KTAL-LP 101.5 FM Las Cruces

It’s Back! The Second Road Runner Revue!

We’re excited to announce that KTAL will be hosting the second Road Runner Revue benefit concert in collaboration with the Rio Grande Theater. The Revue will take place on October 29th, and this year's musical guests will include the stylings of local musicians: Desert Roots Reggae, Bajosexto, and the Old Time Pharmaceuticals. Tickets start at $15 or $20 for two attendees; The Revue runs from 2-5 PM and refreshments will be provided. Help keep KTAL on the airwaves and in our community by attending the second of many benefit concerts! Get your tickets here!

Que Tal? Program Episode Highlights for September 17-24, 2023

Want to know what topics hosts and guests will be discussing on your favorite talk shows this week? Or what themes your favorite music hosts will be highlighting? Click on each day for details of show episodes. If you like what you see and hear, go to our Donate page and show your support! A full list of programming may be found on our Schedule page.

Sunday

The First Rock and Roll Song
Sunday 12-3 AM
Louisiana music, girl groups, and a cluster of musicians who played cowboys but would have musically fit better on Sugar Hill than the Black Hills. Music on radio can strip away the clues of race resulting in vast new waves of music coming at you. Nothing is nicer in life expanding the range of your musical enjoyment.

Interfaith Voices
Sunday 8-9 AM
The challenge of reporting religion in Modi’s India: Journalist Kalpana Jain is raising alarms about the threats to press freedom in the world’s most populous democracy, India.

Delving In
Sunday 9-10 AM
Fri 11 AM-12 PM, Rebroadcast
Host Stuart Kelter interviews Hans-Dieter Sues, a senior research geologist at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History about the history and surprising elements of evolutionary theory, as well as the paradoxical relationship between science and ignorance.

Making Contact
Sunday 11:30 AM-12 PM, Rebroadcast
Friday 12:30-1 PM
Toxic Tracks takes a look at the environmental impact of the rail industry. Hear from people in two communities currently impacted by rail-related contamination.
In February, a Suffolk Northern train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, and residents are still recovering from the disaster.
In Houston’s Fifth Ward, residents have been living with the dire health effects of carcinogenic creosote used to treat railroad ties decades ago.

Ralph Nader Radio Hour
Sunday 12-1 PM
Ralph welcomes Toby Heaps, co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Canadian magazine Corporate Knights, which ranks the world's 100 most sustainable corporations. And we welcome back Dr. Bandy Lee, psychiatrist and editor of The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump to discuss Donald Trump's continuing hold on 30% of the American population.

The Moth
Sunday 1-2 PM, Rebroadcast
Tuesday 5-6 PM
Stories of ringtones, rekindled connections, revolution, revealing phone calls, missed messages, and finding one's calling. Storytellers:
Susan Fee gets a surprise when she calls her daughter.
A series of missed calls gets scientist Moran Cerf in hot water.
Nancy Mahl gets a call from her mom on 9/11.
Cheech Marin finds his calling after dodging the draft.

Strange Currency
Sunday 2-4 PM, Rebroadcast
Thursday 11 PM-1 AM
Jedd Beaudoin plays music from A Song for Leon, a new tribute to Leon Russell, as well as music from The Breeders, Old Crow Medicine Show, M. Ward and Grandaddy.

Medium Rare
Sunday 5-6 PM, Rebroadcast
Tuesday 8-9 PM
Brother B entertains with the New Age genre featured. A musical adventure with artists: Eric Avenger, Steve Kindler, Flow, Special EFX, Shadowfax, Johnny Clegg & Savuka, Enigma, Eberhard Weber, Steve McDonald. Herbie Hancock presents a special tune sung by Christina Aguilera, then Keiko Matsui finishes up the hour. Another fun and fast show, with superb musicianship for all the sun-drenched ears in Las Cruces! Be there or be square!

Music They Don't Want You to Hear
Sunday 6-8 PM
Wed 10 PM-12 AM Rebroadcast
Songs from Jennings and Keller who will be in concert at the Dona Ana Arts Council on Sept. 29, 2023, plus a plethora of new music from Carrie Newcomer, Emma's Revolution, the Mad Agnes Trio, Rachel Kilgore, The Neilds and from Margo Cilker who has a neat new song about Santa Rosa, NM.

