues fathers and their offspring highlighting the work of Muddy Waters
with his sons an B.B. King with his daughters on The Blues Show. I the midnight hour, his Blue Dimensions episodeincluded Charnett Moffett covering legendary pianist McCoy Tyner on bass solo. Earlier in the day, Rahman
Wortman took the audience on a four-hour musical journey across genres by Black musicians on his program, The
Sounds of Blackness. Wortman noted, “I take pride in the range that Black music has when it comes to genres, so
I’m excited to celebrate that feeling on Black Music Month.” New programming for Black History Month isunderway and on the air in FY22.
Kids Corner
In its 34th year on WXPN, Kids Corner continued to be a resource and contributor to the lives of families. As people
and organizations responded to regional outbreaks of COVID-19, Kids Corner, tailored their focus of the pandemic,
to include instructive guests and examples of practical safety measures.
Moving into the second year of the pandemic, the Kids Corner staff took a reflective look at their segments on Kids
Corner and evaluated how they hold up in this new era. Do they super-serve their core audience, kids 6-13 years ofage and, if so, can they do better?
They introduced more structured conversation segments including the Collections Corner, the Kids Corner Craft
Night, a restructured Kids Corner Bookmobile, and a weekly Kids Corner Poll Question.
These segments are designed to encourage participation from their listeners. The Collections Corner allows kids tocall and discuss the things they collect. How they began their collection, how they maintain it and display it andhow their collection might interact with their family (as many collections begin as something passed on fromgeneration to generation).
The Kids Corner Craft Night stems from the reality that, due in part to the increase of virtual learning during the
pandemic, more families are set up with a craft station at home for use both in schoolwork as well as quality family
time. From the pandemic Kids Corner has learned that families (especially kids) have developed new passions forarts and craft projects. This monthly segment allows kids to share their joy on the radio and describe what they are
creating these days.
After a year pause due to the sudden passing of Kids Corner librarian Joe Hilton in December 2020, the Kids Corner
Bookmobile returned to its monthly placement (every first Wednesday) in January 2021. Kids flooded thetelephone lines to share the joy of reading and offer book reviews for other kids to check out. Additionally, Kids
Corner introduced the monthly Bookmobile spotlight feature, where host Kathy O’Connell will chat with an author
about their recent book for young readers.
Finally, Kids Corner introduced the weekly Kids Corner Poll Question every Tuesday. This highly interactive
segment is designed to not only showcase the opinions of kids but also accommodate a larger volume of calls in
the hour, due to its rapid-fire format. Each week they ask a different poll question and ask listeners to call andshare their answer with the listening audience. So far, polls have explored favorite soups and sandwiches to nonfood queries like who you favor in the upcoming Super Bowl game. The design of the Poll Question is to make iteasy for every listener to participate by narrowing the focus on what is required from each caller. With this fast
format, they have already seen an increase of younger kids participating (normally they tended to sit back and let
the older kids interact with Kathy).
Plans are in the works to overhaul the KidsCorner.org website before the end of FY22, once the launch of the new
XPN.org site is completed. This overhaul will streamline the content of the KidsCorner.org site to complement the
new programming features and also offer more interactivity for our core demographic while continuing to follow
the Child Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998.
4. Please describe any efforts (e.g. programming, production, engagement activities) you have made toinvestigate and/or meet the needs of minority and other diverse audiences (including, but not limited to, newimmigrants, 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 ina language other than English, please note the language broadcast.
Kanaval. National recognition and the successful presentation and reception of our previous deep-dive projects
including The Gospel Roots of Rock & Soul project provided the impetus to explore the connection of Haitian Musicand heritage, with its inherent Taino influences as well as the island’s African, French and Spanish traditions, on
the culture and music of New Orleans. As introduced in Section 6.3 of this report, XPN’s latest project, Kanaval:
Haitian Rhythms & the Music of New Orleans is also designed to allow WXPN to work with and include
Philadelphia’s local Haitian community’s participation in telling the story. National exploration and partnerships inthese areas built the project, which features concerts, a theatrical performance and a multi-media website anddocumentary hosted by Leyla McCalla. The documentary kicked-off the project in 2021with a February 1 premier
aired on over 40 NPR stations. The documentary connects audiences with Haiti’s cultural heritage and showcases
the impact and contributions of Haiti on the richness of the music of New Orleans. Rather than showcase Haitianpeople as a poor immigrant group, the project elevates these connections.
