REPOSTED
Brooklyn reggae shows on Internet radio catch on fast with music fans
BY MIKE MCLAUGHLIN
DAILY NEWS WRITER
Tuesday, April 5th 2011, 7:24 PM
Gabel for News, Pearl
Sharon Gordon and Carlyle McKetty, hosts of reggae shows on Internet radio station, plan to expand airtime of popular programs.
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Two Flatbush reggae shows have exploded in popularity since debuting last year, prompting the hosts to respond with a huge expansion of programming on the Internet radio station.
The shows that caught fire since they hit the air last April are "Reggae Calling," a music program, and "Real Talk," a talk show about the reggae industry and Jamaican current events.
"These programs have taken off in a way that none of us expected," said Sharon Gordon, who hosts "Reggae Calling" and shares the mic with Carlyle McKetty on "Real Talk."
"We started this because we love the music," Gordon said. "Now we have this tremendous following."
The shows are a branch of the Coalition to Preserve Reggae Music, which Gordon and McKetty founded in 2005.
Their mission, they say, is "to preserve the art form and its traditional message of healing and unity," which they say is threatened by violent themes and graphic lyrics heard in the genre today.
"It's not a generational thing," McKetty said. "It's a values thing. There's always a struggle for the heart and soul of anything that's good."
They broadcast six hours of tunes and conversation per week from a studio at E2 Records on Nostrand Ave.
But they're moving into their own Ocean Ave. studio this month, where they'll increase the on-air time to 15 hours a week.
By the end of the year, they aim to broadcast 30 hours per week by bringing on more deejays and talk show hosts to cover topics like youth issues and the arts.
"People who listen tell us that they wished there was more of what we're doing," McKetty said. "There's a desire for more of what we do."
They book well-known guests like percussionist "Carrot" Jarrett from the roots reggae group Third World and Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-Flatbush).
The audience becomes an active part of the show by sending messages to the hosts in an Internet chat room.
"The show provides a comfortable atmosphere that allows many of its listeners the chance to interact with guests in a very real way," Clarke said.
Thousands of people listen to interviews and live performances through computers in places like New York, Jamaica and England, according to an E2 Records official.
"They've done a good job," said E2 Records partner Michelle Arthurton. "They're keeping the Jamaican and Caribbean community informed."
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