Monday

Travel With Rick Steves
Monday 11 AM-12 PM
Louisiana tour guide Andrew Farrier takes a look at the historical attractions of southeast Louisiana that are easy day trips from New Orleans. Listen in to German journalist Stefan Wagner compare how his fellow Germans approach contemporary political and social issues versus the polarizing ways many Americans react to hot button issues. Plus, hear listeners share tales of how they've been able to get back to traveling again since pandemic restrictions were lifted.

Alternative Radio
Monday 12-1 PM
The 1993 Oslo Accords between Israelis and Palestinians was a euphoric moment. Peace and stability were at long last at hand. Did that happen? Oslo enabled greater Israeli control and expansion of colonies, euphemistically called settlements. There is no peace process; rather it should be called an annexation/occupation process with an ever-shrinking possibility for a viable independent Palestinian state. Rarely in the history of diplomacy has there been such a one-sided outcome as Oslo.

The Latin Alternative
Monday 2-3 PM, Rebroadcast
Saturday 4-5 PM
Josh Norek and Ernesto Lechner celebrate FANIA RECORDS, the legendary label that brought us legends of Salsa and Boogaloo including the Fania All-Stars, Eddie Palmieri, Ray Barretto, Cheo Feliciano, Ismael Rivera and countless others.

Global Village
Monday 3-4 PM
In conjunction with the September World Piano feature and Hispanic Heritage Month, we head to the Savannah Music Festival for one of the giants of Latin Music and Latin Piano, Eddie Palmieri. In a career that has spanned over seven decades and the arc of Latin music from mambo to salsa to contemporary Latin jazz, Palmieri has been a pioneer and powerful force in the music. His performance here highlights classics in a non-stop Latin dance party.

Reveal
Monday 5-6 PM
Around the globe, journalists are facing digital attacks from Pegasus, military-grade spyware originally developed to go after criminals. One of the biggest Pegasus hacks ever uncovered was the targeting of El Faro newspaper in El Salvador. Hosts Rose Reid and Nando Vila speak with El Faro co-founder Carlos Dada and reporter Julia Gavarrete as well as John Scott-Railton of Citizen Lab, a Toronto-based digital watchdog group who worked to identify the El Faro breach.

Ear Hustle
Monday 11 PM-12 AM
Fri 11 PM-12 AM, Rebroadcast
You've asked (via postcard), and we have answers! A “kite” is prison slang for a written note. Since Ear Hustle launched, we’ve encouraged listeners to send in their questions about the show and life inside via postcards, or “kites.” In this episode, Earlonne and Nigel dig into the pile of 1,021 postcards that have arrived from all over the world.

Tuesday

Cafe Con Leche
Tuesday 8-9 AM
Friday 2-3 PM, Rebroadcast
In keeping with our September focus on the first atomic bomb test and the Tularosa Downwinders, Café con Leche will repeat an interview first aired in 2021, with Elva K. Österreich, writer at the Las Cruces Bulletin and Editor of the Desert Exposure supplement. She spoke with Nan Rubin about her book The Manhattan Project Trinity Test: Witnessing the Bomb in New Mexico and shared some of their powerful firsthand accounts.

The Moth
Tuesday 5-6 PM
Sunday 1-2 PM, Rebroadcast
A special live edition of The Moth brought to you from the Lobero Theater in Santa Barbara, California.
Monte Montepare finds himself at an emotional crossroads in rural Alaska.
Christina Igaraividez connects to her grandmother through the violin which results in an intergenerational connection through music.
Drummer Patty Schemel finds herself on tour with millennials and feels out of touch.

Medium Rare
Tuesday 8-9 PM
Sunday 5-6 PM, Rebroadcast
Brother B brings another fun hour of "Medium Rare" tunes to Southern New Mexico. We start off with Blues artist Tab Benoit doing a tune that should be New Mexico's theme song. Then Savoy Brown and Eric Johnson / Mike Stern grace the airwaves. Flora Purum and the Ed Palermo Big Band come next, followed by Bill Frisell, and Urban Knights w/Ramsey Lewis, Michael McDonald, Brad Mehldau, Don Grusin and finally, the band Elements comes your way. It will be a fun hour.

