KUNV 91.5, UNLV's campus radio station, has become an affiliate of National Public Radio, enabling the station to broadcast some of the top jazz radio shows in the country, according to program director Brian Sanders.
"For many years Las Vegas has been served by one NPR affiliate," Sanders said. "But there are so many programs available through National Public Radio that no single station can run them all. Bringing this affiliation to KUNV is a great stride forward for Southern Nevada."
KUNV also recently added satellite downlink capability, which will enable the station to present NPR news, cultural programs, and other specials, in addition to music, in the near future, Sanders said.
Noting that in the past year the university has "come to a new understanding of the value of having its own radio station," Sanders said, "It's great for UNLV to be associated with one of the premier radio services in the country."
Beginning May 11, the station will present outstanding new jazz shows Monday through Friday in the 5-6 p.m. time slot.
On Mondays, "Billy Taylor's Jazz at Kennedy Center" will air. The show is a distinct blend of music, stories, and humor that offers a unique and interactive jazz experience. Each show features a special guest artist who talks and performs with Taylor and his trio. It is the only NPR jazz program that invites the audience to ask questions of famous jazz personalities.
On Tuesdays, "Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz" will run. Each week, renowned pianist McPartland and a different guest spend an hour in a fluid combination of musical and verbal conversations. The personal style and musical history of McPartland attract both veteran jazz giants and bright new stars to the show.
NPR's "Jazz Profiles," hosted by Emmy and Grammy Award-winning vocalist Nancy Wilson, will be presented on Wednesdays on KUNV. A continuing documentary series, "Jazz Profiles" chronicles the people, places, and events in jazz. The varied topics for the show range from in-depth portraits of the legendary personalities who have made jazz what it is today to comprehensive looks at jazz instruments, cities, and families.
KUNV will broadcast "JazzSet with Branford Marsalis" on Thursdays. The show takes listeners on the road to top clubs, concerts, and festivals for select performances by the musicians of the moment, established performers, and new faces on the jazz scene.
On Fridays, "Wynton Marsalis: Making the Music" will air on KUNV. The show covers an array of topics that get to the essentials of jazz by going directly to the musicians themselves. The featured musicians take part in demonstrations and informal conversations with Marsalis and reveal the sense of discovery and opportunity they have experienced in jazz. Marsalis's topic on May 15 is the blues. Future shows will look at Louis Armstrong, avant-garde jazz, Duke Ellington, and Thelonious Monk.
