About
WIDR World is heard each Sunday afternoon from 3-6 PM on WIDR-FM, which you can find at 89.1 on your FM dial when you’re in and around the Kalamazoo area. Outside of Kalamazoo, you can find us on the internet at WIDR.org — but then, you knew that.
WIDR World has been hosted since 1996 by Jason J. Hall (yours truly.) The aim of the show is to introduce the WIDR listening audience to a variety of sounds from around the world — traditional to contemporary, modern to ancient. While blocks of the show may feature music from a single country or style or area or continent, the entire show tries to encompass a vast variety of musical styles from all corners of the world. English language vocals are avoided, but inevitable. Mainstream musicians are avoided, but they do sometimes offer the listener a gateway to the world of international music.
On a personal level, I was introduced to international music through popular music. George Harrison of the Beatles, and Paul Simon’s collaboration with Ladysmith Black Mambazo are two great examples of musicians that introduced the pop-music world to the sounds of the world. I took their bait, and now fully enjoy seeking out different sounds from all over the world. It’s my hope to pass this along to you.
While each show strives to incorporate a variety of artists and styles, humans find comfort in familiar things. The same artists may be played on the program from week to week, but — as the idea of “Radio Evolution” suggests — were you to listen to the show once every three months, it’s my hope that you’d hear lots of different music compared to the previous listen.