Partly due to the interruption of the pandemic, and because WXPN used the time with live music restrictions tofurther the project, we were able to follow the connections that were developing and better explore the culture
and music of Haiti. One path led Kanaval to The French Institute in the city of Port-Au-Prince, Haiti for a studiosession featuring musician Paul Beaubrun. The studio session was recorded as part of WXPN’s Kanaval: Haitian
Rhythms & the Music of New Orleans project. The video recording premiered on Kanaval’s website on Haitian Flag
Day, Tuesday, May 18, 2021 at 7PM with 3,500-pageviews and could also be viewed on YouTube and Facebook.
WXPN also broadcast the audio at 10PM, preempting scheduled programming. The uplifting, hour long video
features Beaubrun fronting an incredible seven-piece band. Their set captures the optimism and spirit in the musicof the Haitian people. Beaubrun is also featured in the Kanaval: Haitian Rhythms & the music of New Orleans
documentary. Paul Beaubrun would later appear on stage in FY22 for the live return of our XPoNential Festival on
the Camden Waterfront.
The project also directed us to our own neighborhoods in Philadelphia. Investigation led us to a partnership with
MING (Media In Neighborhoods Group) to produce a 3-part video series, Nou La: The Haitian Diaspora in Philly,
with World Cafe Host Raina Douris. On June 2, XPN General Manager previewed the video series for the Press
conference at the launch of Immigration Heritage Month celebration promoted by the City’s Office of ImmigrantAffairs. Later that month, a free online film screening of the series was made available to registered guests on
6/23/21. Nou La translates to “We Are Here” and the video series celebrates the vibrant legacy of Haitian
Americans in Philadelphia, following the journeys of the City’s creative Haitians, who are artists, culinarians, andcultural workers. Directed by Romel Jean-Pierre, Nou La vividly illustrates how the culture of Haiti thrives throughtheir crafts and lives in our local community.
In FY22 exploration and celebration of Kanaval was brought to the Downtown section of Philadelphia for a live
event at the Fringe Arts Theater for 2 nights, December 10 and 11, 2021. Leyla McCalla, host of the Kanaval:
Haitian Rhythms & the Music of New Orleans documentary is the creator of and performs a theatrical show,
Breaking the Thermometer to Hide The Fever. McCalla’s is a multidisciplinary performance set to new music by the
Haitian American singer-songwriter and New Orleans-based artists. The project explores the legacy of Radio HaitiInter, Haiti’s first privately owned Creole-speaking radio station, and the assassination of its owner, Jean
Dominique, in 2000. The title is derived from a proverb used by Dominique to describe the spirit of Haiti’s
marginalized poor in the face of violence and political oppression. The performance weaves together storytelling,
dance, video projection, and audio recordings from Duke University’s Radio Haiti Archive with McCalla’s own
compositions and arrangements of traditional Haitian songs. Through this juxtaposition of voices — the personal
and political, the anecdotal and the journalistic, McCalla gives expression to the enduring spirit of Haiti’s
marginalized poor in the face of several centuries of political oppression. She pays homage along the way to theactivists who have fought, often at great personal cost, to amplify these unheard voices.
The performance was free and was well-received by registered audiences on both nights. Surveys completed by
the attendees showed that it really connected with WXPN community members and partners. An important
objective in bringing Breaking The Thermometer to our region was to educate people about Haitian culture andthis presentation helped to make that goal a reality.
