Redacted Passages currently sits at #29 in spins on west Michigan's premier independent radio station, WYCE!
How can that be? Lakeshore effect? Revisionist Calvinism? The Paul Henry bypass? Inexplicably greater numbers of blond people?
Scientists are jamming westbound busses and grant-funding proposals to go find out. Meanwhile, a little WYCE history...
Licensed in 1983 to Wyoming, Michigan, WYCE first began broadcasting as an FM-based extension to a cable-based radio station in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas. This station was licensed to Wyoming Community Education (the source of the station's call letters).
in 1987, the Wyoming Board of Education, in response to concerns about the music their students were programming, willingly transferred the license and sold the assets to Grand Rapids Cable Access Center (who operated a Public-access television cable TV channel known as GRTV), which was the forerunner to the Grand Rapids Community Media Center (GRCMC). Eclectic music format found today is established by Friends of WYCE committee and Station Manager Tracy Taylor.
in 1997, WYCE studios moved from the community education site in Wyoming, to join GRCMC on the second floor of the West Side Library. It's signal strength was increase and programming expanded to 24 hours by the end of the 90s.
In 2000, WYCE's Inaugural Jammie Awards ceremony is held at the old Founders location on Monroe Avenue. Roberta Bradley and Gypsy win first Local Album of the Year award. 2018's Best Contemporary Folk Album went to Lansing's May Erlewine for Mother Lion (Earthwork Music)and Best Jazz Album was awarded to Lansing's organissimo for B3tles: A Soulful Tribute to the Fab 4 (Big O Records). (Indeed a pattern: WYCE digs Lansing artists too.)
One year later in 2001 WYCE started the Hat Trick Concert Series - forerunner to today's Live at Wealthy - begins at One Trick Pony Bar & Grill. The series runs for a dozen years and raises more than $75,000 for area nonprofits.
By 2010 WYCE got FCC Clearance to expand its signal to the Lakeshore (and perhaps in all other directions), then in 2014 its first "WYCE Live at Wealthy Theatre" concert is held, signaling a continuing collaboration between the GRCMC branches.
You don't need to be anywhere near our West Lakeshore to stream WYCE online of course. Check it out to hear one of most savagely cool mixes of independent music around! And besides, all Albums it adds to its music library such as Redacted Passages are automatically considered for ensuing Jammies, so, who knows...??? Vote early and often!
