Blazer 91.1 WVUB is joining more than 120 public radio stations across 44 states in celebrating Public Radio Music Day this Wednesday, October 29.

Now in its sixth year, the national event is organized by the noncomMUSIC Alliance, a coalition that promotes public radio’s role in supporting music discovery, preservation, and community connection.

This year’s theme, “Live. Local. Essential.”, highlights how noncommercial stations strengthen local music scenes and support artists through live performance and cultural engagement.

At the Vincennes Historic Farmers Market, one of the many community spaces where live music can be heard, local musicians Owen and Mark Horton of Horton Live reflected on what that support means. “If you got local music, you get local culture. And without that you have no culture. Your culture loses it,” said Owen Horton. “So it’s so important to the whole city in the area that your culture, whether it’s people that get money or bring stuff in, you get a flavor and you get a taste for it.”

Mark Horton added that public radio plays a key role in giving artists exposure and connecting them to audiences. “It’s really great. You know, just it gives us an opportunity to put our music out there and gives us a venue to play,” he said. “We do appreciate everything that Blazer does to help support local music.”

Public Radio Music Day arrives amid ongoing funding challenges for public media, with organizers emphasizing that local stations like WVUB remain essential to the survival of live and regional music culture.