Also slated for FY22 is the project’s finale, The Philly Krewe du Kanaval Ball a uniquely joyous, colorful andexuberant Mardi Gras celebration of New Orleans’ cultural and musical connection with Haiti. Because of reestablished restrictions around the pandemic, the live event was moved forward several times in order to find asafe date and we are optimistic that we will be able to bring the Ball to our community on the first day of Spring,
March 20, 2022. The Ball will be costume optional, coming during the Mardi Gras season, at The Fillmore
Philadelphia with bands, DJ’s and dancers and food vendors. The capstone event of our #XPNKanaval project, theKanaval Ball will feature the legendary New Orleans Preservation Hall Jazz Band, as well as the Port-au-Prince
based mizik rasin bands Boukman Eksperyans and RAM. DJ sets are planned from Michael Brun, an award-winning
DJ and producer from Haiti now based in New York, and Win Butler of Arcade Fire, a co-founder of New Orleans’
Krewe du Kanaval celebration, a source of inspiration for the Kanaval project. The ball also features a performanceby Haitian folkloric dance company Nadia Dieudonné & Feet of Rhythm.
The Ball is FREE with registration, and is promoted prominently on The Key.
The finale will conclude the formal aspect of a project that spawned new friends and extended our community in ameaningful way that is certain to continue through our programming, artist outreach and audience interest.
Major support for Kanaval: Haitian Rhythms & the Music of New Orleans has been provided by The Pew Center for
Arts & Heritage, with additional support from Wyncote Foundation.
Along with our previous project, The Gospel Roots of Rock and Soul, Kanaval reinforces XPN’s leadership as asource of journalism around the African roots of so much of our shared music. Documentaries produced for bothof these projects were broadcast for Black History Month and in June for Black Music Appreciation Month.
World Cafe Latin Roots Series to National Hispanic Heritage Month
WXPN’s coverage of National Hispanic Heritage Month (9/15-10/15/21) is a continuation of our multi-years
standing commitment to Latin music programming that began on World Cafe (Latin Roots) and the Latin Roots
Live! concert series since 2012. In FY21 World Cafe Sense of Place encored a session with Byron Gonzalez Music
Director, host and producer of Latin Alt to get his take on what defines Latin Alternative to kick off WXPN’s monthlong celebration that featured a music mix with artists of Hispanic heritage in music and interviews. Guided by
Byron’s expertise, XPN shared new music from Latin and LatinX artists twice a week on World Cafe, along withcompanion streaming playlists on Spotify. World Cafe’s vast Latin Roots archive of interviews and sessions weredigitally showcased, as well as videos from our NPR Music Live Sessions. Gonzalez adds his knowledge and insights
with World Cafe hosts, Raina Douris and Stephen Kallao to introduce new artists. New Latin artists’ music wasplaced on XPN’s Gotta Hear Song of the Week: “NTE” by Buscabulla, and we invited our audience to take a newmusic discovery journey through cities in Central America, South America, and Mexico. The Latin Roots seriescontinues to thrive and will continue on World Cafe which is distributed to 276 stations nationally.
OUTMusic
June is Pride Month. To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Stonewall in June 2021, XPN Q’Zine Host Robert Drakeand Amazon Country Host Debra D’Alessandro celebrated with a month-long series that aired on Sunday nights,
OUTMusic. It was soon after the Stonewall Riots in 1969 that LGBTQ musicians found their freedom within the
lyrics of a song and took to coffeehouses, community stages and beyond to express their pride and joy forthemselves, their love and their community. 2021 roughly marks the 50th anniversary of out artists performing out
music. The colorful tapestry of music performed by the global LGBTQ community over the past decades was
explored in a 4-part series, broadcast at 11pm ET.
On Sunday, June 6, Debra presented Our Founding Family, showcasing the first wave of musicians that built thefoundation for decades of out artists to come. Debra continued the journey on 6/13 from the 1970s into the 1980s
and 1990s with Kicking Down The Closet Door, a look at music performed from out artists, many crossing over into
commercial success stories. On 6/20, Robert presented Going Underground – an audio journey exploring the queer
alt-rock/punk/grunge movement of the late 20th century. And finally, on Sunday, June 27, Robert caped off theseries with Over The Rainbow and Beyond – a tour of today’s vibrant out music community from all musical walksof life.
