WPKN Special Broadcasts

Pete Stewart Tribute with Mike Merli, Ebong Udoma & Special Guests, 3.28.26

This Saturday March 28, 2026, from 12 to 3pm, we here at WPKN will be using these airwaves to pay tribute to our dear friend and programmer Pete Stewart. Beginning in August of 1988, Pete Stewart brought his unique perspective, humble heart, and compassion, conviction, and strong sense of community to WPKN. We will be sharing memories, stories, and reflecting on the incredible person and programmer Pete was. If you'd like to share a personal tribute to Pete, please plan to join us from 12 to 3pm this Saturday, March 18, 2026.

THE PROBLEM WITH KIDS TODAY! Live from WPKN on Colette Rossignol's Capital Radio !

Connecticut's fave raves The Problem With Kids Today performed live on the WPKN airwaves with a blistering 45 minute set of tunes from their rocketing album Take It! [https://theproblemwithkidstoday.bandcamp.com/album/take-it] The band packed into the WPKN Community Room dazzling a crowd of ~20 fans and friends. Don't miss this essential raw document of the current Connecticut rock scene!

Preservation Sound Radio with Chris Ruggiero featuring Bob Alexander’s "The Good City Rock Show" WBAI NYC 9/17/77 with Johnny Thunders & Walter Lure, Alan Betrock (New York Rocker)

Chris Ruggiero's monthly Preservation Sound Radio program presented a mindblow of an archival find. Via Chris: "I restored a full 90min 1/4” recording of Bob Alexander’s The Good City Rock Show as aired on WBAI NYC Weds 9/17/77…. The day after Elvis Died. Alexander interviews Johnny Thunders and Walter Lure of The Heartbreakers just two weeks before the release of their first LP “L/A/M/F”. They discuss the differences b/w the NY and UK scenes, the place of politics in punk rock… etc… fascinating stuff that has been lost to time.  I dont believe that this interview exists anywhere online. For the 2nd half of the show Alexander interviews Alan Betrock, publisher of New York Rocker magazine. And its all laced with classic early punk and ‘pub rock’ tracks PLUS a few super-rarities that may be unreleased demo tapes. This is a fascinating piece of punk-rock history from the collection of WPKN’s Eric Cocks (r/i/p). Do not miss."

50 YEARS of LOU POMALES & LA ESQUINA LATINA TRIBUTE

Many thanks to those who paid reverence to the Puerto Rican, Afro-Cuban, and Latin grooves of Lou Pomales' La Esquina Latina this past Sunday. 50+ years of a WPKN broadcasting powerhouse, uniting many in Sunday afternoon song. Dig the picture of WPKN revolutionaries above including (left to right) Kevin Gallagher (Digging in the Dirt, GaiaGram), Bob Johnson (Second Saturday Magazine), Lou Pomales, Ebong Udoma, and Public Affairs Director, Richard Hill (Organic Farm Stand, Mic Check, Monthly Labor Report et al !). It was a joyous celebratory vibe with Herman Olivera (ReHumanize Yourself Radio) taking the DJ reins from 12-2PM, and Lou mixing in tributes, tunes, and great memories. A must listen!

Joe Flood Interview, Music, and In-Studio Performance with WPKN's Brendan Toller

This WPKN Special Broadcasts Podcast features songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Joe Flood in studio with Brendan Toller, DJ B the T Jr. of Shake 'N' Vibrate Radio. Karen Schoemer of the New York Times says Flood has “songs bursting with eccentric characters ... a voice that perfectly straddles the fence between country and the blues…” And it's those kind of qualities that have taken Flood towards collaborations with members of the Band, the Bottle Rockets, Mojo Nixon, Dan Baird, and Eric "Roscoe" Ambel - who produced many of Flood's solo works for the late Jeremy Tepper's (Outlaw Country) Diesel Only label. More info at: https://www.joefloodmusic.com/ [https://www.joefloodmusic.com/]