The Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts curator will trade visual arts for music when he takes the helm of the community radio station, succeeding longtime manager Kevin Murphy.
AJ Pashka
The Community Media Center has named AJ Paschka, Urban Institute of Contemporary Arts exhibitions curator, as the new radio station manager for WYCE 88.1 FM.
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Paschka, 34, a 2001 graduate of Ferris State University’s Kendall College of Art and Design, begins his new duties in October, according to a WYCE press release. He replaces Kevin Murphy, who left the position in early August.
“AJ has a deep passion for music history and production,” Community Media Center Executive Director Tom Clinton said in the written statement. “He also brings with him extensive experience in audience engagement projects for arts organizations. He has demonstrated an understanding of the need for WYCE to reach out to new audiences through collaboration with other CMC platforms and local arts organizations.”
Paschka described himself as a devoted music fan and collector, who plays piano and guitar, often playing and recording at home with friends, even as his career has centered on the visual arts.
He told Local Spins that while on the staff at the Grand Rapids Art Museum, he helped to create the GRAM on the Green music series, booking the bands and recording the performances.
“It’s something I’ve practiced and appreciated my whole life,” he said. “I’m definitely a music fan, first and foremost.”
‘EXCITED FOR THE OPPORTUNITY’
In addition to his posts at the GRAM and UIA, Paschka was involved in the beginning of the Avenue of the Arts in downtown Grand Rapids, and for a time, worked on Weather Collage, an app which connected real-time weather information with creative non-weather graphics. He also has spent time in Seattle, Chicago and Ann Arbor.
Paschka
Paschka said he’s “excited for the opportunity” and is looking forward to using his online expertise and arts community connections to expand the WYCE audience and drive engagement with the station.
“I want to make sure I understand the situation before I make any dramatic moves,” he added. “What I’m going to have to learn to do, because the station is run by volunteers and funded by the community, is make sure I understand the situation before I go in like a bull in a tea shop.
“I think I have the abilities to make sure community engagement is maintained. There might be interesting ways to expand the audience of WYCE, but I’m not sure what those things are yet. I am going to have to be aware, there are a lot of people involved. I only get the chance to be the new person one time. I’m going to try and listen as much as possible.”
As part of the Community Media Center, WYCE has a small paid staff and uses volunteer programmers on the airwaves. In addition to WYCE, the CMC includes public access television station V, Wealthy Theatre, and The Rapidian, a citizen journalism website. The center also provides web design and media production services to nonprofit organizations, and offers education programs in media literacy and production.
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