The series was broadcast on 88.5 FM and streamed online http://xpn.org. Archives of each week’s special can befound at The Key which also featured an OUTMusic Playlist curated by Drake: a celebration 50 years in the making,showcasing out artists performing OUT LOUD! *shuffle for maximum enjoyment* Programming by the LGBTQ
community will continue to be broadcast on WXPN.
WXPN’s Musicians On Call Program
As noted in Section 6.2 of this report, WXPN is a participant in the national Musicians On Call (MOC) program
bringing live and recorded music to hospital patients. WXPN Musicians On Call serves nine area hospitals with visits
to 140,000+ patients, family members, and caregivers since 2004. In FY21, due to pandemic restrictions the
program was prevented from returning live to bring music to the bedsides of patients in the hospitals we serve.

Hospitals and hospital staff were still dealing 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.
Musicians On Call’s Virtual Bedside Performance Program brings Volunteers Guides and Volunteer Musicians
directly patients, caregivers, and those in need of remote, live music through 1×1 intimate performances andhospital-wide concerts. By utilizing video conferencing technology, Volunteer Guides host a live performance froma Volunteer Musician. Because of this unique set up, volunteers and those dialing in can be located all over thecountry and multiple hospitals can join at once. The music pharmacy gives patients innovative technology to accessthe healing power of music at their bedside, including tablets equipped with streaming music and noise cancelling
headphones. Each Music Pharmacy hospital recipient receives three tablets programmed with Amazon Music
streaming services and Bose noise canceling headphones. In addition, they include custom curated playlists
featuring music that promotes positivity and healing for the hospital environment.
We also share a Musicians On Call Playlist, a compilation of music videos recorded by MOC volunteers withpatients in mind. This playlist is shared with hospital partners to offer to their patients and can be viewed on
YouTube by anyone in need of a pick-me-up.
To show our dedicated caregivers how much we appreciate their continued hard work and sacrifice, we
participated in the eCard program. The eCards are filled with performances and special greetings from the artists
who participate in the program. sending an eCard that features a video of a song recorded by one of our talented
volunteer musicians. For every eCard, Musicians On Call also provides a song for a patient in the hospital.
The program continues into FY22, building our community through, music, relationship and lifted spirits.
5. Please assess the impact that your CPB funding had on your ability to serve your community. What were youable 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 the opportunity to devote assets to seekother resources to help pay for new and creative initiatives and services. In FY21 WXPN received $683,667 from
CPB or 8% of the station’s overall revenue. This total included $265,449 to WXPN as part of the federal
government’s COVID-19 stimulus package. With this support, WXPN is able to accomplish programming, digital,
membership, marketing, and community engagement goals.
CPB funding allows XPN to focus on connecting artists with audiences and to give exposure to artists who are notplayed on commercial radio stations. This support allows us to take chances and play a diverse roster of music, notjust the music of established and well-tested artists. This was also reflected in WXPN’s music discovery outreachthat benefits new and local artists.
WXPN’s continuing programming includes shows that address the concerns of diverse audiences. Voices from the
LGBTQ community heard on Q’zine &Amazon Country were in the spotlight in June ‘21 as part of station-wide
Pride Month programming as described in Section 4 of this report.
Kids Corner is a radio show focusing solely on kids and their interests and concerns. The call-in format gives kids avoice with the host and radio audience. The program’s creative innovations of online access to information, anddiscussions with experts strengthen the community providing families a deeper sense of what it means to beconnected. Kids Corner also makes space for Kids Independent Music, or “Kindie” artists to entertain families. The
national biennial Kindie Music Industry’s gathering, KindieComm, cancelled since April 2020 has been a blow to theartists who come together to attend workshops and share their music. The cancellation of this event results in aloss to revenue and we look forward to the return of the conference.
As a community resource, WXPN brings local musicians into partnership in support of WXPN Musicians On Call,furthering our mission of connection, and responding to the voices of patients and their families calling out forsolace. When we are able to return to the 9 local hospitals we work, the artists involved with WXPN 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 music virtually topatients as described in this report.
In directing our effort toward specific aspects of our mission, we learned and strengthened in all areas ofconnecting across platforms. That effort continues.

