Ever since my stint as a college radio DJ at Pomona College’s KSPC (see my tour), I’ve been aware of college radio’s fan base among the prison population. DJs at KSPC regularly received letters, postcards and phone calls from faithful listeners who resided in a nearby men’s prison. This past summer, I learned about a long-running show aimed at prisoners in the listening area of Vassar College’s WVKR. With all that as a backdrop, it was fascinating to read a death row inmate’s perspective on college radio.
In a piece for The Marshall Project, Penitentiary Rock: The Show with a Captive Audience, Timothy White writes of his love for a prisoner-focused metal show on college radio station WKNC. White explains:
The weekly radio show known as ‘Penitentiary Rock’—or ‘Pen Rock’ for short—first aired on WKNC 88.1, the N.C. State University station, during the 1990s. This was before my arrival on death row.
According to some of the guys who were here back then, the ‘Rock’ developed after a small group of prisoners, often fans of hard rock and heavy-metal, decided to write letters to the student deejays at WKNC, requesting songs. (Some of them made requests by placing collect calls without connecting, naming the song they wanted instead of giving their own names.)
The DJs responded by not only playing inmate requests for bands like Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Motörhead, but also encouraging their captive audience to let the DJs actually read their letters on air. At some point, there was a contest for listeners to come up with a name for the show, which generated ‘Penitentiary Rock.’
On podcast #147, we chatted with the artists behind a prison radio-themed art installation in Philadelphia and during that conversation, I was struck by the important role of communication for prisoners. With that in mind, radio can be a lifeline, connecting inmates with people on the outside.
White’s article articulates that nicely as he explains the role that “Penitentiary Rock” plays for prisoners, stating, “Every Friday night is different, based on the content of the letters. Some are short and to the point, while others are rambling, semi-coherent and hilariously absurd—but Paul reads them all. Many writers use the forum to stay in contact with other prisoners around the state, as well as to air gripes and grievances of every variety. Most importantly, though, we all write to feel we are a part of something bigger than ourselves and the walls that contain us.”
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