About

Mission

SteelRadio is a non-profit radio station that presents, preserves and promotes steel guitar music.

History

Radio veterans and steel guitar enthusiasts Tim Wallis and Rich Mounce created SteelRadio in the mid-1990s at KWRP.fm in Decatur, Illinois. For 15 years, with a significant worldwide listenership and a library of over 10,000 songs, the station was managed by Michael Scott (son of DeWitt "Scotty" Scott, the founder of the International Steel Guitar Convention) until it was sold in 2016. SteelRadio ceased broadcasting sometime in 2017. In 2022, the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame, Inc. (SGHOF) in St. Louis, Missouri received grant funds to bring back SteelRadio to the internet airwaves as well as to help establish a brick-and-mortar SGHOF museum. SteelRadio is now under the direction of General Manager Ted Smouse as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Vision

SteelRadio is a community non-profit radio station supported by listener financial donations, memberships and business underwriting, presenting the music of the heroes of steel guitar in Hawaiian, country and western, and steel guitar jazz. SteelRadio also presents the many ways steel guitar, dobro and slide guitar are being used today. By building a legacy of high-quality, diverse and inclusive programming, we are creating the foundation for SteelRadio to exist for years to come.