Woodstock Week: Back to the Garden, Again (8/10-16/2020). The 50th Anniversary of the Arts & Music Festivalthat was Woodstock in 1969 garnered interest from across demographics and countries as a special feature on
WXPN in 2019. That event was played over the course of 4 days to follow hourly with the Festival’s original, erratic
performance schedule. WXPN went “back to the garden, again” to broadcast and stream the production in August2020 throughout a full week with a playback schedule across approximately a 12 hour per daytime span that gave
listeners another chance to tune in. No performance aired earlier than 6 a.m. or after 10 p.m. The event kicked off
on the XPN Morning Show on Monday 8/10/20 with a set at 9 a.m. from Richie Havens. Stage performances andstage announcements played through Sunday 8/16/20 to end as the Festival had with Jimi Hendrix at 1 p.m.
Added elements included a new interview by XPN’s Eric Shuman with archivist Andy Zax, who produced thecomplete Woodstock box set that was released for its anniversary. Sleepy Hollow Host, Chuck Elliott had attended
the original Woodstock Festival with a group of friends before starting his fall semester as an undergrad at the
University of Pennsylvania. Elliott was interviewed by The Key’s John Vettese to share his experience which airedon the XPN Local Show on Tuesday, 8/11/20. Vettese spotlighted Woodstock’s latter-day offspring, withperformances from Woodstock 94 and the ill-fated Woodstock 99 which became the centerpiece of XPN’s monthly
90s show What’s The Frequency? on 8/14/20. Listeners kept the conversation lively throughout on social mediausing the hashtag #XPNStock. On Facebook and IG, Festival stories were a huge part of engagement; WXPN got agood bump in listening by reprising “Woodstock” and gave people something to talk about, with a 15%-20%
increase overall on social. There was an uptick in membership accompanied by requests for Woodstock T-Shirtsfrom our Woodstock 50th anniversary presentation!
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 a full 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 Day from Senator Chris
Coons (DE) and Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA). Throughout the day our airwaves carried member andartists messages about what public radio means to them. Listeners were also invited to hear a collaborative session
between XPN PD Bruce Warren and WRTI PD Josh Jackson for a Philly-focused Jazz, R&B needle drop hosted at
WXPN’s studios.
Station transparency was also a goal developed by our Development team for a regularly scheduled Impact Reportthat goes out to members to cover topics that include a General Managers message, donors’ personal stories ofmusic discovery, and highlights of prominent events and issues. For the premier issue, a “real people at work”
segment focused on a day in the life at World Cafe, and Black Music City Award winners told their stories of how
the experience of receiving award grants for their Philadelphia music heritage pieces have impacted their careers.
Our mission to provide listeners and members a means to connect with local and regional music will be realized in
February 2022 when our new website launches. A central maneuver taking us from our current website to thenew product is the migration of our comprehensive music blog, The Key, into xpn.org creating a new digitalplatform for music discovery. A brand-new artist database is at the heart of the whole website “discovery” idea.
We’ve set a goal of curating information for 200 artists for the launch. Our deep-dive projects described in thisreport will find a home in one place on the site, as part of this essential website redesign project. As users explore
the station’s comprehensive content, the website will allow them to engage further for a deeper experience.
Taken as a whole, the impact of the new website will be extended across platforms under one umbrella.
WXPN reorganized event production digitally to add new experiences so that audiences would continue toparticipate in music discovery. XPN’s programing department, supported by our engineering staff’s feats of
awesomeness enabled XPN to do the amazing work to provide crucial adaptations for virtual, on-air and digital toserve our community of listeners and our loyal member base. In every area related music coverage, WXPN
management and staff found the ways and means to respond to challenges to meet the needs, interests andconcerns of the station’s vast and ardent listening community and the professional community in the public radio
and media industry.
