West Virginia Senate looks to cut funding for legendary radio show,
which is nearing its 40th anniversary on air
Mountain Stage Guest Host Kathy Mattea pens Op-Ed in WV paper defending show,
pleads to reinstate funding for program
Mountain Stage, the legendary Public radio show produced in Charleston, WV for nearly 4 decades now faces an existential threat with the West Virginia Senate’s move to eliminate funding for West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
The Senate has proposed a total reduction of $3.8 Million to the West Virginia Public Broadcasting budget, and has left $300K in the state’s budget for the show. This would make it impossible to produce Mountain Stage and all the other worthy national and local programming produced by local Charleston NPR affiliate WVPB.
Starting in 1983, Mountain Stage has grown from humble beginnings to become a public radio standard bearer distributed by NPR Music and aired weekly on more than 280 NPR stations weekly. Hosted by co-founder and artistic director Larry Groce and recorded in Charleston in front of a live audience, Mountain Stage features performances from seasoned legends and emerging stars in genres ranging from folk, blues, and country, to indie rock, synth pop, world music, alternative, and beyond. The show has proved to be a tastemaker showing extraordinary prescience in booking artists that would go on to national prominence — including such artists as Sturgill Simpson, Sarah McLachlan, Norah Jones, Barenaked Ladies, Ben Harper, Paula Cole, Nickel Creek, Cassandra Wilson, Counting Crows, and Phish.
Over the years, the show has featured artists including R.E.M, Patti Smith, Barenaked Ladies, Cake, Bruce Hornsby, the Derek Trucks Band, Judy Collins, They Might Be Giants, Norah Jones, Martina McBride, Little Big Town, Joan Baez, Jakob Dylan and Regina Spektor.
In response to the potential budget cuts, Groce commented, “After 38 years, I’m not sure what kind of ‘separation shock’ there would be if WVPB is unfunded. I sincerely hope we are not forced to find out.”
WV Native and Grammy winning singer-songwriter Kathy Mattea wrote an Op-Ed which was published in Sunday’s Charleston Gazette-Mail.
“I want to take a minute to let you know how important that show is, from my point of view as a native West Virginian, a person who now resides outside of West Virginia, and as a Grammy-winning musician. I have, of late, been asked to guest host the show, after helping them get started almost 40 years ago…
“I’m sure you know the stereotypical perceptions of West Virginia. I have spent my adult life traveling around the country, and much of the world, telling people about how special the place is. Singing songs about it, celebrating the culture and the music. Mountain Stage does this by its very presence. The respect this show has among the musicians I come in contact with around the country, is hard to overstate.
“That’s why REM, at the height of their career, when they were selling out arenas, came to play. They thought the show was important. They got it. So did Patti Smith, and Robert Plant (of Led Zeppelin fame) was scheduled for a show, until the pandemic cancelled it. And legendary singer songwriters from Judy Collins to Jimmy Webb to Steve Earle, not to mention many singers and songwriters “on their way up” that go on to make national names for themselves, like Sturgill Simpson and Tyler Childers, both songwriters and singers with a decidedly Appalachian slant. A cut to Mountain Stage would be doubly tragic because lately there’s been an unexpected and thrilling upswing in the show’s following. During this pandemic, their listenership has grown by 30%, and the number of stations carrying the show has grown by 21%!”
“Mountain Stage’s tag-line is: ‘Live performance radio from the Mountain State of West Virginia.’ Live performance. It’s a very ordinary thing. Singing together, moving to the music. And, I would argue, also one of the most sacred.”
Speaking about the program, country artist Tyler Childers said, “My band and I grew up in the tri-state area, three of us being from Kentucky and three of us being from West Virginia. Because of that, playing Mountain Stage was one of the mile markers we all hoped to accomplish within our careers and our several appearances on Mountain Stage are in the highlights of our time playing music together. Defunding West Virginia Public Broadcasting does more than free up money by taking it away from a radio station, it strips a platform with international reach that creates opportunity for people within our artistic community, which other states should be envious of.”
Grammy winning musician Steve Earle said, “Mountain Stage is essential because it brings the world to West Virginia and West Virginia to the world.”
For over 50 years, West Virginia Public Broadcasting has been an indispensable resource for education, news and public affairs, emergency services and economic development for West Virginia.
For more information on how to keep Mountain Stage and all of the worthy programming produced by West Virginia Public Broadcasting on air, go to Protect and Sustain to learn more.