New Orleans Non-Profit Radio Station Launched
The internet radio station Radio Is a Foreign Country officially transitioned into a non-profit organization in 2021.
Updated on Sept. 24, 2026 in World
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Founded by Kenneth Routon, the internet radio project Radio Is a Foreign Country began 24-hour streaming in April 2021. The New Orleans-based station operates as a non-profit, utilizing an archive of mixtapes to broadcast content.
Why it matters
The founder treats the radio station as a field site for the ethnographic study of cultural life. By utilizing randomized playback of its extensive library, the station provides a platform for researchers and collectors to share niche audio collections.
The station has produced 170 curated mixtapes that have reached approximately 500,000 total plays. Its homepage, The Dial, features 270 special streaming stations and a ShortWaveMusic collection containing 500 individual recordings.
The players
Kenneth Routon
He is the founder of Radio Is a Foreign Country and approaches radio broadcasting as a platform for ethnographic research.
Radio Garden
This is a streaming directory that partnered with the station to help curate its playlists.
The details
The project draws its broadcast material from a library of mixtapes contributed by various researchers, collectors, and record labels. These recordings are played through a randomized streaming system managed from the project's New Orleans headquarters.
Timeline
The project first uploaded its initial episodes in 2018.
The organization officially incorporated as a non-profit in 2021.
The station began its 24-hour streaming service in April 2021.
Industry Dynamics
The project follows a pattern set by digital archiving efforts like the Radio Garden streaming directory. It exemplifies the growing trend of using niche, crowd-sourced streaming archives to challenge the dominance of algorithmically-driven commercial platforms.
Listeners can access the 24-hour stream directly through the station's homepage. The platform provides free access to thousands of hours of curated audio content and rare shortwave recordings.
The takeaway
Radio Is a Foreign Country demonstrates how non-profit organizations can turn archival research into accessible public programming. Enthusiasts can explore the station's extensive library of shortwave recordings to discover unique cultural audio history.
Further reading
For more information on digital broadcast trends, visit the World section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Radio World.
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