WRFN-FM 98.9, a low power FM radio station west of Nashville, has begun broadcasting with programs that cater to the Middle Tennessee GLBT community.
Radio Free Nashville -WRFN’s signal reaches a seven to ten mile radius from a tower located in Pasquo, Tenn. The primary broadcast area extends from Bellevue (just west of Nashville) westward to Fairview, to Pegram in the north and parts of Brentwood and Franklin in the south. WRFN is also available over the Internet with more than 200 streams available.
The station offers a variety of programming with several shows targeting the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community, including “Gender Talk,” “Morning Drama with Jessica and Demetrius” and “Freedom Dance.”
“I think RFN's GLBT programming will be a great thing for Nashville. These days there are so many lies and bigotries and hatreds about gays that are thrown about unchallenged. That's simply wrong, and hopefully our GBLT programming will help counter it. Maybe it will cause someone to put a human face where they didn't see one before,” said Ginny Welsch, Executive Director and one of the founders of the station. “I say it's already helped because I have personally heard from several people who were surprised that they found Roxie's Thursday afternoon ‘Nashville Gender Talk’ show really interesting. They all said the same thing -- that it made them think about things in a way they hadn't before. That's the power of letting people define themselves and speak for themselves and respond to mischaracterizations. It fosters openness and dialogue and understanding. And that is the power of RFN.”
“Nashville Gender Talk,” hosted by Roxanne Fox, strives to serve those who experience Gender Dysphoria. Gender Talk features personal testimony, professional consultants, live interviews and music in a live call-in program format. Guests include members and professionals from all areas of the GLBT community.
“Morning Drama with Jessica and Demetrius” covers the arts community in and around Nashville with a lively combination of music and talk by two local hosts, Jessica Sparks and Demetrius Johnson. While Demetrius’ portion of the show focuses specifically on any art happenings in the Nashville gay and lesbian communities, the show also plays a mix of music from Broadway showtunes, international tribal music, local artists, etc.
“Freedom Dance,” hosted by DJ Ron, is a two hour mix-show, featuring high energy dance music with the message to help us all celebrate our lives. DJ Ron Slomowicz is very active in the Nashville GLBT community and a noncommercial radio veteran, who has “91Out of the Closet” and “91 Dance” on WRVU Nashville, 91.1 FM since 1992. DJ Ron also spins at local nightclubs (Tribe and eXceSs).
“Commercial radio seems to portray GLBT people as either the roots of all evil (conservative talk radio shows) or stock characters for rude jokes (many morning shows). With queer people on the air, we can represent ourselves as we choose. Also, free from the influences of advertising, WRFN offers a variety of people and perspectives from the community” DJ Ron said.
You can listen to, or find out more about, WRFN by checking out their Web site, www.radiofreenashville.org.