Transworld Airwaves
Tuesday 9-10 PM
DJ Madame B presents a Occitania edition of Transworld Airwaves, referring to the Occitan language and music within Southern France, parts of Italy (and Spain), on this cross-cultural musical journey.

Wednesday

Speak Up Las Cruces
Wednesday 8-10 AM
Wed 2-4 PM, Rebroadcast
This week we begin a series of candidate interviews for the upcoming municipal election, which will continue in the weeks ahead.
8:00-8:30:
Co-hosts Walt Rubel and Daisy Maldonado discuss issues in the news. If you have any comments, please give us a call at 575-526-5825.

8:30-9:00:
Candidates for the District 4 seat on the Las Cruces school board, incumbent Teresa Tenorio, Julia Ruiz and Edward Howell.

9:00-10:00:
Candidates for the District 4 seat on the Las Cruces City Council, incumbent Johana Bencomo, Ramon Ortega and Gabriel Duran. Lorenzo Medina has also been invited to join us.

Afropop Worldwide
Wednesday 7-8 PM
We honor the late Joe Cuba with this portrait of "Bugalú," produced for Afropop Worldwide by Ned Sublette. Bugalú is the Spanish spelling of boogaloo, and was also known as “Latin soul.” Joe Cuba was one of bugalú’s most popular artists, best known for the major hit “Bang Bang” that his band created on the spot one night at a New York club. Joe was a mesmerizing storyteller, and we’ll hear some of the major bugalú stars tell their stories, including Johnny Colon (“Boogaloo Blues”) and Tony Pabón (lead singer with Pete Rodriguez of “I Like It Like That” fame), and of course Joe Cuba himself.

Music They Don't Want You to Hear
Wed 10 PM-12 AM Rebroadcast
Sunday 6-8 PM
Songs from Jennings and Keller who will be in concert at the Dona Ana Arts Council on Sept. 29, 2023, plus a plethora of new music from Carrie Newcomer, Emma's Revolution, the Mad Agnes Trio, Rachel Kilgore, The Neilds. Also Margo Cilker, who has a neat new song about Santa Rosa, NM.

Thursday

Big Picture Science
Thursday 11 AM-12 PM
Have you ever heard worms arguing? Deep-sea scientists use hydrophones to eavesdrop on “mouth-fighting worms.” It’s one of the many ways scientists are trying to catalog the diversity of the deep oceans. But the clock is ticking. While vast expanses of the deep sea are still unexplored, mining companies are ready with dredging vehicles to strip mine the seafloor, potentially destroying rare and vulnerable ecosystems.

This Way Out
Thursday 12-12:30 PM
How Munich Oktoberfest developed a fetish for gay men; the muddy road to Canadian marriage equality; Biden stands for all human’s rights at the U.N. General Assembly, Erdogan mistakes U.N. summit colors for LGBTQ rainbows, “The Nigerian 69” are released on bail, a Hong Kong court okays a two-mom birth certificate, South Korea notes its first lesbian to give birth, the Pentagon seeks to upgrade Don’t Ask Don’t Tell discharges, and that Mifepristone-banning judge disses drag.

Living Planet
Thursday 12:30-1 PM
Re-envisioning the restroom. It's perfectly natural and something we do every day. Whether you use a squat toilet, a pit latrine or a water closet, humans need to go. But the ways we do so are often not very efficient, useful or good for the environment. So we're taking a look at the history of human excrement and some creative solutions to dispose of and repurpose our waste.

Strange Currency
Thursday 11 PM-1 AM
Sunday 2-4 PM, Rebroadcast
Released in 1984, The Replacements’ Let It Be broke the Minneapolis band from a regional to national favorite. We’ll hear music from that recording as well as a selection from the 1983 debut from Guided By Voices, Forever Since Breakfast.

Friday

Delving In
Fri 11 AM-12 PM, Rebroadcast
Sunday 9-10 AM
Host Stuart Kelter interviews Hans-Dieter Sues, a senior research geologist at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History about the history and surprising elements of evolutionary theory, as well as the paradoxical relationship between science and ignorance.

