First-Of-Its-Kind Radio Broadcast by Inmates, for Inmates, Launches in Colorado
On March 1st, a new internet radio station created entirely by incarcerated individuals launched in Colorado. It is the first statewide prison station in United States history. The radio broadcast is called Inside Wire and features a wide variety of music, storytelling, news, and interviews. It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week from three Colorado prison system facilities: Limon Correctional, Sterling Correctional, and Denver Women's Correctional. The program is a collaboration between The University of Denver Prison Arts Initiative and the Colorado Department of Corrections.
All programs are created by incarcerated media producers and are designed to amplify the diverse voices and creations of those living and working inside prison walls. The producers of Inside Wire state,
"We invest in our listeners and collaborators inside the walls, inviting them to engage in co-creating and listening to our stories and sounds as a means of growing knowledge, skills, empathy, and self-worth. We amplify the diversity of our community inside the walls. We nurture programming that lifts up voices that too often go unheard. We collaborate not only with our incarcerated neighbors but with prison staff, in order to break down “us vs. them” thinking. We commit to vulnerability and trust, sharing our voices and our stories in order to shift the conversation about prison in the U.S., and to make possible a more just system for everyone."
The design is based on community radio models, there will be one programming schedule for the week and another for the weekends. Here is the full programming schedule:
You can access Inside Wire through your browser, or an app available from the Apple Store and Google Play. You can also click the button below to listen.