MLK Programming 2023

Radio Catskill honors Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with 17 hours of special programs

SUNDAY, JANUARY 15

  • 6p – SPECIAL – MLK: Blueprint For The Culture: The 17th annual Apollo Uptown Hall MLK celebration focuses on Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement of the 60’s as the template for modern social and civil justice movements. It celebrates young people impacting society through activism, engagement, and a commitment to justice. Hosted by Kai Wright (Notes From America), Terrance McKnight (WQXR), and Brian Lehrer (WNYC).
  • 7p – DOCUMENTARY – King’s Last March: In Dr. King’s last year of activism he was tackling bigger issues than ever, yet this crucial period is too often overlooked. This hour documentary tells the story with archival tape, oral histories and contemporary interviews. From American Public Media.
  • 8p – MUSIC – 1963: A Man’s Dream, A Nation’s Nightmare: It was a year of raised hopes and devastating tragedy, and the world of jazz continued to reflect all of these ups and downs in America. This hour-long jazz special features John Coltrane, Jackie McLean, Eric Dolphy, and others. From Night Lights Classic Jazz, WFIU.
  • 9p – MUSIC – Martin Luther King Jr. (A Musical Remembrance): An hour of music commemorating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., including some of the world’s greatest Jazz musicians who composed and performed for Dr. King. From the series Jazz Time.
  • 10p – MUSIC – Dear Martin: Jazz Tributes to MLK: A musical salute to jazz fan Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with Oliver Nelson, Duke Ellington, Mary Lou Williams, and a Nina Simone performance recorded just three days after King’s assassination. From Night Lights, WFIU.
  • 11p – DOCUMENTARY – The King of Love: A Short History of the Civil Rights Movement: 90-minute audio collage of the struggle for civil rights focusing on the role of Dr. Martin Luther King. Produced by the late Dred-Scott Keyes.
  • 12:30a – SPEECHES – “Conscience of Change” Parts 1, 2, & 3: Three of Dr. Martin Luther King’s half-hour talks for the Massey Lectures series. These speeches were broadcast on five nights in November 1967 on CBC Radio. He talks about race relations, the war in Vietnam, social action, and more.

MONDAY, JANUARY 16

  • 10a – DOCUMENTARY – King Stories: Close friends and associates of Dr. King (Ralph Abernathy, David Garrow, Dick Gregory, Mark Lane, Larry Williams, and host Julian Bond) share stories that reveal the personal and private sides of Martin Luther King, Jr.
  • 11a – MUSIC – A Beautiful Symphony of Brotherhood: A Musical Journey in the Life of Martin Luther King, Jr.: A special hour of music, speeches, and sermons illustrating the powerful place that music held in King’s life and the role musicians played in his cause. Hosted by Terrance McKnight.
  • NOON – MUSIC – Upfront Soul, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Edition: Sanguine Fromage’s annual tribute to the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with two hours of funk, soul, jazz, and gospel, along with excerpts of Dr. King’s speeches and field recordings from the African-American civil rights movement.
  • 2p – SPEECHES – Three Landmark Speeches: King scholars play excerpts from three of Dr. King’s speeches and discuss them: “Selma to Alabama,” “Beyond Vietnam,” and “The Mountaintop Speech.”
  • 6p – SPECIAL – 1A Salute to MLK: The Struggle for Democracy & The Vote: Who can vote and how they can cast their ballot are questions as important today as they were almost 60 years ago when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. helped lead the fight for voting rights. This all-new special for 2023 honors the legacy of Dr. King with a contemporary focus on voting access and democracy.
  • 8p DOCUMENTARY – Martin Luther King Jr.’s Path To Nonviolence: Dr. Dorothy Cotton, former Educational director for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the late Yolanda King, eldest daughter of Dr. King, reflect on how MLK developed into a great moral and political philosopher.
  • 9p – SPEECH – “America’s Chief Moral Dilemma”: Dr. King speaks on the immorality of America’s involvement in Vietnam. Recorded on the Sproul Hall steps, UC Berkeley, May 17, 1967. From Pacifica.
  • 10p – SPEECH & MUSIC – “On the Power of Peaceful Persuasion”: Radio Catskill concludes its MLK Day Special programming with the earliest King recording we have access to. Hear Dr. King outline his vision of peaceful resistance in this speech from 1957, followed by a few gospel tunes.