The nationally attended NON-COMMvention was conducted virtually 5/5-7/2021 on a great platform for thisoccasion, Pathable.com making the event as close to attending a live music conference as possible. International
performances from artists joining us live-virtually from Mali and from Tel Aviv were included in a roster of local andnational artists for an inspired music experience. Brandi Carlile’s appearance included talk about the debut of her
memoir and #1 book on the NYT Bestseller list, Broken Horses. Dan Reed clearly enjoyed co-hosting a segmentwith celebrity actor and internet phenom, Leslie Jordan. Because of the work started at the station earlier in theyear and during COVID restrictions, new equipment had been added for live and virtual Free At Noon sessions andinterviews. As a result, technical skill sets that were previously challenged then strengthened among the video anddigital teams made it possible to do live virtual bands for NON-COMM by providing the edge we needed at theright time to make the conference positive and successful. All of the nighttime bands were offered live toregistered attendees on Pathable.com, and those performances were also broadcast while the audio was also
streamed for the listening audience. Eric Schuman anchored on-air while NON-COMM host extraordinaire Dan
Reed anchored on video.
WXPN made the conference free for radio station and music industry attendees. Our noncomMusic AlliancePartners were invited to join for the full slate of events that included music showcases and panel sessions to
discuss key challenges and best practices for public radio music stations, and networking opportunities for thoseworking in the Triple A space and other public radio music formats. In keeping with WXPN’s practice of including
essential member supporters, a number of major donors, station sponsors and long-time NON-COMM volunteers
were invited to attend the music showcases.
Approximately 700 radio and industry professionals attended, in addition to invited major donors.
In addition to our deep-dive, years-long projects, WXPN continues to explore music and culture through our
nationally distributed World Cafe program. Starting on 10/14/21, the program is celebrating its Anniversary with aroster 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 thathighlight 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. “For 30 years, listeners have relied on World Cafe’s
deeply human curation to explore content that continually broadens and heightens their music knowledge andenjoyment,” said Bruce Warren, World Cafe Executive Producer. “Over the next 30 weeks, we’ll present ‘deep cuts’
from World Cafe archives - some of the best moments from the last 30 years - along with what we think ishappening now, and next.” Featured anniversary themes include: As Heard on World Cafe, Most Memorable
Musical Moments, First Timers and 30 Under 30.
The two-hour daily program features a mix of interviews with in-studio performances by both established andemerging artists. As the nation’s most listened-to public radio music program, its impact on the careers andaudience awareness of thousands of artists is considerable. World Cafe is distributed by NPR currently running on
276 US radio stations and heard by @ 575,000 listeners each week including artists, audiences, and the radio andmusic industry employees. Longtime features such as Latin Roots and Sense of Place help introduce under-theradar artists to a national audience and take listeners to great music cities around the globe. Douris andContributing 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 theshow with supporting them over the years, as well as breaking numerous songs. The show’s attraction is also
reflected in the popular Philadelphia concert venue World Cafe Live, which shares a building with WXPN andlicenses the name. World Cafe maintains music bureaus in Philadelphia, Nashville and New Orleans, and has issued
more than 40 Live at World Cafe CDs and two World Cafe books.
World Cafe Travel Adventure Series has traditionally explored music and cultural heritage in cities around theworld. In pre-COVID planning, the World Cafe team, accompanied by WXPN members and major donors wereslated to travel to Japan. Plans were rescheduled and finally cancelled due to the pandemic. This spring, a group of
intrepid explorers anticipate setting out to record and enjoy a variety of musical traditions in Europe including
Berlin, Germany, Prague, Czech Republic and Vienna, Austria. The Travel Series provides great programming andstewardship opportunities with donors as well as some providing some revenue for XPN. These have been absent
while restrictions prevail.
WXPN has an excellent record of fundraising for operations, as well as for targeted projects, but a decrease in CPB
funding could impact the number and duration of on-air fund drives conducted annually. XPN produces three onair fund drives each year in addition to targeted fundraising campaigns for Giving Tuesday and Years’ End. Losing

CPB funding would force us to fundraise for several additional weeks. Increased fundraising time would be
detrimental as additional staff time and resources would be redirected to performing fundraising alternatives.
