WXPN Drops The Needle On Vinyl Day
• A quick glance at our 2026 Three Stooges calendar reveals a very important date — Thursday, April 9, 2026 is Vinyl Day at WXPN/Philadelphia!
The fun begins at the stroke of midnight, as the station (which boasts the slogan “Vinyl At Heart”) literally lives up to that concept, shutting off its computers and CD players to go all-vinyl on the radio — just like the pioneers once did — playing music solely from their turntables in a 24-hour marathon (as helpfully demonstrated below by morning show host Kristen Kurtis).
And just like last year, fans will enjoy a live “Vinyl Cam,” showing turntables spinning, hosts cueing up records, and digging through crates. The event will also feature local Philadelphia band Catbite, select WXPN staffers, hosts, and even a fan from the WXPN Vinyl Club.
Expanding this year from 18 hours to a full 24 hours, Vinyl Day returns for another year of employees and friends of WXPN sharing their favorite analog releases. The event will kick off with Stars End host Chuck Van Zyl curating an out-of-this-world overnight session from midnight to 6am, and wrapping up late Thursday evening with IT Director John Bartol sharing his favorite picks until the clock strikes midnight, April 10.
Throughout the day, listeners will be treated to an exclusive behind-the-curtain look into the dedicated people working at WXPN — not only hosts, but other team members from the station’s marketing, engineering, business support, development, web and other in-house departments.
WXPN Program Director Jim McGuinn explains, “Vinyl Day started as a throwback in 2025 — turntables only, no computers — but it’s become something bigger — from our on-air hosts to inviting artists, record store owners, listeners, and now almost the entire XPN staff to bring in their faves to spin and share. Plus, can you say ‘Vinyl Cam?’ And this time we’re expanding to 24 hours — midnight to midnight — celebrating the sound, the community, and the joy of playing records live on the air.”
