- More than 5,000 men are incarcerated in the six federal and state prisons in the broadcasting range of WMMT. Every week, for almost 20 years, the station has produced a show called “Calls From Home” that broadcasts recorded messages from the inmates’ friends and family members.
WMMT bills itself as “a 24 hour voice of mountain people,” and as far as the station is concerned, if the inmates can tune in, then they are mountain people too.
“They’re not willingly part of our communities here, but they’re here and part of our communities,” says Elizabeth Sanders, WMMT’s co-general manager and a “Calls From Home” producer.
“Anything we can do to help make the barriers between them and their families a little bit less, then we’re fulfilling part of our mission as the radio station here,” she adds.
Yea. The Portland station that does it is KBOO an independent locally funded community radio station. They were usually #2 on my dial before I had to get up at 5am every morning. Their morning programming is chat and hideous shit like traditional Irish or American Indian music which doesn't go with the shops flow so I don't listen all that often. They did either a half or full hour prison show with messages. I listen to a different locally funded radio station now, only on weekends. i know a few of the DJ's and it's a better music mix. https://xray.fm/ The Detroit show was just the later night DJ on a contemporary urban format station who would read out messages to prisoners. Many of the messages are hopeful, many are sad they are filled with a lot of love. Nothing like a shout out that a favorite uncle died and we love you and are waiting for you to get out.