WXPN effectively manages funds provided by CPB to encourage growth and sustainability. WXPN’s Sustaining
Membership program is strong with 72% of members participating in the program and contributing over 50% ofmember revenue. Our loyal donor portfolio provides a sustainer base willing to support the goals, innovations andprojects XPN identifies. Our overall member retention rate remains solid and reflects support for XPN
programming and mission in reflected in Giving Tuesday and on-air member drives. Our fiscal-year end drive wasconducted through email, direct marketing and on-air messaging foregoing a final 1-day drive in order to shareanother day of music with the listeners and members who have supported us so strongly. Instead, with thesupport of a challenge grant, online promotions and specialty days, we gambled that audience support would
come through to enable us to achieve our year end fundraising goal, and were not surprised to find that was true,
but gratified to know that our year-long effort to encounter and engage were reciprocated as listeners andmembers continued to give. Sustainers sustained XPN with add-gift and higher-level members pledged to pick up
pairs of tickets for the late-summer, FY22 live and in-person September 2021 XPoNential Festival sponsored bySubaru returning to Camden, NJ at Wiggins Park and the BB&T Pavilion, while members at every level gave to thestation often receiving summertime promotional station items.
More than a thousand members’ notes received throughout the year expressed the reasons for their financial
support. The steady expressions also helped to inform our choices even as the financial and verbal feedback we
received confirmed for our programming and membership staff that they were leading the audience in the right
direction. Programming balanced music discovery, honoring our heritage artists, rediscovering forgotten gems andproviding continuity while not losing sight of the important changes in the world that affected all of us. Our
membership theme, “Music Keeps Us Connected” was never more profoundly appreciated by our listeners. As
FY21 drew to a close, our fundraising theme of Music Keeps Us Connected, became “Music Brings Us Together,”taking us on a collective next step in a positive direction.
In FY 21, the loss of strong underwriting support had been challenging and CPB support was greatly needed as welost a majority of business support with so many businesses shut down. With the underwriting situation dire, CPB
allowed us to focus on much needed programming for our listeners and our listeners responded giving us one of
the best fundraising years ever.
Any recent successes in acquiring sponsors are due to the hard work of WXPN’s Business Support teamstrengthened by original programming and by station outreach in the community. Heading into FY22, theunderwriting staff is finding that the lull caused by the pandemic is releasing some pent-up demand for station
underwriting. Throughout, our underwriting staff never waivered from the basics, they were poised and trained
for a robust reopening of the economy, cultivating new business categories such as Charter Schools, HVAC andSpirits.
Our organization has made progress with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. As required of CPB’s Community Service
Grant recipients, all WPXN staff, interns, and work studies participated in the online Everfi harassment and bias
prevention training CPB makes available. The completion date of 9/30/2021 was met. Internally, WXPN’s
management team met to engage in meaningful dialogues around Diversity, Equity and Inclusion issues and racial
literacy in our workplace with an outside facilitator and also held a day-long retreat for the staff in 2021. We are alllearning together ways to eradicate structural racism from our work.
CPB funding has also made it possible for WXPN to retain the entire staff throughout the pandemic. While most of
the XPN staff worked remotely in the fall of 2020, General Manager Roger Lamay conducted individual Zoom
sessions with each of the staff to talk about their issues related to work and the prevailing environment. LaMaycontinues to keep current with the staff with emailed Monday Updates commenting on the station’s operations
and direction. All of these steps are reflective of the work that’s been done to ensure that we have a greaterawareness of what we play, the diversity of voices on the air, and the impact of unconscious bias on everything we
do. A new committee, Civitas emerged in spring, 2021 with 7 staff members to liaison with management on issues
and concerns expressed by the staff. The committee defined culture as “…a dynamic system of shared values thatemerges to guide attitudes, norms, and behaviors while promoting a feeling of belonging that are vital to allmembers of a healthy and productive organization.”
CPB funding supported our outreach in FY21 without which the success of our programs and events would nothave been possible. CPB funding helped to make it possible 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 isdependent on growing audience, membership, business support and diversity across our programming andoperations. We thank CPB for supporting us and helping us do our best work, especially when faced with thechallenges of recent times.