Cafe Con Leche
Friday 2-3 PM, Rebroadcast
Tuesday 8-9 AM
In keeping with our September focus on the first atomic bomb test and the Tularosa Downwinders, Café con Leche will repeat an interview first aired in 2021, with Elva K. Österreich, writer at the Las Cruces Bulletin and Editor of the Desert Exposure supplement. She spoke with Nan Rubin about her book The Manhattan Project Trinity Test: Witnessing the Bomb in New Mexico and shared some of their powerful firsthand accounts.

Counterspin
Friday 12-12:30 PM, Rebroadcast
Monday 11-11:3 AM
New Yorkers who were here 22 years ago remember the proliferation of signs and stickers reading “our grief is not a cry for war”—and then the way that voice was shouted over by corporate news media, calling for war crimes with US flags on their lapels. Pretend-neutral news media have done crucial work in selling Islamophobia, in weaponizing centuries of misinformation and demonization for wartime purposes, with the war being the undefined, unending “war on terror.”

Upfront Soul
Friday 7-9 PM
We'll spin a spiritual side from Alice Coltrane, spend some time "Hangin' Out" with Bobby Hutcherson, and enjoy some "Chocolate Milk" and "Black Sugar. "

Ear Hustle
Fri 11 PM-12 AM, Rebroadcast
Monday 11 PM-12 AM
You've asked (via postcard), and we have answers! A “kite” is prison slang for a written note. Since Ear Hustle launched, we’ve encouraged listeners to send in their questions about the show and life inside via postcards, or “kites.” In this episode, Earlonne and Nigel dig into the pile of 1,021 postcards that have arrived from all over the world.

Saturday

The Audacity of Pop
Saturday 8-9 AM
Join another trip through pop history as Lorenzo spins hits from "The Last Ten Years." From Bruno Mars with "Treasure" in 2013 to Pink with "Never Gonna Not Dance Again" in 2023, we explore the pop sounds of the last decade.

The Children's Hour
Saturday 9-10 AM
We hear many songs illustrating the diversity of global music, including a lullaby out of Ukrainian quartet DakhaBrakha. Joy Harjo the first Indigenous American U.S. Poet Laureate 2019-2022 not only is an amazing poet, but she is also an accomplished musician. Hear her perform her poem Remember with world renowned oud master, Rahim AlHaj, an Iraqi refugee living in New Mexico. Also, the bizarre sounds of the mouth harp performed by a Mongolian folk band, and a traditional Tuvan song demonstrating the haunting, whistling of overtone singing.

Soulsations
Saturday 1-2 PM
It’s R&B from ’73! We are taking you back with so many incredible songs produced and released 50 years ago. Tunes that resonate with you by Marvin Gaye, Eddie Kendricks, Bloodstone, Gladys Knight & the Pips and inspiring gospel by the Edwin Hawkins Singers. We also share a popular 1973 tune by Stevie Wonder and pianist and producer, Victoria Theodore shares insight on what it’s like play during a Stevie Wonder rehearsal. Plus, this week’s DoubleTake is the 1973 classic, “If You Want Me to Stay” by the iconic band, Sly and the Family Stone and hear an engaging cover by Ari Lennox and Anthony Ramos.

CHECK BACK NEXT WEEK!!!

New Show Alert: Ear Hustle

We are excited to announce that we are bringing the captivating radio show Ear Hustle to KTAL, broadcasting its extraordinary stories every Monday and Friday at 11 PM. Delve into the heartfelt narratives from within San Quentin State Prison, as Earlonne Woods, Nigel Poor and Rahsaan “New York” Thomas lead us on a journey of empathy, compassion, and understanding. From PRX’s Radiotopia, Ear Hustle was named a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in audio reporting in 2020, who called it "a consistently surprising and beautifully crafted series on life behind bars."

Become a KTAL Volunteer

We are looking for people to join our invaluable and friendly group volunteers at KTAL. Help keep this independent, non-commercial resource continue so local people and respectful conversations can continue to be heard. You'll learn what it takes to keep a radio station running and put live shows from our studio on the air. You may even want to host a show of your own someday. Don't know how? Don't worry, we'll teach you! To get started, go here. Put in your name, email and say, "I'm interested in volunteering!"

Grow Your Business and Support Community Radio

Grow your business while supporting true community radio in Southern New Mexico! Your announcement will potentially reach up to 80,000 people in and around Las Cruces and the Mesilla Valley.

Click here for more information on underwriting.